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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Investigation Of Visual Perceptions In Parkinson's Disease And The Development Of Disease Monitoring Software, Matthew Bernardinis
Investigation Of Visual Perceptions In Parkinson's Disease And The Development Of Disease Monitoring Software, Matthew Bernardinis
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Non-motor Parkinson’s Disease (PD) symptoms are substantial factors of PD arising throughout disease stages, yet their diagnosis and monitoring remain a challenge. Sensory abnormalities in PD occur across sensory systems and disease stages, contributing to disease-related impairments. However, the extent of symptoms is unknown, with inadequate monitoring and treatment options furthering disease management difficulties. The current work studies movement-independent visual perceptions of time, displacement and velocity in PD patients across disease stages using levodopa, deep brain stimulation (DBS), or no PD therapy. Perceptual tasks were conducted using a computer-generated graphical device designed with a focus on simplicity and flexibility. Perception …
Effects Of A Unilateral Injection Of Botulinum Neurotoxin Subtype-A In The Subthalamic Nucleus Of A Parkinsonian Rat Model, Olga Khazov
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Dopaminergic degeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD) leads to altered functional activity within the basal ganglia (BG) circuitry, including hyperactivity of the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Treatments restoring the BG functional circuitry often result in improvements in parkinsonian symptoms in patients and animal models. A recent study from our laboratory identified that infusing botulinum toxin (BoNT-A) into the internal globus pallidus provided a transient restoration of motor asymmetry and goal-directed locomotion in a rat model of PD. We hypothesized that infusions of BoNT-A into the STN in a parkinsonian rat model will improve motor asymmetry and locomotor abnormalities. Infusions of BoNT-A into …
Differentiating The Substantia Nigra And Ventral Tegmental Area In Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease Using Iron Imaging, Erind Alushaj
Differentiating The Substantia Nigra And Ventral Tegmental Area In Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease Using Iron Imaging, Erind Alushaj
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Excessive midbrain iron accumulation in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) contributes to degeneration of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). Despite this understanding, there are no validated PD biomarkers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can localize and quantify brain iron for diagnosis of PD. Seventeen early-stage PD patients and twenty-one controls were scanned at 3T and 7T MRI. Using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2* relaxometry, we analyzed the average iron content in the SNc, substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), and VTA. QSM detected significantly higher SNc iron content in PD patients compared to controls at both …
Optimizing Gait Outcomes In Parkinson's Disease With Auditory Cues: The Effects Of Synchronization, Groove, And Beat Perception Ability, Emily A. Ready
Optimizing Gait Outcomes In Parkinson's Disease With Auditory Cues: The Effects Of Synchronization, Groove, And Beat Perception Ability, Emily A. Ready
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
This dissertation explores a common, rehabilitative strategy for mitigating gait impairments in Parkinson’s disease (PD) called Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS). The effects of this intervention on gait in PD are well documented but highly variable, which poses difficulty for appropriate therapeutic application. Part of this variability may be related to individual musical abilities, such as beat perception accuracy, as most RAS interventions involve synchronizing with a beat. However, music is complex and variable. Therefore, factors inherent in the music itself may play a role in these differences, such as how much the music makes you want to move (groove), or …