Neurobiology of disease
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Neurobiology of disease · Jun 2012
ReviewCardiovascular dysautonomia in Parkinson disease: from pathophysiology to pathogenesis.
Signs or symptoms of impaired autonomic regulation of circulation often attend Parkinson disease (PD). This review covers biomarkers and mechanisms of autonomic cardiovascular abnormalities in PD and related alpha-synucleinopathies. The clearest clinical laboratory correlate of dysautonomia in PD is loss of myocardial noradrenergic innervation, detected by cardiac sympathetic neuroimaging. ⋯ Alpha-synucleinopathy in autonomic neurons may occur early in the pathogenetic process. The timing of cardiac noradrenergic denervation in PD is therefore a key issue. This review updates the field of autonomic cardiovascular abnormalities in PD and related disorders, with emphasis on relationships among striatal dopamine depletion, sympathetic noradrenergic denervation, and alpha-synucleinopathy.
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Neurobiology of disease · Jun 2012
ReviewREM sleep behavior disorder: from dreams to neurodegeneration.
REM sleep behavior disorder is a unique parasomnia characterized by dream enactment behavior during REM sleep. Unless triggered by pharmacologic agents such as antidepressants, it is generally related to damage of pontomedullary brainstem structures. Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a well-established risk factor for neurodegenerative disease. ⋯ The interval between RBD onset and disease onset averages 10-15 years, suggesting a promisingly large window for intervention into preclinical disease stages. The ability of RBD to predict disease has major implications for design and development of neuroprotective therapy, and testing of other predictive markers of synuclein-mediated neurodegeneration. Recent studies in idiopathic RBD patients have demonstrated that olfaction, color vision, severity of REM atonia loss, transcranial ultrasound of the substantia nigra, and dopaminergic neuroimaging can predict development of neurodegenerative disease.