| 1. |
- Hagell, Peter, et al.
(author)
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Health status measurement in Parkinson's disease : validity of the PDQ-39 and Nottingham Health Profile
- 2003
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In: Movement Disorders. - : John Wiley & Sons Inc.. - 0885-3185 .- 1531-8257. ; 18:7, s. 773-783
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We assessed the feasibility and psychometric properties of two commonly used health status questionnaires in Parkinson's disease (PD): the generic Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the disease-specific 39-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), from a cross-sectional postal survey of PD patients (N = 81), using traditional and Rasch measurement methodologies. Overall response rate was 88%. Both questionnaires were found feasible, although the NHP performed less well. The PDQ-39 had fewer floor effects and was better able to separate respondents into distinct groups than the NHP, whereas the latter exhibited less ambiguous dimensionality and better targeting of respondents with non-extreme scores. Reliability and validity indices were similar, and potential differential item functioning by age and gender groups was found for both questionnaires. PDQ-39 response alternatives indicated ambiguity. With few exceptions, questionnaire scales were unable to meet recommended standards fully. While preliminary, this study illustrates the need for thorough evaluation of outcome measures and has implications beyond the questionnaires used here. Although promising, both questionnaires warrant further developmental work and stronger support of measurement validity before they could be considered fully suitable for valid use in PD, in particular in earlier stages of the disease.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Magnusson, Jens P, et al.
(author)
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A latent neurogenic program in astrocytes regulated by Notch signaling in the mouse.
- 2014
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 1095-9203 .- 0036-8075. ; 346:6206, s. 237-241
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neurogenesis is restricted in the adult mammalian brain; most neurons are neither exchanged during normal life nor replaced in pathological situations. We report that stroke elicits a latent neurogenic program in striatal astrocytes in mice. Notch1 signaling is reduced in astrocytes after stroke, and attenuated Notch1 signaling is necessary for neurogenesis by striatal astrocytes. Blocking Notch signaling triggers astrocytes in the striatum and the medial cortex to enter a neurogenic program, even in the absence of stroke, resulting in 850 ± 210 (mean ± SEM) new neurons in a mouse striatum. Thus, under Notch signaling regulation, astrocytes in the adult mouse brain parenchyma carry a latent neurogenic program that may potentially be useful for neuronal replacement strategies.
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| 4. |
- Aked, Joseph, et al.
(author)
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Attitudes to Stem Cell Therapy among Ischemic Stroke Survivors in the Lund Stroke Recovery Study
- 2017
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In: Stem Cells and Development. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1547-3287 .- 1557-8534. ; 26:8, s. 566-572
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Preclinical studies suggest that stem cell therapy (SCT) may improve poststroke recovery, and clinical trials investigating safety are ongoing. However, knowledge about patients' attitudes to SCT in stroke is limited. We evaluated the knowledge and attitudes to this therapeutic approach as well as possible factors influencing this among stroke patients potentially suitable for SCT. Consecutive first-ever acute ischemic stroke patients aged 20-75 years with NIH stroke scale scores 1-18 were included. Exclusion criteria were severe comorbidities or infratentorial stroke. Clinical follow-up after 3-5 years assessed severity of residual stroke symptoms, cognitive function, functional status, patient-reported outcome, and comorbidity, and after receiving standardized information, the participants also completed an eight-item questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes about SCT. The relationships between clinical variables and positive attitude to SCT were assessed with logistic regression analyses. Of 108 patients included at baseline, 84 participated at follow-up and completed the questionnaire. In total, 12% had prior knowledge of SCT. When informed, 63% were positive toward it and 36% reported willingness to participate in SCT trials. Only 5%-8% expressed ethical considerations regarding different stem cell sources. Positive attitudes to SCT were associated with male gender (OR: 3.74; 95% CI: 1.45-9.61; P < 0.01) and better patient-reported outcome (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.00-1.04; P < 0.05). In conclusion, stroke patients had limited prior knowledge of SCT, yet attitudes were positive among the majority after receiving standardized and neutral information. Gender and degree of stroke recovery may influence attitudes to SCT, indicating a need for targeted information to improve knowledge about SCT.
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| 5. |
- Andsberg, Gunnar, et al.
(author)
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Upregulation of p75 neurotrophin receptor after stroke in mice does not contribute to differential vulnerability of striatal neurons
- 2001
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In: Experimental Neurology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0014-4886. ; 169:2, s. 351-363
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The survival of different neuron types and the expression of the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) after focal cerebral ischemia were studied in the mouse striatum using immunocytochemical and histochemical techniques and stereological procedures. As assessed at 1 week after 30 min of middle cerebral artery occlusion, the order of vulnerability was projection neurons > parvalbumin-expressing interneurons > nitric oxide synthase-containing interneurons > cholinergic interneurons. Within the ischemic lesion, projection neurons were almost completely lost whereas cholinergic interneurons were spared. Calretinin-immunoreactive interneurons also seemed resistant to the insult. Expression of p75(NTR) was induced in cholinergic interneurons within the lesioned area, raising the possibility of a protective action. However, the number of cholinergic interneurons was unaffected in p75(NTR) knockout mice subjected to the same ischemic insult. These quantitative data demonstrate that striatal neurons in the mouse are differentially susceptible to ischemic damage and argue against a significant role of p75(NTR) for the high resistance of cholinergic interneurons.
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| 6. |
- Bengzon, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Apoptosis and proliferation of dentate gyrus neurons after single and intermittent limbic seizures
- 1997
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 1091-6490. ; 94:19, s. 10432-10437
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neuronal apoptosis was observed in the rat dentate gyrus in two experimental models of human limbic epilepsy. Five hours after one hippocampal kindling stimulation, a marked increase of in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) of fragmented DNA was observed in nuclei located within and on the hilar border of the granule cell layer and in the polymorphic region. Forty kindling stimulations with 5-min interval produced higher numbers of labeled nuclei compared with one stimulation. The increase of TUNEL-positive nuclei was prevented by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide but not affected by the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist MK-801. Kainic acid-induced seizures lead to a pattern of labeling in the hippocampal formation identical to that evoked by kindling. A large proportion of cells displaying TUNEL-positive nuclei was double-labeled by the neuron-specific antigen NeuN, demonstrating the neuronal identity of apoptotic cells. Either 1 or 40 kindling stimulations also gave rise to a marked increase of the number of cells double-labeled with the mitotic marker bromodeoxyuridine and NeuN in the subgranular zone and on the hilar border of the dentate granule cell layer. The present data show that single and intermittent, brief seizures induce both apoptotic death and proliferation of dentate gyrus neurons. We hypothesize that these processes, occurring early during epileptogenesis, are primary events in the development of hippocampal pathology in animals and possibly also in patients suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy.
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| 7. |
- Biscaro, Barbara, et al.
(author)
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Inhibition of Microglial Activation Protects Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Improves Cognitive Deficits in a Transgenic Mouse Model for Alzheimer's Disease
- 2012
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In: Neurodegenerative Diseases. - : S. Karger AG. - 1660-2862 .- 1660-2854. ; 9:4, s. 187-198
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Activated microglia with macrophage-like functions invade and surround beta-amyloid (A beta) plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD), possibly contributing to the turnover of A beta, but they can also secrete proinflammatory factors that may be involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Microglia are known to modulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Objectives/Methods: To determine the role of microglia on neurogenesis in brains with A beta pathology, we inhibited microglial activation with the tetracycline derivative minocycline in doubly transgenic mice expressing mutant human amyloid precursor protein (APP) and mutant human presenilin-1 (PS1). Results: Minocycline increased the survival of new dentate granule cells in APP/PS1 mice indicated by more BrdU+/NeuN+ cells as compared to vehicle-treated transgenic littermates, accompanied by improved behavioral performance in a hippocampus-dependent learning task. Both brain levels of A beta and A beta-related morphological deficits in the new neurons labeled with GFP-expressing retrovirus were unaffected in minocycline-treated mice. Conclusions: These results suggest a role for microglia in A beta-related functional deficits and in suppressing the survival of new neurons, and show that modulation of microglial function with minocycline can protect hippocampal neurogenesis in the presence of A beta pathology. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel
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| 8. |
- Björklund, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Replacing Dopamine Neurons in Parkinson's Disease : How did it happen?
- 2017
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In: Journal of Parkinson's Disease. - 1877-7171. ; 7:s1, s. 23-33
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The efforts to develop a dopamine cell replacement therapy for Parkinson's disease have spanned over more than three decades. Based on almost 10 years of transplantation studies in animal models, the first patients receiving grafts of fetal-derived dopamine neuroblasts were operated in Lund in 1987. Over the following two decades, a total of 18 patients were transplanted and followed closely by our team with mixed but also very encouraging results. In this article we tell the story of how the preclinical and clinical transplantation program in Lund evolved. We recall the excitement when we obtained the first evidence for survival and function of transplanted neurons in the diseased human brain. We also remember the setbacks that we have experienced during these 30 years and discuss the very interesting developments that are now taking place in this exciting field.
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| 9. |
- Brundin, Patrik, et al.
(author)
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Bilateral caudate and putamen grafts of embryonic mesencephalic tissue treated with lazaroids in Parkinson's disease
- 2000
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In: Brain. - 1460-2156. ; 123, s. 1380-1390
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Five parkinsonian patients were transplanted bilaterally into the putamen and caudate nucleus with human embryonic mesencephalic tissue from between seven and nine donors. To increase graft survival, the lipid peroxidation inhibitor tirilazad mesylate was administered to the tissue before implantation and intravenously to the patients for 3 days thereafter. During the second postoperative year, the mean daily L-dopa dose was reduced by 54% and the UPDRS (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale) motor score in 'off' phase was reduced by a mean of 40%. At 10-23 months after grafting, PET showed a mean 61% increase of 6-L-[(18)F]fluorodopa uptake in the putamen, and 24% increase in the caudate nucleus, compared with preoperative values. No obvious differences in the pattern of motor recovery were observed between these and other previously studied cases with putamen grafts alone. The amount of mesencephalic tissue implanted in each putamen and caudate nucleus was 42 and 50% lower, respectively, compared with previously transplanted patients from our centre. Despite this reduction in grafted tissue, the magnitudes of symptomatic relief and graft survival were very similar. These findings suggest that tirilazad mesylate may improve survival of grafted dopamine neurons in patients, which is in agreement with observations in experimental animals.
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| 10. |
- Collin, Tove, et al.
(author)
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Quantitative analysis of the generation of different striatal neuronal subtypes in the adult brain following excitotoxic injury.
- 2005
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In: Experimental Neurology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0014-4886. ; 195:1, s. 71-80
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent findings in adult rodents have provided evidence for the formation of new striatal neurons from subventricular zone (SVZ) precursors following stroke. Little is known about which factors determine the magnitude of striatal neurogenesis in the damaged brain. Here we studied striatal neurogenesis following an excitotoxic lesion to the adult rat striatum induced by intrastriatal quinolinic acid (QA) infusion. New cells were labeled with the thymidine-analogue 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) and their identity was determined immunocytochemically with various phenotypic markers. The unilateral lesion gave rise to increased cell proliferation mainly in the ipsilateral SVZ. At 2 weeks following the insult, there was a pronounced increase of the number of new neurons co-expressing BrdU and a marker of migrating neuroblasts, doublecortin, in the ipsilateral striatum, particularly its non-damaged medial parts. About 80% of the new neurons survived up to 6 weeks, when they expressed the mature neuronal marker NeuN and were preferentially located in the outer parts of the damaged area. Lesion-generated neurons expressed phenotypic markers of striatal medium spiny neurons (DARPP-32) and intemeurons (parvalbumin or neuropeptide Y). The magnitude of neurogenesis correlated to the size of the striatal damage. Our data show for the first time that an excitotoxic lesion to the striatum can trigger the formation of new striatal neurons with phenotypes of both projection neurons and interneurons.
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