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When considering a patient with dystonia for deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery several factors need to be considered. Level B evidence has shown that all motor features and associated pain in primary generalized and segmental dystonia are potentially responsive to globus pallidus internus (GPi) DBS. However, improvements in clinical series of ≥ 90% may reflect methods that need improvement, and larger prospective studies are needed to address these factors. Nevertheless, to date the selection criteria for DBS-specifically in terms of patient features (severity and nature of symptoms, age, time of evolution, or any other demographic or disease aspects)--have not been assessed in a systematic fashion. In general, dystonia patients are not considered for DBS unless medical therapies have been previously and extensively tested. The vast majority of reported patients have had DBS surgery when the disease was provoking important disability, with loss of independence and impaired quality of life. There does not appear to be an upper age limit or a minimum age limit, although there are no published data regarding the outcome of GPi DBS for dystonia in children younger than 7 years of age. There is currently no enough evidence to prove that subjects with primary--generalized dystonia who undergo DBS at an early age and sooner rather than later after disease onset may gain more benefit from DBS than those undergoing DBS after the development of fixed skeletal deformities. There is no enough evidence to refuse or support consideration of DBS in patients with previous ablative procedures., (Copyright © 2011 Movement Disorder Society.)

The onset of motor abnormalities in Parkinson's disease (PD) is usually unilateral. However, current therapeutic trials do not analyze separately the performance of the more affected (MA) and less affected (LA) limbs. From a cohort of 85 subjects at different stages of PD, we asked whether the relationship between bradykinesia and disease severity was similar on both limbs and if the MA side remained more bradykinetic than the LA side in advanced PD. MA and LA limb determination was made from the history of the side first affected. Twenty-one age-matched subjects were used as controls. The velocities of finger and arm movements on both sides were inversely correlated with disease severity (P < 0.03). The slope of the decline in wrist movement velocity was steeper on the LA side (P = 0.029). When the regression lines were extrapolated to the y-axis (UPDRS III = 0) the performance of the LA side was not different from that of controls (P = 0.954 and P = 0.829 for finger and arm movements, respectively), whereas that of the MA side was slower (P = 0.019 and P = 0.016), suggesting that at the theoretical state of no disease the LA side would reflect less or no contralateral nigral pathology. With increasing disease severity, there was less difference between MA and LA sides in both finger and arm bradykinesia (P < 0.004). These findings highlight the value of analyzing separately the MA and LA sides in subjects with PD, especially for clinical trials of potential disease modifying agents in early stages of disease.

We tested the feasibility of a computer based at-home testing device (AHTD) in early-stage, unmedicated Parkinson's disease (PD) patients over 6 months. We measured compliance, technical reliability, and patient satisfaction to weekly assessments of tremor, small and large muscle bradykinesia, speech, reaction/movement times, and complex motor control. relative to the UPDRS motor score. The AHTD is a 6.5'' x 10'' computerized assessment battery. Data are stored on a USB memory stick and sent by internet to a central data repository as encrypted data packets. Although not designed or powered to measure change, the study collected data to observe patterns relative to UPDRS motor scores. Fifty-two PD patients enrolled, and 50 completed the 6 month trial, 48 remaining without medication. Patients complied with 90.6% of weekly 30-minute assessments, and 98.5% of data packets were successfully transmitted and decrypted. On a 100-point scale, patient satisfaction with the program at study end was 87.2 (range: 80-100). UPDRS motor scores significantly worsened over 6 months, and trends for worsening over time occurred for alternating finger taps (P = 0.08), tremor (P = 0.06) and speech (P = 0.11). Change in tremor was a significant predictor of change in UPDRS (P = 0.047) and was detected in the first month of the study. This new computer-based technology offers a feasible format for assessing PD-related impairment from home. The high patient compliance and satisfaction suggest the feasibility of its incorporation into larger clinical trials, especially when travel is difficult and early changes or frequent data collection are considered important to document.

Excessive postural sway may result in falls in Parkinson's disease (PD). We measured postural sway using the sensory organization test (SOT) of dynamic posturography in static (platform still) and dynamic (sway referenced platform) conditions with normal, no and inappropriate visual feedback in 102 subjects with PD, off medication. Twenty-five healthy subjects were used as age-matched controls. Eighteen very early stage PD subjects had never used dopaminergic medication. Postural sway was normal in those subjects in all conditions, but was abnormal in subjects with more advanced symptoms (UPDRS III > 20, P < 0.01). Postural sway increased with disease severity in all conditions except static, eyes closed (P < 0.0001). We developed the SOT Fall Severity Scale (SOTFSS) from the number of times postural sway was so large that the subject had to take a step (registered as a "fall") and showed that falls mainly occurred in dynamic conditions, and were correlated with disease severity (P < 0.0001). In dynamic conditions the SOTFSS was correlated with the retropulsion score from the UPDRS III (N = 102, P < 0.0001) and with the subjects' self-reported fall frequency from the UPDRS II (N = 62, SOT5: P = 0.0419, SOT6: P = 0.0034)., ((c) 2008 Movement Disorder Society.)

This study introduces a new method for studying, quantitatively, the dynamics of finger movement using data obtained from sequences of key strikes on a computer-interfaced piano keyboard. We have called this quantitative digitography (QDG). This initial article introduces the method in a group of patients with Parkinson's disease and in a group of healthy subjects using simple, repetitive, alternating finger-tapping for 60 seconds. Patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) were studied "ON" and "OFF" dopaminergic medication before and after pallidotomy. Customized software allowed the independent analysis of key strike velocity, duration of key strike, and frequency of tapping along with a quantitative measure of the regularity of performance. Quantitative measures of the improvement in performance after medication are presented for each parameter of movement. The technique also reveals correlates of some clinical phenomena of the temporal disturbances of repetitive motion in IPD, such as fatigue, tremor, freezing, and festination. We demonstrate that the performance of 60 seconds of alternating finger tapping on a computerized keyboard yields objective measures of motor performance that are significantly different in patients with IPD "OFF" when compared with "ON" medication and when compared with healthy subjects. This is the first time that such a method has been used in the measurement of specific kinematics of digital motion in Parkinson's disease. The equipment is inexpensive and portable and the data are rapidly and easily collected, making it suitable for the outpatient setting.