{"title":"Integrating virtual reality into multidisciplinary care for Parkinson's disease: A narrative review.","authors":"Daniela Pimenta Silva, Filipa Pona-Ferreira, Ricardo Cacho, Beatriz Santos, Teresa Lobo, Raquel Bouça-Machado, Joaquim J Ferreira","doi":"10.1177/1877718X251323916","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1877718X251323916","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by both motor and non-motor symptoms, significantly impacting patients' functionality and quality of life. Clinical exercise, as part of a multidisciplinary approach, is gaining a crucial role in PD management. Goal-based exercises, combining physical activity with cognitive tasks, external feedback and cues, motor sequencing strategies and dual-tasking may enhance motor learning processes and guide physiotherapy programs.Virtual reality (VR) and exergaming have also emerged as promising tools in PD rehabilitation, offering challenging activities in multisensory environments. They provide intensive and repetitive training, augmented feedback, and tailored exercises in highly interactive and enriched environments. Clinical studies have presented promising results in people with PD, supported by neuroimaging studies showing distinct brain activation patterns post-VR training. However, heterogeneity in study design and lack of standardized characterization of VR systems hinder further application in PD rehabilitation.In this review, we appraise the distinguishing features between different VR systems, highlight VR-related motor and cognitive training in PD and explore how VR interventions are aligned with principles of neuroplasticity and motor learning in PD.</p>","PeriodicalId":16660,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Parkinson's disease","volume":" ","pages":"459-479"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143649445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Myung Jun Lee, Kyoungjune Pak, Jae-Hyeok Lee, Seok Jong Chung, Min Seok Baek
{"title":"Is motor reserve associated with a rapid progression of Parkinson disease?","authors":"Myung Jun Lee, Kyoungjune Pak, Jae-Hyeok Lee, Seok Jong Chung, Min Seok Baek","doi":"10.1177/1877718X251324413","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1877718X251324413","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BackgroundThe motor reserve estimates (MRes) derived from a residual approach correlate with motor severity in Parkinson's disease (PD), leaving the independent effect of motor reserve on clinical outcomes unclear.ObjectiveInvestigate the independent influence of motor reserve on the long-term outcome.MethodsUsing the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) and Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH) datasets, we investigated the association of MRes with progression of motor severity as well as risk of phenoconversion to Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y) stage 3. Two MRes types were calculated: (1) original MRes, negative conversion of standardized residuals from a generalized linear model (GLM) between putaminal dopamine transporter (DAT) levels and motor severity, and (2) modified MRes, standardized residuals from the GLM between original MRes and motor scores.ResultsOriginal MRes correlated with baseline motor scores, while modified MRes did not. Modified MRes in both cohorts were associated with a rapid increase in motor severity (linear mixed effect model, interaction between MRes and disease duration; PPMI, Movement Disorder Society sponsored Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale part III [MDS-UPDRS III], estimate 2.248 × 10<sup>-3</sup>, <i>p </i>< 0.001; PNUH, UPDRS III, estimate 0.027, <i>p </i>= 0.014) In both cohorts, Kaplan-Meier plots showed high modified MRes indicated higher risk of progression to H&Y stage 3. Mediation models using original MRes agreed that high MRes were associated with an accelerated increase in motor scores.ConclusionsIndependent of baseline motor severity, MRes were associated with rapid motor deterioration and high risk of progression to H&Y stage 3.</p>","PeriodicalId":16660,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Parkinson's disease","volume":" ","pages":"552-560"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143692393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xitong Xu, Jie Chen, Shaozhen Ji, MeiJie Chen, Shuying Liu, Piu Chan
{"title":"Risk of Parkinson's disease in older people with tremor: A population-based prospective study.","authors":"Xitong Xu, Jie Chen, Shaozhen Ji, MeiJie Chen, Shuying Liu, Piu Chan","doi":"10.1177/1877718X251327138","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1877718X251327138","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BackgroundTremor is prevalent among older adults and is suggested to be associated with the subsequent development of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, prospective evidence for the association is scarce.ObjectiveThis population-based prospective study aimed to estimate PD risk and to explore predictive factors for PD conversion in community-dwelling older people with tremor.MethodsThe study was based on the Beijing Longitudinal Study on Aging (BLSA) II. Tremor was assessed using a validated self-administered method. Participants without parkinsonism and with any tremor were followed for an average of 7.7 years. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was used to estimate the risk of developing PD in older people with tremor, with age- and sex-specific incidence rates of PD in the general Chinese population as a reference. Risk factors, prodromal symptoms, and tremor features were assessed to identify predictors for incident PD.ResultsSeventeen (8.4%) of 202 participants with tremor developed parkinsonism, including 9 (4.4%) diagnosed with PD. The presence of any tremor was associated with an increased risk of developing PD (SIR: 3.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.52-5.73). Sensitivity analyses yielded similar results. Probable REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), identified using the RBD Questionnaire-Hong Kong, and self-report of new-onset rest tremor predicted PD conversion.ConclusionsTremor is associated with an elevated risk of PD in the general older population. Screening for RBD and monitoring the evolution of tremor characteristics using simple questionnaires may help identify individuals at high risk for PD among community-dwelling older adults with tremor.</p>","PeriodicalId":16660,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Parkinson's disease","volume":" ","pages":"531-540"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143692397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Seeding amplification assay: Limitations and insights for enhanced clinical and research applications.","authors":"Ilham Y Abdi, Sara A Hashish, Omar A El-Agnaf","doi":"10.1177/1877718X251325124","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1877718X251325124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The accurate diagnosis of synucleinopathies-neurodegenerative diseases marked by misfolded α-synuclein protein aggregates, such as Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy-remains a critical challenge. Conventional clinical criteria, frequently verified only through postmortem examination, results in diagnostic delays that impede timely intervention. Seeding amplification assay (SAA) has emerged as a promising diagnostic tool, offering high sensitivity for detecting α-synuclein aggregates even in early disease stages. While SAA enables early diagnosis by amplifying misfolded α-synuclein in biological samples, several barriers exist, including a lack of assay standardization, technical complexity, and difficulty differentiating among synucleinopathies. Additionally, the current SAA is primarily qualitative, limiting their ability to correlate with disease severity or progression. This review addresses these limitations by examining pre-analytical and analytical factors influencing SAA performance and exploring emerging quantitative approaches. Recent advancements include the integration of SAA with quantitative methodologies, which hold promise for enhanced diagnostic accuracy and clinical applicability. SAA's potential as a diagnostic and monitoring tool is significant and can be further improved by validation in longitudinal studies. The clinical implementation of SAA could revolutionize the early detection and management of synucleinopathies, ultimately improving patient outcomes through earlier diagnosis and tailored therapeutic strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":16660,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Parkinson's disease","volume":" ","pages":"447-458"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143537327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Esme D Trahair, Darby Steiger, Nashay Lowe, Robyn Rapoport, Caitlin Kelliher, Stephanie Benvengo, Catherine Kopil, Lana M Chahine, Connie Marras, Sneha Mantri
{"title":"Fears and uncertainties of people with Parkinson's disease.","authors":"Esme D Trahair, Darby Steiger, Nashay Lowe, Robyn Rapoport, Caitlin Kelliher, Stephanie Benvengo, Catherine Kopil, Lana M Chahine, Connie Marras, Sneha Mantri","doi":"10.1177/1877718X251328565","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1877718X251328565","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BackgroundThe patient experience of Parkinson's disease (PD) is heterogeneous, with limited prognostic tools to predict individual outcomes, leading to significant uncertainty for people with PD. Under-recognition of both psychosocial and biological drivers of fear and uncertainty in Parkinson's disease (PD) by clinicians may further contribute to patient distress.ObjectiveThe objective of the present study is to investigate fear and uncertainty in people with PD.MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted with twenty people with PD (11 semi-structured, 9 guided/prompted). Thematic analysis organized the fears/uncertainties by topic as well as by contextual factors such as the timing of the fear (e.g., active or anticipatory; at the time of diagnosis or developed subsequent to diagnosis) and the lexicon used to describe it.ResultsParticipants expressed a wide range of fears and uncertainties about their future and quality of life with PD, which shifted with disease progression. Most fears were anticipatory rather than in response to current concerns. Participants reported substantial psychosocial influence from media personalities or family/friends with PD. Most participants reported that they had not disclosed their fears to their healthcare providers.ConclusionsClinicians caring for people with PD should be aware of a range of often-unspoken fears and uncertainties, which may carry a substantial psychosocial burden. Open acknowledgement and normalization by clinicians may help patients feel less isolated in their disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":16660,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Parkinson's disease","volume":" ","pages":"595-602"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143780360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mark D McAuley, John M Dean, Ethan Heming, Alena A Ionova, Celestina A Onabajo, Madison Solie, Sara A Stephenson, Susan E Boehnke
{"title":"Parkinson's disease participant-led research on the impact of deep brain stimulation frequency.","authors":"Mark D McAuley, John M Dean, Ethan Heming, Alena A Ionova, Celestina A Onabajo, Madison Solie, Sara A Stephenson, Susan E Boehnke","doi":"10.1177/1877718X251331904","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1877718X251331904","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parkinson's disease symptoms, including gait disturbances and speech impairment, substantially impact quality of life. This n-of-1 study examined the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) frequency on a 54-year-old man with Parkinson's disease. The participant conceived and led the study, embedding patient insight within the project design and execution. The impacts of three DBS frequencies were assessed using markerless motion capture for gait, voice recording for speech analysis, and Kinarm robotic tasks of upper limb coordination and cognitive assessment. The study found that DBS frequency has a clinically significant impact on multiple symptoms, including gait, rigidity, speech and cognitive-motor ability.</p>","PeriodicalId":16660,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Parkinson's disease","volume":" ","pages":"668-671"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143977411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Garett J Griffith, Kathleen E McKee, Guillaume Lamotte, Nijee S Luthra, Daniel M Corcos
{"title":"Advice to people with Parkinson's in my clinic: Get a cardiopulmonary exercise test.","authors":"Garett J Griffith, Kathleen E McKee, Guillaume Lamotte, Nijee S Luthra, Daniel M Corcos","doi":"10.1177/1877718X251330814","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1877718X251330814","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aerobic (cardiopulmonary) exercise training improves fitness and limits the progression of motor signs in Parkinson's disease. Individualized development of exercise prescriptions relies upon accurately measured peak heart rate (HR). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is the only methodology to objectively confirm an individual's peak HR. This test is important in individuals who may have autonomic dysfunction, which may manifest as chronotropic incompetence. Without CPET's confirmation of maximal effort, there is no way of knowing whether exercise prescription in those with chronotropic incompetence is accurate. CPET also provides information regarding cardiorespiratory fitness, which can motivate patients to exercise to prolong health.</p>","PeriodicalId":16660,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Parkinson's disease","volume":" ","pages":"654-663"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144003127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amit Khanna, James Beck, Kathleen Poston, Michael A Schwarzschild, Graham B Jones
{"title":"The potential of distributed diagnostics for the early detection of Parkinson's disease.","authors":"Amit Khanna, James Beck, Kathleen Poston, Michael A Schwarzschild, Graham B Jones","doi":"10.1177/1877718X251336118","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1877718X251336118","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parkinson's disease represents a major healthcare burden with over 1 million confirmed cases and economic costs of care exceeding $50 billion in the United States alone. A challenge in the evaluation of potentially disease delaying, preventing, or reversing agents is identification of patients in the very early, prodromal (asymptomatic, non-motor, or early motor) stages, which can span decades. Currently, diagnosis is based almost exclusively on clinical history and physical examination conducted by trained experts. Unfortunately for many patients, access to neurology and movement disorder specialists is geographically limited and coupled with the absence of coordinated disease awareness campaigns can contribute to substantial delays in diagnosis. As with any campaign, a key success factor is having multiple approaches which can appeal to a wide range of patient archetypes. Herein we elaborate on some emerging opportunities, which if fully developed could invigorate the approach to early detection and, critically, engage patients in this process. They include 1) Use of personal digital health technologies and community based point-of-care diagnostic instrumentation, 2) The potential to leverage annual testing services at non-traditional venues including optometry, dental and pharmacy, and 3) A consumer focused campaign to raise awareness of the importance of early detection, paralleling efforts in other diseases. There is every hope that combining traditional and non-traditional approaches to enhance early diagnosis rates can have an overall positive impact on patient outcomes and contribute substantively to efforts to develop new interventions. We urge the community to embrace these possibilities and begin active dialog on how to thoughtfully implement the approaches into routine care.</p>","PeriodicalId":16660,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Parkinson's disease","volume":" ","pages":"646-653"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143970711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring stigma in people living with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers: A review of qualitative studies.","authors":"Dia Soilemezi, Antonia Siquier, Pilar Andrés","doi":"10.1177/1877718X251330995","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1877718X251330995","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Stigma deeply affects individuals living with Parkinson's disease (PD), increasing the challenges of this frequent progressive neurodegenerative disorder. <b>Objective:</b> This systematic review synthesized qualitative studies to explore how stigma is experienced by people living with PD and their caregivers. <b>Methods:</b> A systematic search from four databases identified international qualitative literature on different dimensions and impact of stigma in PD. <b>Results:</b> Following abstracts and full papers screening, 22 studies published between 2004 and 2024 were included. Using thematic synthesis approach, the review revealed three primary themes: (1) living with self-stigma, characterized by feelings of vulnerability, shame and efforts to conceal symptoms, (2) living with public stigma, marked by societal exclusion, misconceptions, and stereotyping, particularly regarding visible symptoms and age, and (3) living with structural stigma, involving discrimination in workplaces and inadequate institutional support. <b>Conclusions:</b> These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of stigma's multifaceted impact, offering insights to design effective strategies that foster awareness, challenge misconceptions, and create a more supportive and inclusive environments for individuals living with PD.</p>","PeriodicalId":16660,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Parkinson's disease","volume":" ","pages":"480-494"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143987674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shuai Xu, Cagla Kantarcigil, Rabab Rangwala, Abigail Nellis, Keum San Chun, Dylan Richards, Ignacio Albert-Smet, Matthew Keller, Hope Chen, Joy Huang, Shiv Patel, Albert Yang, Aejin Shon, Jacqueline Topping, Jessica Walter, Sarah Coughlin, Hyoyoung Jeong, Jong Yoon Lee, Bonnie Martin-Harris
{"title":"Digital health technology for Parkinson's disease with comprehensive monitoring and artificial intelligence-enabled haptic biofeedback for bulbar dysfunction.","authors":"Shuai Xu, Cagla Kantarcigil, Rabab Rangwala, Abigail Nellis, Keum San Chun, Dylan Richards, Ignacio Albert-Smet, Matthew Keller, Hope Chen, Joy Huang, Shiv Patel, Albert Yang, Aejin Shon, Jacqueline Topping, Jessica Walter, Sarah Coughlin, Hyoyoung Jeong, Jong Yoon Lee, Bonnie Martin-Harris","doi":"10.1177/1877718X251329354","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1877718X251329354","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BackgroundParkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder with broad manifestations of motor and non-motor symptoms. While significant progress has been made in assessing motor dysfunction through wearable sensors, less attention has been directed towards bulbar issues like swallowing difficulties.ObjectiveWe introduce a digital health solution leveraging advanced acousto-mechanic (ADAM) sensors capable of comprehensively evaluating motor and bulbar dysfunction in PD that additionally offers artificial intelligence-driven haptic biofeedback to enhance swallowing frequency.MethodsThe swallow detection algorithm developed with data from n = 58 healthy subjects yielded an F1 score of 0.89 for swallow event detection.ResultsIn a pilot study with PD patients (n = 20) experiencing mild (60%) or moderate (40%) dysphagia, the use of ADAM sensors with biofeedback significantly increased swallow frequency by 45%, from 0.77 to 1.10 swallows per minute (p < 0.0001). The sensors demonstrated high sensitivity (89%) and a strong correlation with visual observations by speech language pathologists (r = 0.92, p < 0.05), with 100% agreement on respiratory-swallow phase patterning. Feedback from patients and caregivers underscored the utility and comfort of the technology.ConclusionsThis tailored digital health solution not only monitors PD symptoms but also holds potential as an assistive device, marking a significant step in improving the quality of life for PD patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":16660,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Parkinson's disease","volume":" ","pages":"630-645"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143780357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}