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Special Issue Editors

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Guest Editor

Department of Neurology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangdong, China
Interests: neurology; neurodegeneration; movement disorders; Parkinson’s disease; neuroinflammation

Dr. Yinghua Yu
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Guest Editor

1. Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
2. Department of Neurology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
Interests: neuroscience; obesity

Prof. Dr. Deqin Geng
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Guest Editor

Department of Neurology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
Interests: neurological disorders

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parkinson’s disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder which involves the loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons. There are no proven neuroprotective treatments for Parkinson’s disease, but drugs are effective in symptom control, particularly in the early to mid-stages of the disorder. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are then urgently needed. During the last few decades, medical treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD) has shown remarkable progress with the emergence of new drugs and technologies. For this Special Issue, we would like to invite authors to submit studies focusing on stem cell technology, gut microbiota and metabolites (such as short-chain fatty acids), immunotherapies, deep brain stimulation, gene therapies, and pharmacological management. Authors are welcome to cover other specific topics that have not been mentioned but fall within the theme of the Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Dennis Qing Wang
Dr. Yinghua Yu
Prof. Dr. Deqin Geng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

stem cell technology
gut microbiota
metabolites
immunotherapies
deep brain stimulation
gene therapies
phar-macological management

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Total Burden of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease on MRI May Predict Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease

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J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11(18), 5381; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11185381 - 14 Sep 2022

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Abstract

(1) Objective: to investigate the association between the total burden of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and cognitive function in Parkinson’s disease (PD). (2) Methods: this retrospective study compared clinical and neuroimaging characteristics of 122 PD patients to determine the association between cognitive decline and total burden of CSVD in PD. All patients underwent brain MRI examinations, and their total CSVD burden scores were evaluated by silent lacunar infarction (SLI), cerebral microbleeds (CMB), white matter hyperintensities (WMH), and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS). The cognitive function was assessed by administering Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) were performed to quantify the accuracy of the total burden of CSVD and PVH in discriminating PD patients with or without cognitive impairment. (3) Results: the PD patients with cognitive impairment had a significantly higher SLI, CMB, periventricular hyperintensities (PVH), deep white matter hyperintensities (DWMH), enlarged perivascular spaces of basal ganglia (BG-EPVS), and the total CSVD score compared with no cognitive impairment. Total CSVD score and MMSE had a significant negative correlation (r = −0. 483). Furthermore, total burden of CSVD and PVH were the independent risk factors of cognitive impairment in PD, and their good accuracy in discriminating PD patients with cognitive impairment from those with no cognitive impairment was confirmed by the results of ROC curves. (4) Conclusions: total burden of CSVD tightly linked to cognitive impairment in PD patients. The total burden of CSVD or PVH may predict the cognitive impairment in PD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Parkinson’s Disease in the 21st Century—Lessons Learned and How to Move On)

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Other

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Open AccessStudy Protocol

Neuroprotective Effects of Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease (NET-PD): A Study Protocol for a Delayed-Start Randomized Double-Blind Sham-Controlled Trial

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J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11(17), 4972; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11174972 - 24 Aug 2022

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Abstract

Background: As a typical high-disability neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson’s disease (PD) progresses variably, and patients who are clinically insensitive to dopaminergic therapy and whose symptoms fail to improve are commonly observed. As a result, achieving early neuron protection is critical. Methods/Design: The NET-PD study is a 2-year prospective single-center, double-blind, multi-arm, delayed-start, sham-controlled clinical trial assessing the long-term neuroprotective effect of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) in PD patients. Patients diagnosed with PD, aged 50–80, Hoehn–Yahr stage ≤4, and who maintain medication stability during the study will be enrolled. Clinical assessment and multi-modal markers are used to clarify the clinical improvement and dynamic neuronal changes in PD patients. With a standard deviation of 2, a test level of 0.05, a dropout rate of 10%, and a degree of certainty of 0.9, 60 PD patients are required for this study. Results: The NET-PD project was funded in March 2022, data collection began in July 2022, and is currently in the recruitment phase with two PD patients already enrolled. Data collection is expected to be completed in June 2024. The results are expected for publication in December 2024. Discussion: Previous research has demonstrated a rudimentary method for assessing and delaying PD progression in clinical medication trials. The NET-PD study adopts a rigorous methodology and specific disease-modifying designs to demonstrate the neuroprotective effect of iTBS on PD and investigate the potential mechanism of iTBS in regulating brain and motor functions. We hope to provide supposition for the subsequent exploration of diverse neuroprotection methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Parkinson’s Disease in the 21st Century—Lessons Learned and How to Move On)

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