Towards Precision Medicine in Parkinson’s Disease

A special issue of Journal of Personalized Medicine (ISSN 2075-4426). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanisms of Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2025 | Viewed by 1405

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Neurology Unit, Neuromotor & Rehabilitation Department, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Viale Risorgimento 80, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Interests: deep brain stimulation; Parkinson’s disease; neurology and neurological rehabilitation; movement disorder
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative condition characterized by multifaceted clinical presentation and disease course. Several motor and non-motor symptoms that can interplay, by defining for each single patient the specific clinical PD phenotype. Indeed, over the years, PD has been subdivided and phenotyped on the basis of motor and non-motor symptoms, and, more recently, on the basis of the hypothesized pathophysiological mechanisms (see, for example, the brain-first VS body-first classification). The main purpose of all these efforts for defining the different phenotypes of PD is to define the clinical and instrumental biomarkers of disease progression and response to dopaminergic drugs and advanced therapies (i.e., Deep Brain Stimulation, Levodopa–Carbidopa intestinal gel) in order to increasingly develop personalized medicine for PD patients. This also includes the recent discoveries that have made in the genetics of PD; thus, it is possible to also classify the disease on the basis of a specific genetic background. Based on these premises, the scope of this Special Issue encompasses various aspects of PD diagnosis and management with a focus on the classification of the different PD phenotypes and the identification of novel biomarkers that can allow to better define the progression of the disease and the response to treatments. By bringing together the latest research, clinical insights, and expert opinions, this Special Issue aims to provide a valuable resource for clinicians, researchers, and healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and management of PD. The collective knowledge presented here will contribute towards improved patient care and pave the way for future advancements in this field.

Dr. Francesco Cavallieri
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Deep Brain Stimulation
  • genetic
  • GBA
  • Levodopa–Carbidopa intestinal gel
  • biomarkers

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 700 KiB  
Article
Subthalamic Stimulation Improves Short-Term Satisfaction with Life and Treatment in Parkinson’s Disease
by Anna Sauerbier, Pia Bachon, Leire Ambrosio, Philipp A. Loehrer, Alexandra Rizos, Stefanie T. Jost, Alexandra Gronostay, Gereon R. Fink, Keyoumars Ashkan, Christopher Nimsky, Veerle Visser-Vandewalle, K. Ray Chaudhuri, Lars Timmermann, Pablo Martinez-Martin and Haidar S. Dafsari
J. Pers. Med. 2024, 14(10), 1023; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm14101023 - 26 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1137
Abstract
The effect of subthalamic stimulation (STN-DBS) on patients’ personal satisfaction with life and their Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment is understudied, as is its correlation with quality of life (QoL). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that STN-DBS for PD enhances satisfaction with life and [...] Read more.
The effect of subthalamic stimulation (STN-DBS) on patients’ personal satisfaction with life and their Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment is understudied, as is its correlation with quality of life (QoL). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that STN-DBS for PD enhances satisfaction with life and treatment. In a prospective, multicenter study with a 6-month follow-up involving 121 patients, we measured the main outcomes using the Satisfaction with Life and Treatment Scale (SLTS-7). Secondary outcomes included the eight-item PD Questionnaire (PDQ-8), European QoL Questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L), EQ-Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Non-Motor Symptom Scale (NMSS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS). Longitudinal outcome changes, effect sizes (Cohen’s d), and correlations between outcome changes were analyzed. SLTS-7 scores improved at the 6-month follow-up, particularly in the domains of ‘satisfaction with physical health’ and ‘satisfaction with treatment’. Change scores correlated strongly (EQ-VAS), moderately (PDQ-8 SI and HADS), and weakly (UPDRS-activities of daily living and EQ-5D-3L) with other scales. Satisfaction with physical health, psychosocial well-being, or treatment was not related to UPDRS-motor examination. This study provides evidence that STN-DBS enhances patients’ personal satisfaction with life and treatment. This satisfaction is associated with improvements in the QoL, daily activities, and neuropsychiatric aspects of PD rather than its motor aspects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Precision Medicine in Parkinson’s Disease)
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