NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES, NEUROSCIENCE & MENTAL HEALTH

Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorders

Main lines of research

Cognitive Impairment and Behavioural Dysfunctions in Parkinson Disease

  • Knowledge and detection of the neural correlates of cognitive performance in Parkinson disease using neurophysiological techniques (event-related brain cognitive potentials) and structural and functional neuroimaging (voxel-based morphometry, cortical thickness and spectroscopy).
  • Development of more sensitive tools for cognitive and functional assessment in Parkinson disease to detect subtle changes in cognitive performance and treatment response.
  • Prospective follow-up analysis of cognition and mood in patients with deep-brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus.
  • Physiological correlates and pharmacological approach to apathy in Parkinson disease and other movement disorders.
  • Neurophysiological and cognitive correlates of impulse control disorders in Parkinson disease and other movement disorders. Behavioral and pharmacological treatment.
  • Surgery and treatments of continuous infusion in Parkinson disease.
  • Follow-up and etiologic study of weight loss in patients treated with continuous infusion of intraduodenal levodopa.
  • Follow-up and etiologic study of weight loss in patients treated with continuous infusion of intraduodenal levodopa.

Essential Tremor and Other Movement Disorders

  • Molecular neuroimaging in essential tremor.
  • Clinical, neurophysiological and neuroimaging assessment of patients with FXTAS (fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome).

Translational Research – Parkinsonian Animal Models

  • Assessment of behavioural and cognitive modulations exerted by distinct antiparkinsonian drugs in murine models of Parkinson disease with lesions in particular neurotransmitter systems (dopaminergic and noradrenergic lesions).
  • Assessment of behavioural and cognitive traits of murine models of HD

Translational Research – Cell Models

  • Assessment of cell cultures of neurons derived of induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs) obtained from skin fibroblast as in vitro model for the modulation of key factors associated to both cognitive and neurotransmitter disturbances in Parkinson disease.

Huntington Disease

  • Study of the metabolic correlates (18-FDG PET) of disease progression from the pre-manifested to early-stages.
  • Study of the metabolic correlates (18-FDG PET) of apathy and depression in pre-manifested gene carriers.
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging study of reward sensitivity in pre-manifested an early-stage Huntington’s disease.
  • Determination of the prevalence and clinical significance of neuropsychiatric features in Huntington’s disease.
  • Development of new instruments for cognitive and functional assessment in Huntington’s disease.
  • Prospective observational study of Huntington’s disease in a European cohort (Registry Study).
  • Molecular, clinical, behavioural and cognitive characterisation of the BACHD rat model of Huntington’s disease.
  • Collaboration in multicentre and Spanish coordinated projects:
    • Relationship between intermediate alleles and clinical manifestations (PI: Esther Cubo, Burgos).
    • Validation of the Spanish version of the Problem Behaviour Assessment Scale (PBA-S; PI: Jesús Ruiz, Barcelona).
    • Study of dietary intake in Huntington’s disease (PI: Esther Cubo, Burgos).
    • A multimodal neuroimaging approach to delineate emotional, motor and cognitive cortico-striatal pathways. IDIBELL (PI: Ruth de Diego-Balaguer, Barcelona).

Progresive Supranuclear Palsy

  • Development of a cognitive rating scale.
  • Development of a standarized eye movement evaluation.

Challenges

Cognitive and Behavioural Dysfunctions in Parkinson Disease

  • Study and understanding of the neural substrates of cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease so as to improve diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
  • Development of specific tools to assess and track cognitive changes in Parkinson disease.

Huntington’s Disease

  • Study of the dynamics of mutant Htt protein aggregation and related neural and cognitive correlates along disease stages in Huntington’s disease.
  • Validation of new instruments to assess and track subtle cognitive changes in pre-manifested and early-stage Huntington’s disease population.

Essential Tremor and Other Movement Disorders

  • Genetic studies and genotype-phenotype correlations in essential tremor.
  • Development of new therapeutic interventions in essential tremor.
  • Neurochemical and structural neuroimaging studies on the pathophysiological bases of essential tremor.

Translational Research – Animal Models of Parkinsonism

  • Behavioural, physiological and pharmacological characterization of animal models of parkinsonism with combined dopaminergic and noradrenergic lesions.
  • Physiopathology of motor, cognitive and behavioural complications linked to antiparkinsonian drugs in animal models of parkinsonism.

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