[Despite the continuous development of diagnosis and treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease and the arrival of new therapeutic options in recent years the treatment and care of people with Parkinson’s disease especially in the advanced stage remains a major challenge for neurologists specialized in movement disorders. The treatment of Parkinson’s disease is adversely affected by several factors: the disease progresses relentlessly, the symptoms and rate of progression, other concomitant non-motor symptoms, and the appearance of complications caused by treatment show great heterogeneity. Based on all these factors it is difficult to develop and apply a uniform routine therapeutic guideline. This summary seeks to shed light on aspects of the treatment of Parkinson’s disease particularly in advanced-stage cases drawing on data from a professional college recommendation and the literature.]

The study aims to investigate the relationship between the progression of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD) and retinal morphology. The study was carried out with 23 patients diagnosed with early-stage IPD (phases 1 and 2 of the Hoehn and Yahr scale) and 30 age-matched healthy controls. All patients were followed up at least two years, with 6-month intervals (initial, 6th month, 12th month, 18th month, and 24th month), and detailed neurological and ophthalmic examinations were performed at each follow-up. Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III (UPDRS Part III) scores, Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) scores, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, central macular thickness (CMT) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness were analyzed at each visit. The average age of the IPD and control groups was 43.96 ± 4.88 years, 44.53 ± 0.83 years, respectively. The mean duration of the disease in the IPD group was 7.48 ± 5.10 months at the start of the study (range 0-16). There was no statistically significant difference in BCVA and IOP values between the two groups during the two-year follow-up period (p> 0.05, p> 0.05, respectively). Average and superior quadrant RNFL thicknesses were statistically different between the two groups at 24 months and there was no significant difference between other visits (p=0.025, p=0.034, p> 0.05, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in CMT between the two groups during the follow-up period (p> 0.05). Average and superior quadrant RNFL thicknesses were significantly thinning with the progression of IPD.

[Background and purpose - There is relatively few data regarding the usage of dopaminagonists for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease; furthermore, there are no publications regarding Central- and Eastern-European countries. The aim of the study was to evaluate the use of dopamine agonists as a therapeutic option amongst Parkinson’s disease patients admitted to the Neurological Clinics of Tîrgu Mures during the last 15 years. Methods - In our study we investigated the data of all Parkinson’s patients treated at our clinics between the 1st of January 2003 and the 31st of December 2017. We analyzed the particularities of dopamine agonists’ usage based on the therapeutic recommendations from the final report of these patients. Regarding time since the diagnosis, we divided the patients in two groups: less than or equal to 5 years and more than 5 years. Results - During the studied period a total of 2379 patients with Parkinson’s disease were treated at the Clinics. From the 1237 patients with disease duration under 5 years 665 received dopamine agonists: 120 as monotherapy, 83 together with monoamine oxidase inhibitors and in 234 cases associated with levodopa. The remaining 228 patients were treated with a triple combination of levodopa, dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. In patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease for more than 5 years, in 364 cases out of 653 a dopamine agonist was part of the therapy. Conclusion - The usage of dopamine agonists was similar to the data presented in other studies. We consider that clinicians treating the disease should, with the necessary prudence, use the available and recommended dopamine agonist with the utmost courage to their maximum therapeutic potential.]

[The 123I-FP-CIT dopamine transporter SPECT imaging is a sensitive method to assess functional dopaminergic neuron terminals in the striatum. The method has also been available in Hungary for years. There are two main indications: (i) to help differentiate essential tremor from clinically uncertain Parkinsonism, including patients with early symptoms and (ii) to help differentiate dementia with Lewy bodies from Alzheimer’s disease. The aim of this paper is to review 123I-FP-CIT SPECT imaging based on international data/guidelines and our own experiences, thereby assisting nuclear medicine practitioners and neurologists.]

The link between the hippocampus and declarative memory dysfunctions following the removal of the medial temporal lobe opened unexplored fields in neuroscience. In the first part of our review, we summarized current theoretical frameworks discussing the role of hippocampus in learning and memory. Several theories are highlighted suggesting that the hippocampus is responsible for assembling stimulus elements into a unitary representation that later can be utilized to simulate future events. The hippocampal formation has been implicated in a growing number of disorders, from neurodegenerative diseases to atypical cognitive ageing and depression. Recent neuroimaging studies provided new opportunities to study in detail the hippocampal formation’s role in higher levels of the nervous system. We will present data regarding the regional specialization of the hippocampus in experimental models developed for healthy and neurological conditions with a special focus on Parkinson’s disease. Combined evidence from neuroimaging studies suggested that hippocampal volume is reduced in non-demented, newly diagnosed patients with Parkinson’s disease, which is associated with impaired memory performance. These findings proposed that, beyond the well-known striatal dopamine loss, impaired hippocampal synaptic plasticity may contribute to cognitive and affective impairments in early Parkinson’s disease.