Browsing by Author "Tomic, Aleksandra (26654535200)"

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) modulates neuroplasticity. A functional polymorphism [Val66Met (G196A)] in BDNF has been reported to modify cortical plasticity in humans. Physiologic investigations have revealed that dystonia might be a consequence of the pathologic plasticity of the sensorimotor cortex. We aimed to investigate the role of the Val66Met polymorphism in a cohort of Serbian patients with adult-onset primary focal and segmental dystonia (PTD). One hundred and forty-nine patients with primary adult-onset PTD, 194 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and 366 healthy control subjects were recruited for the study. Patients with PTD and PD, as well as healthy controls had a similar distribution of genotypes and allele frequencies. There was no any significant difference in the allelic distribution at the Val66Met SNP of the BDNF gene among patients with adult-onset PTD, PD, and healthy volunteers from the same geographic areas. In addition, the presence of the Met allele did not influence the clinical characteristics of PTD patients. Patients with the Met variant did not differ by age at onset, number of affected regions, and efficacy of a sensory trick. Met66Met is not associated with an increased risk of dystonia. © 2013 Belgian Neurological Society.

Background: The hypothesis that the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) would be related to connectivity dysfunctions between the site of stimulation and other brain regions is growing. Objective: To investigate how the subthalamic nucleus (STN), the most frequently used DBS target for PD, is functionally linked to other brain regions in PD patients according to DBS eligibility. Methods: Clinical data and resting-state functional MRI were acquired from 60 PD patients and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects within an ongoing longitudinal project. PD patients were divided into 19 patients eligible for DBS and 41 non-candidates. Bilateral STN were selected as regions of interest and a seed-based functional MRI connectivity analysis was performed. Results: A decreased functional connectivity between STN and sensorimotor cortex in both PD patient groups compared to controls was found. Whereas an increased functional connectivity between STN and thalamus was found in PD patient groups relative to controls. Candidates for DBS showed a decreased functional connectivity between bilateral STN and bilateral sensorimotor areas relative to non-candidates. In patients eligible for DBS, a weaker STN functional connectivity with left supramarginal and angular gyri was related with a more severe rigidity and bradykinesia whereas a higher connectivity between STN and cerebellum/pons was related to poorer tremor score. Conclusion: Our results suggest that functional connectivity of STN varies among PD patients eligible or not for DBS. Future studies would confirm whether DBS modulates and restores functional connectivity between STN and sensorimotor areas in treated patients. © 2023 - The authors. Published by IOS Press.

Background: The hypothesis that the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) would be related to connectivity dysfunctions between the site of stimulation and other brain regions is growing. Objective: To investigate how the subthalamic nucleus (STN), the most frequently used DBS target for PD, is functionally linked to other brain regions in PD patients according to DBS eligibility. Methods: Clinical data and resting-state functional MRI were acquired from 60 PD patients and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects within an ongoing longitudinal project. PD patients were divided into 19 patients eligible for DBS and 41 non-candidates. Bilateral STN were selected as regions of interest and a seed-based functional MRI connectivity analysis was performed. Results: A decreased functional connectivity between STN and sensorimotor cortex in both PD patient groups compared to controls was found. Whereas an increased functional connectivity between STN and thalamus was found in PD patient groups relative to controls. Candidates for DBS showed a decreased functional connectivity between bilateral STN and bilateral sensorimotor areas relative to non-candidates. In patients eligible for DBS, a weaker STN functional connectivity with left supramarginal and angular gyri was related with a more severe rigidity and bradykinesia whereas a higher connectivity between STN and cerebellum/pons was related to poorer tremor score. Conclusion: Our results suggest that functional connectivity of STN varies among PD patients eligible or not for DBS. Future studies would confirm whether DBS modulates and restores functional connectivity between STN and sensorimotor areas in treated patients. © 2023 - The authors. Published by IOS Press.

This study assessed brain structural alterations in two diverse clinical forms of functional (psychogenic) dystonia (FD) – the typical fixed dystonia (FixFD) phenotype and the “mobile” dystonia (MobFD) phenotype, which has been recently described in one study. Forty-four FD patients (13 FixFD and 31 MobFD) and 43 healthy controls were recruited. All subjects underwent 3D T1-weighted and diffusion tensor (DT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cortical thickness, volumes of gray matter (GM) structures, and white matter (WM) tract integrity were assessed. Normal cortical thickness in both FD patient groups compared with age-matched healthy controls were found. When compared with FixFD, MobFD patients showed cortical thinning of the left orbitofrontal cortex, and medial and lateral parietal and cingulate regions bilaterally. Additionally, compared with controls, MobFD patients showed reduced volumes of the left nucleus accumbens, putamen, thalamus, and bilateral caudate nuclei, whereas MobFD patients compared with FixFD demonstrated atrophy of the right hippocampus and globus pallidus. Compared with both controls and MobFD cases, FixFD patients showed a severe disruption of WM architecture along the corpus callous, corticospinal tract, anterior thalamic radiations, and major long-range tracts bilaterally. This study showed different MRI patterns in two variants of FD. MobFD had alterations in GM structures crucial for sensorimotor processing, emotional, and cognitive control. On the other hand, FixFD patients were characterized by a global WM disconnection affecting main sensorimotor and emotional control circuits. These findings may have important implications in understanding the neural substrates underlying different phenotypic FD expression levels. © 2018, Springer Nature Limited.

This study assessed brain structural alterations in two diverse clinical forms of functional (psychogenic) dystonia (FD) – the typical fixed dystonia (FixFD) phenotype and the “mobile” dystonia (MobFD) phenotype, which has been recently described in one study. Forty-four FD patients (13 FixFD and 31 MobFD) and 43 healthy controls were recruited. All subjects underwent 3D T1-weighted and diffusion tensor (DT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cortical thickness, volumes of gray matter (GM) structures, and white matter (WM) tract integrity were assessed. Normal cortical thickness in both FD patient groups compared with age-matched healthy controls were found. When compared with FixFD, MobFD patients showed cortical thinning of the left orbitofrontal cortex, and medial and lateral parietal and cingulate regions bilaterally. Additionally, compared with controls, MobFD patients showed reduced volumes of the left nucleus accumbens, putamen, thalamus, and bilateral caudate nuclei, whereas MobFD patients compared with FixFD demonstrated atrophy of the right hippocampus and globus pallidus. Compared with both controls and MobFD cases, FixFD patients showed a severe disruption of WM architecture along the corpus callous, corticospinal tract, anterior thalamic radiations, and major long-range tracts bilaterally. This study showed different MRI patterns in two variants of FD. MobFD had alterations in GM structures crucial for sensorimotor processing, emotional, and cognitive control. On the other hand, FixFD patients were characterized by a global WM disconnection affecting main sensorimotor and emotional control circuits. These findings may have important implications in understanding the neural substrates underlying different phenotypic FD expression levels. © 2018, Springer Nature Limited.

[No abstract available]

Previous studies suggested that brain regions subtending affective-cognitive processes can be implicated in the pathophysiology of functional dystonia (FD). In this study, the role of the affective-cognitive network was explored in two phenotypes of FD: fixed (FixFD) and mobile dystonia (MobFD). We hypothesized that each of these phenotypes would show peculiar functional connectivity (FC) alterations in line with their divergent disease clinical expressions. Resting state fMRI (RS-fMRI) was obtained in 40 FD patients (12 FixFD; 28 MobFD) and 43 controls (14 young FixFD-age-matched [yHC]; 29 old MobFD-age-matched [oHC]). FC of brain regions of interest, known to be involved in affective-cognitive processes, and independent component analysis of RS-fMRI data to explore brain networks were employed. Compared to HC, all FD patients showed reduced FC between the majority of affective-cognitive seeds of interest and the fronto-subcortical and limbic circuits; enhanced FC between the right affective-cognitive part of the cerebellum and the bilateral associative parietal cortex; enhanced FC of the bilateral amygdala with the subcortical and posterior cortical brain regions; and altered FC between the left medial dorsal nucleus and the sensorimotor and associative brain regions (enhanced in MobFD and reduced in FixFD). Compared with yHC and MobFD patients, FixFD patients had an extensive pattern of reduced FC within the cerebellar network, and between the majority of affective-cognitive seeds of interest and the sensorimotor and high-order function (“cognitive”) areas with a unique involvement of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex connectivity. Brain FC within the affective-cognitive network is altered in FD and presented specific features associated with each FD phenotype, suggesting an interaction between brain connectivity and clinical expression of the disease. © 2020 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Previous studies suggested that brain regions subtending affective-cognitive processes can be implicated in the pathophysiology of functional dystonia (FD). In this study, the role of the affective-cognitive network was explored in two phenotypes of FD: fixed (FixFD) and mobile dystonia (MobFD). We hypothesized that each of these phenotypes would show peculiar functional connectivity (FC) alterations in line with their divergent disease clinical expressions. Resting state fMRI (RS-fMRI) was obtained in 40 FD patients (12 FixFD; 28 MobFD) and 43 controls (14 young FixFD-age-matched [yHC]; 29 old MobFD-age-matched [oHC]). FC of brain regions of interest, known to be involved in affective-cognitive processes, and independent component analysis of RS-fMRI data to explore brain networks were employed. Compared to HC, all FD patients showed reduced FC between the majority of affective-cognitive seeds of interest and the fronto-subcortical and limbic circuits; enhanced FC between the right affective-cognitive part of the cerebellum and the bilateral associative parietal cortex; enhanced FC of the bilateral amygdala with the subcortical and posterior cortical brain regions; and altered FC between the left medial dorsal nucleus and the sensorimotor and associative brain regions (enhanced in MobFD and reduced in FixFD). Compared with yHC and MobFD patients, FixFD patients had an extensive pattern of reduced FC within the cerebellar network, and between the majority of affective-cognitive seeds of interest and the sensorimotor and high-order function (“cognitive”) areas with a unique involvement of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex connectivity. Brain FC within the affective-cognitive network is altered in FD and presented specific features associated with each FD phenotype, suggesting an interaction between brain connectivity and clinical expression of the disease. © 2020 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background: Fear of falling in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been suggested as predictor of future falling. The purpose of this study was to compare fear of falling score after two years of follow-up with those observed at baseline and to assess factors associated with change in fear of falling over time.Methods: A total of 120 consecutive persons with PD were recruited and followed for two years. Fear of falling was assessed by using the 10-item Falls Efficacy Scale (FES). Occurrence of falling was registered during the first year of follow-up.Results: After two years, the average FES score statistically significantly changed (p = 0.003) from 30.5 to 37.5 out of 100 (increase of 22.9%). We observed that median scores of all FES items, except for Preparing a meal, not requiring carrying of heavy or hot objects and Personal grooming, significantly increased after two-year follow-up. After accounting for age, gender, PD duration, levodopa dosage, Hoehn and Yayhr stage, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score three, depression, anxiety, and falling, we observed that sustaining greater number of falls in the first year of follow-up was associated with higher increase in FES score after two years (odds ratio 3.08, 95% confidence interval 1.30-4.87).Conclusion: After two years of follow-up, we observed a decrease in confidence at performing nearly all basic daily activities. Fall prevention programs should be prioritized in management of PD. Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2017.

Background: Fear of falling in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been suggested as predictor of future falling. The purpose of this study was to compare fear of falling score after two years of follow-up with those observed at baseline and to assess factors associated with change in fear of falling over time.Methods: A total of 120 consecutive persons with PD were recruited and followed for two years. Fear of falling was assessed by using the 10-item Falls Efficacy Scale (FES). Occurrence of falling was registered during the first year of follow-up.Results: After two years, the average FES score statistically significantly changed (p = 0.003) from 30.5 to 37.5 out of 100 (increase of 22.9%). We observed that median scores of all FES items, except for Preparing a meal, not requiring carrying of heavy or hot objects and Personal grooming, significantly increased after two-year follow-up. After accounting for age, gender, PD duration, levodopa dosage, Hoehn and Yayhr stage, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score three, depression, anxiety, and falling, we observed that sustaining greater number of falls in the first year of follow-up was associated with higher increase in FES score after two years (odds ratio 3.08, 95% confidence interval 1.30-4.87).Conclusion: After two years of follow-up, we observed a decrease in confidence at performing nearly all basic daily activities. Fall prevention programs should be prioritized in management of PD. Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2017.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) progress over time causing significant disability. Yet, change in disability over shorter time periods has not been entirely understood. The purpose of this study was to assess the Self-Assessment Disability Scale (SADS) in persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) after 2 years of follow-up and compare it with the score observed at baseline. Additionally, we aimed at evaluating association of motor and non-motor PD features at baseline with a higher disability after 2 years of follow-up. A total of 120 consecutive persons with PD, who denied falling in the past 6 months, were initially recruited. After 2 years of follow-up, 88 (73.3%) persons with PD were evaluated for SADS. The total disability (SADS) score did not change after follow-up (p = 0.529). We observed increase in difficulty at “Getting out of bed” (p = 0.006), “Getting up out of armchair” (p = 0.013), “Walking about house/flat” (p = 0.003), “Walking outside” (p = 0.010), and “Traveling by public transport” (p = 0.014). After adjusting for several potential confounding factors, falls in the past year (β = 8.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–15.59) and higher Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part 3 at baseline (β = 0.26, 95%CI 0.01–0.51) remained associated with higher PD-related disability. This finding suggests that accumulation of overall PD-related disability tends to occur over a longer time span. Further studies are needed to gradually assess long-term evolution of disability in PD. © 2017, Springer-Verlag Italia.

The aim of the present study was to estimate fall frequency as well as demographic and clinical factors related to falling in a cohort of Serbian patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Method: The cross-sectional study comprised 300 consecutive patients recruited at the Neurology Clinic in Belgrade, Serbia, from August 2011 to December 2012. Data were acquired though detailed interviews, while a history of falling referred to the period of 6months before testing. After a interview related to the circumstances of the last fall sustained by PD patients, the participants were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, the Hoehn and Yahr scale, the Falls Efficacy Scale and the Self-Assessment Disability Scale, New Freezing of Gait questionnaire for frequency and impact of freezing, and the Hamilton Depression and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. Results: A total of 60% of individuals reported a fall in the 6-month period before testing. Multivariate regression showed that patients with PD who had a Self-Assessment Disability Scale score of ≥56 and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale total score of ≥69 were 2.04 and 3.32 times more likely to fall, respectively (95% CI 1.10-3.79, P=0.023 for Self-Assessment Disability Scale and 95% CI 1.83-6.00, P=0.001 for Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale). In contrast, a decrease of risk for falling by 57% was observed among those who practiced regular physical activity before the onset of PD (95% CI 0.23-0.80, P=0.008). Conclusion: There is a strong relationship between falling and self-perceived disability, whereas previous physical exercise had a protective effect. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 472-480. © 2014 Japan Geriatrics Society.

The aim of the present study was to estimate fall frequency as well as demographic and clinical factors related to falling in a cohort of Serbian patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Method: The cross-sectional study comprised 300 consecutive patients recruited at the Neurology Clinic in Belgrade, Serbia, from August 2011 to December 2012. Data were acquired though detailed interviews, while a history of falling referred to the period of 6months before testing. After a interview related to the circumstances of the last fall sustained by PD patients, the participants were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, the Hoehn and Yahr scale, the Falls Efficacy Scale and the Self-Assessment Disability Scale, New Freezing of Gait questionnaire for frequency and impact of freezing, and the Hamilton Depression and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. Results: A total of 60% of individuals reported a fall in the 6-month period before testing. Multivariate regression showed that patients with PD who had a Self-Assessment Disability Scale score of ≥56 and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale total score of ≥69 were 2.04 and 3.32 times more likely to fall, respectively (95% CI 1.10-3.79, P=0.023 for Self-Assessment Disability Scale and 95% CI 1.83-6.00, P=0.001 for Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale). In contrast, a decrease of risk for falling by 57% was observed among those who practiced regular physical activity before the onset of PD (95% CI 0.23-0.80, P=0.008). Conclusion: There is a strong relationship between falling and self-perceived disability, whereas previous physical exercise had a protective effect. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 472-480. © 2014 Japan Geriatrics Society.

This study aimed to identify functional neuroimaging patterns anticipating the clinical indication for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). A cohort of prospectively recruited patients with PD underwent neurological evaluations and resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) at baseline and annually for 4 years. Patients were divided into two groups: 19 patients eligible for DBS over the follow-up and 41 patients who did not meet the criteria to undergo DBS. Patients selected as candidates for DBS did not undergo surgery at this stage. Sixty age- and sex-matched healthy controls performed baseline evaluations. Graph analysis and connectomics assessed global and local topological network properties and regional functional connectivity at baseline and at each time point. At baseline, network analysis showed a higher mean nodal strength, local efficiency, and clustering coefficient of the occipital areas in candidates for DBS over time relative to controls and patients not eligible for DBS. The occipital hyperconnectivity pattern was confirmed by regional analysis. At baseline, a decreased functional connectivity between basal ganglia and sensorimotor/frontal networks was found in candidates for DBS compared to patients not eligible for surgery. In the longitudinal analysis, patient candidate for DBS showed a progressively decreased topological brain organization and functional connectivity, mainly in the posterior brain networks, and a progressively increased connectivity of basal ganglia network compared to non-candidates for DBS. RS-fMRI may support the clinical indication to DBS and could be useful in predicting which patients would be eligible for DBS in the earlier stages of PD. © 2022, The Author(s).

This study aimed to identify functional neuroimaging patterns anticipating the clinical indication for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). A cohort of prospectively recruited patients with PD underwent neurological evaluations and resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) at baseline and annually for 4 years. Patients were divided into two groups: 19 patients eligible for DBS over the follow-up and 41 patients who did not meet the criteria to undergo DBS. Patients selected as candidates for DBS did not undergo surgery at this stage. Sixty age- and sex-matched healthy controls performed baseline evaluations. Graph analysis and connectomics assessed global and local topological network properties and regional functional connectivity at baseline and at each time point. At baseline, network analysis showed a higher mean nodal strength, local efficiency, and clustering coefficient of the occipital areas in candidates for DBS over time relative to controls and patients not eligible for DBS. The occipital hyperconnectivity pattern was confirmed by regional analysis. At baseline, a decreased functional connectivity between basal ganglia and sensorimotor/frontal networks was found in candidates for DBS compared to patients not eligible for surgery. In the longitudinal analysis, patient candidate for DBS showed a progressively decreased topological brain organization and functional connectivity, mainly in the posterior brain networks, and a progressively increased connectivity of basal ganglia network compared to non-candidates for DBS. RS-fMRI may support the clinical indication to DBS and could be useful in predicting which patients would be eligible for DBS in the earlier stages of PD. © 2022, The Author(s).

Background: Functional movement disorders include a wide spectrum of clinically documented movement disorders without an apparent organic substrate. Objective: To explore the functional connectivity (FC) of the primary motor (M1) cortex in functional dystonia (FD) patients relative to healthy controls, with a focus on different clinical phenotypes. Methods: Forty FD patients (12 fixed [FixFD]; 28 mobile [MobFD]) and 43 healthy controls (14 young FixFD-age-matched [yHC]; 29 old MobFD-age-matched [oHC]) underwent resting state fMRI. A seed-based FC analysis was performed using bilateral M1 as regions of interest. Results: Compared to controls, FD patients showed reduced FC between left M1 and left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and between right M1 and left M1, premotor/supplementary motor area (SMA), dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and bilateral precuneus. Relative to yHC, FixFD patients showed reduced FC between M1 and precuneus bilaterally. Compared to oHC, MobFD patients revealed reduced FC between right M1 and left M1, premotor/SMA, dorsal-PCC, bilateral primary sensory cortices and parieto-occipital areas, and increased FC of right M1 with right associative visual cortex and bilateral ventral-PCC. FixFD patients, relative to MobFD, showed lower FC between the right M1 and right associative visual area, and bilateral precuneus and ventral-PCC. Conclusions: This study suggests an altered brain FC of the motor circuit with areas involved in emotional processes and sense of agency in FD. FixFD patients showed FC abnormalities mainly in areas related to sense of agency, while MobFD in regions involved in sensorimotor functions (reduced FC) and emotional processing (increased FC). © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.

Background: Functional movement disorders include a wide spectrum of clinically documented movement disorders without an apparent organic substrate. Objective: To explore the functional connectivity (FC) of the primary motor (M1) cortex in functional dystonia (FD) patients relative to healthy controls, with a focus on different clinical phenotypes. Methods: Forty FD patients (12 fixed [FixFD]; 28 mobile [MobFD]) and 43 healthy controls (14 young FixFD-age-matched [yHC]; 29 old MobFD-age-matched [oHC]) underwent resting state fMRI. A seed-based FC analysis was performed using bilateral M1 as regions of interest. Results: Compared to controls, FD patients showed reduced FC between left M1 and left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and between right M1 and left M1, premotor/supplementary motor area (SMA), dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and bilateral precuneus. Relative to yHC, FixFD patients showed reduced FC between M1 and precuneus bilaterally. Compared to oHC, MobFD patients revealed reduced FC between right M1 and left M1, premotor/SMA, dorsal-PCC, bilateral primary sensory cortices and parieto-occipital areas, and increased FC of right M1 with right associative visual cortex and bilateral ventral-PCC. FixFD patients, relative to MobFD, showed lower FC between the right M1 and right associative visual area, and bilateral precuneus and ventral-PCC. Conclusions: This study suggests an altered brain FC of the motor circuit with areas involved in emotional processes and sense of agency in FD. FixFD patients showed FC abnormalities mainly in areas related to sense of agency, while MobFD in regions involved in sensorimotor functions (reduced FC) and emotional processing (increased FC). © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether various domains related to health-related quality of life could be predictive of recurrent falls among persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) during a 1-year follow-up study. Methods: A total of 120 consecutive persons with PD who had denied falling in past 6 months were recruited at regular check-ups at the Department of Movement Disorders, Neurology Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia in Belgrade, from 15 August 2011 to 15 December 2012. At baseline, study participants were clinically assessed. Health-related quality of life was evaluated with the generic 36-item Short Form Health Survey. Participants were prospectively followed for 1 year, and occurrence of falls was registered. Results: The median age of subjects was 60.0 years, with a median disease duration of 4.0 years. Of 120 persons with PD, 42 (35%) experienced falls during the 12-month study period, including 23 (19.2%) who fell repeatedly. After adjustment for gender, age, PD duration, levodopa dosage, Hoehn and Yahr stage, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale I–IV, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scales, we identified the 36-item Short Form Health Survey domains of role physical (P = 0.033) and vitality (P = 0.019) as being associated with recurrent falls of persons with PD within the 1-year follow-up period. Conclusion: Baseline 36-item Short Form Health Survey scores regarding both the physical and mental components of overall health may be related to recurrent falling among persons with PD. These HRQoL domains could be considered as potential markers for persons with PD who are prone to recurrent falls. © 2016 The Authors. Psychogeriatrics © 2016 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether various domains related to health-related quality of life could be predictive of recurrent falls among persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) during a 1-year follow-up study. Methods: A total of 120 consecutive persons with PD who had denied falling in past 6 months were recruited at regular check-ups at the Department of Movement Disorders, Neurology Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia in Belgrade, from 15 August 2011 to 15 December 2012. At baseline, study participants were clinically assessed. Health-related quality of life was evaluated with the generic 36-item Short Form Health Survey. Participants were prospectively followed for 1 year, and occurrence of falls was registered. Results: The median age of subjects was 60.0 years, with a median disease duration of 4.0 years. Of 120 persons with PD, 42 (35%) experienced falls during the 12-month study period, including 23 (19.2%) who fell repeatedly. After adjustment for gender, age, PD duration, levodopa dosage, Hoehn and Yahr stage, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale I–IV, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scales, we identified the 36-item Short Form Health Survey domains of role physical (P = 0.033) and vitality (P = 0.019) as being associated with recurrent falls of persons with PD within the 1-year follow-up period. Conclusion: Baseline 36-item Short Form Health Survey scores regarding both the physical and mental components of overall health may be related to recurrent falling among persons with PD. These HRQoL domains could be considered as potential markers for persons with PD who are prone to recurrent falls. © 2016 The Authors. Psychogeriatrics © 2016 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society

[No abstract available]