Exchange Activities
August 2023
Meike Statz
Doctoral Researcher
Collaborative Research Centre 1270 'ELAINE'
3 months research exchange, funded by Travel Grants of the German Research Foundation
Home institution: Neurology, Rostock (A. Storch)
Host institution: Experimental Medical Science, Lund (A. Cenci-Nilsson)
June 2023
Kathleen Weinreben (Physiotherapist)
4 days study visit, exchange of knowledge about assessments and treatments of patients with Parkinson disease, funded by CTNR/UNC (Rostock site)
Home institution: Neurology, Rostock (A. Storch)
Host institution: Health Sciences, Lund (Maria H Nilsson)
In June, Kathleen Weinreben, Physiotherapist from the University Medicine Rostock (Neurology) stayed in Lund for a four-day study to exchange knowledge about assessments and treatments of patients with Parkinson disease.
She was hosted by Maria Nilsson, Associate Professor in Physiotherapy and member of the United Neuroscience Campus Lund-Rostock. Maria presented the Swedish National guidelines for physiotherapy in Parkinson’s disease, the PD guidelines by the National Board of Health and Welfare and her research.
The following day, Kathleen particpated at testing research patients at the Memory Clinic in Malmö. On the third day, there was a visit to an outpatient clinic (rehabilitation) at Skåne University Hospital in Lund and to Gerdahallen, an exercise facility that also takes care of people with Parkinson’s disease. The last day consisted of a stay at an outpatient clinic (neurology) at Skåne University Hospital and meetings with a physiotherapist during a follow-up visit after DBS surgery and the UNC coordinator Stina Jonasson to talk about the structure of the Swedish Parkinson Academy.
During her stay, Kathleen presented the current treatments of PD and the neuroscience infrastructure in Rostock.
The stay was funded by the CTNR/UNC (Rostock site). A big thank you to Maria and Stina for the invitation and organisation on Lund-site.
2024
Hampus Andersson
Medical Student
Research stay, 1 month
Supervisors: Dr. med. Per Odin, Professor of Neurology at Lund University
Dr. med. Alexander Storch, Professor of Neurology at Rostock University
Project: How Non-Motor Symptoms Affect the Performance of the Parkinson’s Disease Home Motor Diary
Background: Advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) causes both fluctuating motor and non-motor symptoms. Motor fluctuations are routinely documented using the PD Home motor diary. In the diary patients indicate their predominant status during regular time periods using the categories Asleep, Off and On with or without dyskinesias. However, inter-rater agreement of the PDHome diary and professional clinical observers has in the VALIDATE-PD study been revealed to be only fair.
Objective: This study disassembled the effects of non-motor symptoms (NMS) on inter-rater agreement between the PD Home diary and professional clinical observers.
Methods: The present analyses are based on the VALIDATE-PD study as a prospective observational cohort study in advanced PD assessing symptom severity by simultaneous hourly ratings using the PD Home diary (Off, On, Dyskinetic state) and a non-motor diary (eleven key NMS) based on validated instruments. 487 hours of simultaneous patient-rated and observerrated hourly time periods with NMS diary ratings from 47 participants were analyzed. Performance measures were compared between awake hours with and without co-occurring NMS, as well as for specific NMS and the number of simultaneously present NMS.
Results: NMS most frequently occurred during Off-rated hours. Simultaneous NMS affected PD Home diary performance by changes in sensitivity, specificity, false positive rate and false negative rate. This caused insignificantly increased inter-rater agreement in the Off state, a negligible decrease in the On state and no substantial difference in diary performance for Dyskinetic hours. Overall accuracy of the home diary for all motor states was independent of NMS status.
Conclusion: Discrepancies between the PD Home diary and clinical observer ratings cannot be explained by simultaneously occurring NMS. Off hours were more affected than On hours which seem to act more independently from potential MS. Home diary performance during Dyskinetic hours seems to be independent of the co-existence of NMS.
Planned
Carin Janz
Doctoral Researcher
Research stay
Home institution: Neurology, Lund (P. Odin)
Host institution: Neurology, Rostock (A. Storch)
2022
Carin Janz
Research project participant at Neurology, Lund
Supervisor: Per Odin (Lund)
Co-Supervisor: Alexander Storch (Rostock)
