M M Ponsen

Publications (3)1.07 Total impact

• Article: Detection of preclinical Parkinson's disease along the olfactory trac(t).

  H W Berendse, M M Ponsen
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  ABSTRACT: The association of Parkinson's disease (PD) with an impaired sense of smell was first reported about thirty years ago. Since then, it has become quite firmly established that olfactory dysfunction is one of the first and most prevalent clinical manifestations of this disorder. Recent data from an ongoing prospective study indicate that otherwise unexplained hyposmia in first degree relatives of patients with sporadic PD is associated with an increased risk of developing clinical PD of at least 13%. In particular, a combination of impaired olfactory function and reduced striatal [123I]beta-CIT binding on a baseline SPECT scan appears to be a strong predictor of a subsequent diagnosis of PD. Pathological studies support these observations by demonstrating that the anterior olfactory structures may be one of the induction sites of PD pathology. Considering that there is a doubling rather than a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the olfactory bulb in PD patients, the pathophysiology of olfactory dysfunction in PD is far from being elucidated. Studying prodromal manifestations of PD, such as olfactory dysfunction, and their underlying pathophysiology may greatly contribute to the development of treatment strategies that focus on preclinical detection and slowing down disease progression.
  Journal of neural transmission. Supplementum 02/2006; · 1.07 Impact Factor
• Chapter: Detection of preclinical Parkinson’s disease along the olfactory trac(t)

  H. W. Berendse, M. M. Ponsen
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  ABSTRACT: The association of Parkinson’s disease (PD) with an impaired sense of smell was first reported about thirty years ago. Since then, it has become quite firmly established that olfactory dysfunction is one of the first and most prevalent clinical manifestations of this disorder. Recent data from an ongoing prospective study indicate that otherwise unexplained hyposmia in first degree relatives of patients with sporadic PD is associated with an increased risk of developing clinical PD of at least 13%. In particular, a combination of impaired olfactory function and reduced striatal [123I]β-CIT binding on a baseline SPECT scan appears to be a strong predictor of a subsequent diagnosis of PD. Pathological studies support these observations by demonstrating that the anterior olfactory structures may be one of the induction sites of PD pathology. Considering that there is a doubling rather than a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the olfactory bulb in PD patients, the pathophysiology of olfactory dysfunction in PD is far from being elucidated. Studying prodromal manifestations of PD, such as olfactory dysfunction, and their underlying pathophysiology may greatly contribute to the development of treatment strategies that focus on preclinical detection and slowing down disease progression.
  12/2005: pages 321-325;
• Article: [Presymptomatic detection of Parkinson's disease].

  H W Berendse, J Booij, D Stoffers, M M Ponsen, R Hijman, E Ch Wolters
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  ABSTRACT: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by a progressive degeneration of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons. More than half of these neurons are lost in a presymptomatic phase of an estimated 4-6 years duration. It is obvious that any type of treatment aimed at slowing down the disease process should preferably be applied in this presymptomatic phase. Presymptomatic detection of PD has therefore become an important goal. In a recent study in a population of 361 asymptomatic first degree relatives of PD patients, we were able to demonstrate that presymptomatic detection is possible by means of a combination of three olfactory processing tasks and [123l] beta-CIT single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanning of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. These results are a first step towards the development of a screening strategy that may be applied in the general population. Impairments of olfactory function, however, are not specific to PD but are also associated with other neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Alzheimer's disease) and certain lifestyle characteristics (e.g. smoking). In the next few years our research efforts will focus on two different approaches to develop a more specific screening strategy. First, olfactory processing tasks will be combined with tasks aimed at detecting subtle (visuo)motor disturbances and early cognitive impairments. In parallel, an effort will be made to define disease-specific patterns of olfactory dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders.
  Tijdschrift voor gerontologie en geriatrie 05/2002; 33(2):70-7.