Papers by Dimitrios Kazis
Diagnostics, 2022
Traumatic brain injury is a significant public health issue and represents the main contributor t... more Traumatic brain injury is a significant public health issue and represents the main contributor to death and disability globally among all trauma-related injuries. Martial arts practitioners, military veterans, athletes, victims of physical abuse, and epileptic patients could be affected by the consequences of repetitive mild head injuries (RMHI) that do not resume only to short-termed traumatic brain injuries (TBI) effects but also to more complex and time-extended outcomes, such as post-concussive syndrome (PCS) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). These effects in later life are not yet well understood; however, recent studies suggested that even mild head injuries can lead to an elevated risk of later-life cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative disease. While most of the PCS hallmarks consist in immediate consequences and only in some conditions in long-termed processes undergoing neurodegeneration and impaired brain functions, the neuropathological hallmark of CTE is...
Frontiers in Neurology, 2021
Background: This review describes the diagnostic and interventional procedures conducted in two u... more Background: This review describes the diagnostic and interventional procedures conducted in two university memory clinics (established network of G. Papanikolaou Hospital: 1988–2017 and AHEPA hospital: 2017–today) and 2 day care centers (established network of DCCs: 2005–today) in North Greece and their contribution in the scientific field of dementia. The aims of this work are (1) to provide a diagnosis and treatment protocol established in the network of memory clinics and DCCs and (2) to present further research conducted in the aforementioned network during the last 30 years of clinical practice.Methods: The guidelines to set a protocol demand a series of actions as follows: (1) set the diagnosis criteria, neuropsychological assessment, laboratory examinations, and examination of neurophysiological, neuroimaging, cerebrospinal fluid, blood, and genetic markers; and (2) apply non-pharmacological interventions according to the needs and specialized psychosocial interventions of th...
Medicina, 2021
Background and Objectives. Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is an idiopathic generalized epilept... more Background and Objectives. Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is an idiopathic generalized epileptic syndrome, with a genetic basis clinically identified by myoclonic jerks of the upper limbs upon awaking, generalized tonic-clonic seizures and less frequent absences. Although the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is by definition normal, computer-based Voxel-Based morphometry studies have shown a number of volumetric changes in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. Thus, the aim of the present Voxel-Wise Meta-Analysis was to determine the most consistent regional differences of gray matter volume between JME patients and healthy controls. Materials and Methods. The initial search returned 31 studies. After excluding reviews and studies without control groups or without detailed peak coordinates, 12 studies were finally included in the present meta-analysis. The total number of JME patients was 325, and that of healthy controls was 357. Results. Our study showed a statistica...
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias®, 2019
Dementia with Lewy bodies is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, clinically characterized b... more Dementia with Lewy bodies is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, clinically characterized by gradual cognitive impairment and fluctuating cognition, behavioral changes and recurrent visual hallucinations, and autonomic function and movement symptoms in the type of parkinsonism. It is the second most common type of dementia in the Western world after Alzheimer disease. Over the last 20 years, many neurophysiological, neuroimaging, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers have been described toward a better discrimination between dementia with Lewy bodies, Alzheimer disease, and other neurodegenerative conditions.In the present review, we aim to describe the neurophysiological, imaging, and CSF biomarkers in dementia with Lewy bodies and to question whether they could be reliable tools for the clinical practice.
Annals of General Psychiatry, 2006
Neurological Sciences, 2019
Objective Fatigue is one of the most frequent and important nonmotor symptoms of patients with Pa... more Objective Fatigue is one of the most frequent and important nonmotor symptoms of patients with Parkinson disease (PD), affecting quality of life. Although, in some cases, it may be a severe and debilitating complaint, it remains relatively unexplored. The PFS-16 is a fatigue measure, specifically designed for PD patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of Parkinson fatigue scale (PFS-16) in Greek PD patients. Methods In total, 99 patients with PD were assessed. The following psychometric properties were tested: data quality, floor/ ceiling effects, reliability (internal consistency, test-retest reliability), and construct validity. Construct validity was evaluated by examining correlations with other variables including other fatigue measures such as Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the vitality scale (SF-VT) of SF-36. Moreover, assumptions were explored about Bknown^groups concerning fatigue. Results The mean score for the PFS-16 was 2.95 (± 0.91); acceptability was good with negligible floor and ceiling effects. Results showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, 0.96) and test-retest reliability (ICC, 0.93). Strong correlations were observed between the PFS-16 and other fatigue (FFS and SF-VT) measures (rs = 0.77 and − 0.70, p < 0.001), revealing appropriate validity. Furthermore, predictions for Bknown^groups validity were verified. Conclusion The Greek version of the PFS-16 showed satisfactory reliability and validity and thus can be regarded as a useful tool in assessing fatigue in PD.
Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association, Jan 17, 2018
Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 2017
Romanian journal of morphology and embryology = Revue roumaine de morphologie et embryologie, 2017
Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects more than 21 million people worldwide. Ventricle e... more Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects more than 21 million people worldwide. Ventricle enlargement and reduction in the volume of the temporal lobe overall and in medial temporal structures constitutes the main macroscopic findings, whilst synaptic and spinal changes as well as gliosis in the hippocampal formation, the prefrontal and the entorhinal cortex stand among cardinal microscopic findings in the schizophrenic brains. In recent years, accumulated evidence comes to light about the role of cerebellum in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The present study is based on the morphological analysis and 3D neuronal reconstruction of the Purkinje cells from 10 schizophrenic brains and 10 normal controls. Significant morphological alterations such as loss of distal and terminal dendritic branches and decrease of the density of the dendritic spines constitute the main morphological findings found in the present study. The present findings may be added to accumulated evidence...
Case Reports in Neurological Medicine, 2016
Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) is considered as a variant of the Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and ... more Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) is considered as a variant of the Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and its characteristic clinical features are ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia. Typically, it is associated with anti-GQ1b antibodies; however, a significant percentage (>10%) of these patients are seronegative. Here, we report a 67-year-old female patient who presented with the typical clinical features of MFS. Workup revealed antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) in relatively high titers while GQ1b antibodies were negative. Neurological improvement was observed after intravenous gamma globulin and follow-up examinations showed a continuous clinical amelioration with simultaneous decline of anti-GAD levels which finally returned to normal values. This case indicates that anti-GAD antibodies may be associated with a broader clinical spectrum and future studies in GQ1b-seronegative patients could determine ultimately their clinical and pathogenetic significance in this...
BMC infectious diseases, Jan 27, 2006
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), a group of neurodegenerative diseases, are thou... more Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), a group of neurodegenerative diseases, are thought to be caused by an abnormal isoform of a naturally occurring protein known as cellular prion protein, PrPC. The abnormal form of prion protein, PrPSc accumulates in the brain of affected individuals. Both isoforms are encoded by the same prion protein gene (PRNP), and the structural changes occur post-translationally. Certain mutations in the PRNP gene result in genetic TSEs or increased susceptibility to TSEs. A 70 year old woman was admitted to the hospital with severe confusion and inability to walk. Relatives recognized memory loss, gait and behavioral disturbances over a six month period prior to hospitalization. Neurological examination revealed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) related symptoms such as incontinence, Babinski sign and myoclonus. EEG showed periodic sharp waves typical of sporadic CJD and cerebrospinal fluid analysis (CSF) was positive for the presence of the 14-3...
International Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2014
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by cognitive defic... more Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by cognitive deficits, problems in activities of daily living, and behavioral disturbances. Electroencephalogram (EEG) has been demonstrated as a reliable tool in dementia research and diagnosis. The application of EEG in AD has a wide range of interest. EEG contributes to the differential diagnosis and the prognosis of the disease progression. Additionally such recordings can add important information related to the drug effectiveness. This review is prepared to form a knowledge platform for the project entitled “Cognitive Signal Processing Lab,” which is in progress in Information Technology Institute in Thessaloniki. The team tried to focus on the main research fields of AD via EEG and recent published studies.
Medicina, 2021
Cognitive status epilepticus is an uncommon form of focal status epilepticus presenting with a dy... more Cognitive status epilepticus is an uncommon form of focal status epilepticus presenting with a dysfunction of language, thinking or associated higher cortical functions. The absence of ictal manifestations can be misleading and delay a prompt diagnosis. Here we present two patients; one with amnesic and one with aphasic status epilepticus. Through these cases, we aim to highlight the value of EEG performance early in the diagnostic work-up and early antiepileptic drug initiation in cases where an epileptic disorder cannot be excluded.
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Papers by Dimitrios Kazis