Anna Maria Barbarulo

Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist, PhD of Neuroscience

Name Anna Maria
Surname Barbarulo
Institution Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
E-Mail annamaria.barbarulo@unicampania.it
Address II Division of Neurology & Center fo Rare Diseases Department of Medical Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic Sciences, and Aging, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Edificio 10 Via Sergio Pansini, 580131 Naples, Italy
Anna Maria Barbarulo

Member PUBLICATIONS

  • Neuro-Behçet's disease presenting as an isolated progressive cognitive and behavioral syndrome.

    Publication Date: 25/12/2018 on Neurocase
    by Saracino D, Allegorico L, Barbarulo AM, Pollo B, Giaccone G, D'Amico A, D'Incerti L, Bugiani O, Di Iorio G, Sampaolo S, Melone MAB
    DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2018.1561898

    Behçet's disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder manifesting as a vasculitis that affects arteries and veins of any size. Up to 44% of cases may also present with neurological symptoms, thus defining Neuro-Behçet's disease. We describe a case of Neuro-Behçet's disease characterized by progressive behavioral and cognitive deterioration prevailing over other neurological symptoms, without evident systemic involvement.

  • Integrated Cognitive and Neuromotor Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis: A Pragmatic Study.

    Publication Date: 05/09/2018 on Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience
    by Barbarulo AM, Lus G, Signoriello E, Trojano L, Grossi D, Esposito M, Costabile T, Lanzillo R, Saccà F, Morra VB, Conchiglia G
    DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00196

    Few studies examined the effects of combined motor and cognitive rehabilitation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The present prospective, multicenter, observational study aimed to determine the efficacy of an integrated cognitive and neuromotor rehabilitation program versus a traditional neuromotor training on walking, balance, cognition and emotional functioning in MS patients. Sixty three MS patients were selected and assigned either to the Integrated Treatment Group (ITG; = 32), receiving neuropsychological treatment (performed by ERICA software and paper-pencil tasks) complemented by conventional neuromotor rehabilitation, or to the Motor Treatment Group ( = 31) receiving neuromotor rehabilitation only. The intervention included two 60-min sessions per week for 24 weeks. At baseline and at end of the training all patients underwent a wide-range neuropsychological, psychological/emotional, and motor assessment. At baseline the two groups did not differ for demographic, neuropsychological, psychological/emotional, and motor features significantly. After rehabilitation, only ITG group significantly ( for False Discovery Rate) improved on test tapping spatial memory, attention and cognitive flexibility, as well as on scales assessing depression and motor performance (balance and gait). A regression analysis showed that neuropsychological and motor improvement was not related to improvements in fatigue and depression. The present study demonstrated positive effects in emotional, motor, and cognitive aspects in MS patients who received an integrated cognitive and neuromotor training. Overall, results are supportive of interventions combining motor and cognitive training for MS.

  • The EDSS integration with the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis and orientation tests.

    Publication Date: 01/11/2016 on Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)
    by Saccà F, Costabile T, Carotenuto A, Lanzillo R, Moccia M, Pane C, Russo CV, Barbarulo AM, Casertano S, Rossi F, Signoriello E, Lus G, Brescia Morra V
    DOI: 10.1177/1352458516677592

    Despite cognitive tests have been validated in multiple sclerosis (MS), a neuropsychological evaluation is not implemented in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scoring.

  • A case of progressive frontal lobe syndrome in a sporadic form of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy: A singular overlap with fronto-temporal dementia?

    Publication Date: 15/12/2015 on Journal of the neurological sciences
    by Coppola C, Saracino D, Califano F, Barbarulo AM, Di Fede G, Piccoli E, Tagliavini F, Di Iorio G, Rossi G
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2015.08.1533
  • The ADAMTS18 gene is responsible for autosomal recessive early onset severe retinal dystrophy.

    Publication Date: 28/01/2013 on Orphanet journal of rare diseases
    by Peluso I, Conte I, Testa F, Dharmalingam G, Pizzo M, Collin RW, Meola N, Barbato S, Mutarelli M, Ziviello C, Barbarulo AM, Nigro V, Melone MA, , Simonelli F, Banfi S
    DOI: 10.1186/1750-1172-8-16

    Inherited retinal dystrophies, including Retinitis Pigmentosa and Leber Congenital Amaurosis among others, are a group of genetically heterogeneous disorders that lead to variable degrees of visual deficits. They can be caused by mutations in over 100 genes and there is evidence for the presence of as yet unidentified genes in a significant proportion of patients. We aimed at identifying a novel gene for an autosomal recessive form of early onset severe retinal dystrophy in a patient carrying no previously described mutations in known genes.

  • Apathy and related executive syndromes in dementia associated with Parkinson's disease and in Alzheimer's disease.

    Publication Date: 01/01/2013 on Behavioural neurology
    by Grossi D, Santangelo G, Barbarulo AM, Vitale C, Castaldo G, Proto MG, Siano P, Barone P, Trojano L
    DOI: 10.3233/BEN-129023

    Apathy is defined as a lack of motivation and has been reported to be common in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). To explore the neuropsychological correlates of apathy in patients with PD related dementia (PDD) and AD and to identify the specific cognitive profile of apathy in the two forms of neurodegenerative disease, 61 non-depressed patients (29 PDD and 32 AD) were selected. Out of these, 29 patients (47.5%) were detected as apathetic (14 PDD-A+ and 15 AD-A+), and 32 patients as non-apathetic (15 PDD-A- and 17 AD-A-). All patients underwent cognitive tasks tapping memory, visuospatial and executive functions, behavioral rating scales and Clinical Judgment for Apathy Syndrome (CJ-AS), an inventory developed to measure severity of apathy. The four subgroups differed significantly on memory and frontal tasks. The PDD-A+ performed significantly worse than PDD-A- on frontal tasks. The AD-A+ had poorer performance than AD-A- on frontal tasks. Last, PDD-A+ achieved significantly higher scores than AD-A+ on memory tasks. The four groups differed significantly on CJ-AS and behavioral rating scales.The results showed that apathetic patients with both forms of dementia showed a common neuropsychological and behavioral picture, characterized by defects on frontal tasks, thus strongly supporting the existence of an 'apathetic syndrome', characterized by specific cognitive and psychological symptoms.

  • A progranulin mutation associated with cortico-basal syndrome in an Italian family expressing different phenotypes of fronto-temporal lobar degeneration.

    Publication Date: 01/02/2012 on Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology
    by Coppola C, Rossi G, Barbarulo AM, Di Fede G, Foglia C, Piccoli E, Piscosquito G, Saracino D, Tagliavini F, Cotrufo R
    DOI: 10.1007/s10072-011-0655-8

    Cortico-basal syndrome (CBS) is a rare neurodegenerative disease characterised by movement and cognitive disorders. It occurs along the spectrum of fronto-temporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), which also includes fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). FTLD has recently been shown to be associated with mutations in GRN gene, coding for progranulin, a multifunctional secreted glycoprotein involved in cell cycle, inflammation and tissue repair. We describe the case of a 73-year-old man suffering from CBS with a family history of cognitive disorders belonging to the clinical spectrum of FTLD. Sequencing analysis of GRN in this patient revealed that the C157KfsX97 null mutation has been already described by Le Ber et al. in a French patient affected by an apparently sporadic form of FTD. This report confirms the variability of clinical phenotypes associated with the same mutation and emphasises the importance of genetic analysis in cases with a clear familiarity, as well as in apparently sporadic forms.

  • Neuropsychological correlates of theory of mind in patients with early Parkinson's disease.

    Publication Date: 01/01/2012 on Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society
    by Santangelo G, Vitale C, Trojano L, Errico D, Amboni M, Barbarulo AM, Grossi D, Barone P
    DOI: 10.1002/mds.23949

    The theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions different from one's own. The aim of the study was to explore the neuropsychological correlates of theory of mind in patients affected by early Parkinson's disease (PD). Thirty-three PD patients and 33 age-, sex-, and education-matched control subjects underwent the Frontal Assessment Battery, as well as tasks assessing "cognitive" and "affective" theory of mind, and memory abilities; questionnaires evaluating behavioral disorders and quality of life were also administrated. Although the 2 groups did not differ on neuropsychological tasks, PD patients' performance on tasks assessing cognitive and affective theory of mind was significantly worse than controls. Moreover, PD patients had more behavioral disorders and worse quality of life than controls. After covarying for behavioral and quality of life scores, the differences between patients and controls on theory of mind tasks remained significant. "Cognitive" theory of mind was associated with Frontal Assessment Battery score and 2 domains of quality of life scale, whereas "affective" theory of mind scores correlated only with behavioral scales such as the Frontal Behavioral Inventory and Apathy Evaluation Scale. The results demonstrate that both affective and cognitive aspects of theory of mind are simultaneously impaired in early PD and suggest that deficits in the 2 subcomponents of theory of mind may be linked to dysfunction of different frontosubcortical circuitries in early PD.

  • Rehabilitation of gesture imitation: a case study with fMRI.

    Publication Date: 01/01/2008 on Neurocase
    by Barbarulo AM, Pappatà S, Puoti G, Prinster A, Grossi D, Cotrufo R, Salvatore M, Trojano L
    DOI: 10.1080/13554790802363688

    Acquired disorders of gesture imitation are amenable to treatment, but with poor generalisation toward gestures not included in the training program. We investigated the neural basis of this item-specific recovery in a patient with a slowly progressive posterior cortical atrophy, by means of an fMRI study comparing imitation of rehabilitated and not-rehabilitated gestures. Results suggested that in our patient gesture imitation recruited the mirror system and additional areas relevant to gesture analysis and preparation. Imitation of rehabilitated gestures activated the mirror neuron system, and also left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and putamen, and the right anterior temporal cortex. This suggests that item-specific recovery was based on interaction of circuitry of imitation with neural systems involved in emotional and motivational processing.

  • On the genesis of unilateral micrographia of the progressive type.

    Publication Date: 09/04/2007 on Neuropsychologia
    by Barbarulo AM, Grossi D, Merola S, Conson M, Trojano L
    DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.01.002

    We report a patient who, following a focal ischemic lesion of the left basal ganglia, developed right hand micrographia characterised by progressive reduction of letter size during writing (progressive micrographia). The patient did not show relevant cognitive impairments, but achieved pathological scores in tests for verbal fluency, and cognitive flexibility and monitoring. A systematic investigation of the writing performances demonstrated that micrographia showed a clear length effect in whatever writing style or task, while it was not observed in drawing, or in left hand writing to a comparable extent. Right hand progressive micrographia was not affected by a concurrent motor and cognitive load; instead, switching between two kinds of allographic responses and presenting one letter at a time in copying tasks reduced severity of micrographia significantly. These findings support the view that progressive micrographia in our patient could be ascribed to a defect in regulating the motor output on the basis of self-generated strategies. This conclusion would be consistent with neuroimaging evidence about the role of the basal ganglia in the control of motor sequencing, and could suggest that progressive micrographia might be associated with specific executive defects.