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Hobbs NZ, Papoutsi M, Delva A, Kinnunen KM, Nakajima M, Van Laere K, Vandenberghe W, Herath P, Scahill RI. Neuroimaging to Facilitate Clinical Trials in Huntington's Disease: Current Opinion from the EHDN Imaging Working Group. J Huntingtons Dis 2024:JHD240016. [PMID: 38788082 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-240016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Neuroimaging is increasingly being included in clinical trials of Huntington's disease (HD) for a wide range of purposes from participant selection and safety monitoring, through to demonstration of disease modification. Selection of the appropriate modality and associated analysis tools requires careful consideration. On behalf of the EHDN Imaging Working Group, we present current opinion on the utility and future prospects for inclusion of neuroimaging in HD trials. Covering the key imaging modalities of structural-, functional- and diffusion- MRI, perfusion imaging, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and magnetoencephalography, we address how neuroimaging can be used in HD trials to: 1) Aid patient selection, enrichment, stratification, and safety monitoring; 2) Demonstrate biodistribution, target engagement, and pharmacodynamics; 3) Provide evidence for disease modification; and 4) Understand brain re-organization following therapy. We also present the challenges of translating research methodology into clinical trial settings, including equipment requirements and cost, standardization of acquisition and analysis, patient burden and invasiveness, and interpretation of results. We conclude, that with appropriate consideration of modality, study design and analysis, imaging has huge potential to facilitate effective clinical trials in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Z Hobbs
- HD Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Marina Papoutsi
- HD Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
- IXICO plc, London, UK
| | - Aline Delva
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | - Koen Van Laere
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Division of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wim Vandenberghe
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium
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Barrett MJ, Negida A, Mukhopadhyay N, Kim JK, Nawaz H, Jose J, Testa C. Optimizing Screening for Intrastriatal Interventions in Huntington's Disease Using Predictive Models. Mov Disord 2024; 39:855-862. [PMID: 38465778 PMCID: PMC11102310 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intrastriatal delivery of potential therapeutics in Huntington's disease (HD) requires sufficient caudate and putamen volumes. Currently, volumetric magnetic resonance imaging is rarely done in clinical practice, and these data are not available in large research cohorts such as Enroll-HD. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate whether predictive models can accurately classify HD patients who exceed caudate and putamen volume thresholds required for intrastriatal therapeutic interventions. METHODS We obtained and merged data for 1374 individuals across three HD cohorts: IMAGE-HD, PREDICT-HD, and TRACK-HD/TRACK-ON. We imputed missing data for clinical variables with >72% non-missing values and used the model-building algorithm BORUTA to identify the 10 most important variables. A random forest algorithm was applied to build a predictive model for putamen volume >2500 mm3 and caudate volume >2000 mm3 bilaterally. Using the same 10 predictors, we constructed a logistic regression model with predictors significant at P < 0.05. RESULTS The random forest model with 1000 trees and minimal terminal node size of 5 resulted in 83% area under the curve (AUC). The logistic regression model retaining age, CAG repeat size, and symbol digit modalities test-correct had 85.1% AUC. A probability cutoff of 0.8 resulted in 5.4% false positive and 66.7% false negative rates. CONCLUSIONS Using easily obtainable clinical data and machine learning-identified initial predictor variables, random forest, and logistic regression models can successfully identify people with sufficient striatal volumes for inclusion cutoffs. Adopting these models in prescreening could accelerate clinical trial enrollment in HD and other neurodegenerative disorders when volume cutoffs are necessary enrollment criteria. © 2024 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Barrett
- Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Ahmed Negida
- Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Nitai Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Jin K. Kim
- Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Huma Nawaz
- Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Jefin Jose
- Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Claudia Testa
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Wilton DK, Mastro K, Heller MD, Gergits FW, Willing CR, Fahey JB, Frouin A, Daggett A, Gu X, Kim YA, Faull RLM, Jayadev S, Yednock T, Yang XW, Stevens B. Microglia and complement mediate early corticostriatal synapse loss and cognitive dysfunction in Huntington's disease. Nat Med 2023; 29:2866-2884. [PMID: 37814059 PMCID: PMC10667107 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02566-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating monogenic neurodegenerative disease characterized by early, selective pathology in the basal ganglia despite the ubiquitous expression of mutant huntingtin. The molecular mechanisms underlying this region-specific neuronal degeneration and how these relate to the development of early cognitive phenotypes are poorly understood. Here we show that there is selective loss of synaptic connections between the cortex and striatum in postmortem tissue from patients with HD that is associated with the increased activation and localization of complement proteins, innate immune molecules, to these synaptic elements. We also found that levels of these secreted innate immune molecules are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of premanifest HD patients and correlate with established measures of disease burden.In preclinical genetic models of HD, we show that complement proteins mediate the selective elimination of corticostriatal synapses at an early stage in disease pathogenesis, marking them for removal by microglia, the brain's resident macrophage population. This process requires mutant huntingtin to be expressed in both cortical and striatal neurons. Inhibition of this complement-dependent elimination mechanism through administration of a therapeutically relevant C1q function-blocking antibody or genetic ablation of a complement receptor on microglia prevented synapse loss, increased excitatory input to the striatum and rescued the early development of visual discrimination learning and cognitive flexibility deficits in these models. Together, our findings implicate microglia and the complement cascade in the selective, early degeneration of corticostriatal synapses and the development of cognitive deficits in presymptomatic HD; they also provide new preclinical data to support complement as a therapeutic target for early intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel K Wilton
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US.
| | - Kevin Mastro
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Molly D Heller
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Frederick W Gergits
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Carly Rose Willing
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Jaclyn B Fahey
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Arnaud Frouin
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Anthony Daggett
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Xiaofeng Gu
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yejin A Kim
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Richard L M Faull
- Department of Anatomy with Radiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Suman Jayadev
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ted Yednock
- Annexon Biosciences, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - X William Yang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Beth Stevens
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US.
- Stanley Center, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Wilkes FA, Jakabek D, Walterfang M, Velakoulis D, Poudel GR, Stout JC, Chua P, Egan GF, Looi JCL, Georgiou-Karistianis N. The shape of things to come. Mapping spatiotemporal progression of striatal morphology in Huntington disease: The IMAGE-HD study. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2023; 335:111717. [PMID: 37751638 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Mapping the spatiotemporal progression of neuroanatomical change in Huntington's Disease (HD) is fundamental to the development of bio-measures for prognostication. Statistical shape analysis to measure the striatum has been performed in HD, however there have been a limited number of longitudinal studies. To address these limitations, we utilised the Spherical Harmonic Point Distribution Method (SPHARM-PDM) to generate point distribution models of the striatum in individuals, and used linear mixed models to test for localised shape change over time in pre-manifest HD (pre-HD), symp-HD (symp-HD) and control individuals. Longitudinal MRI scans from the IMAGE-HD study were used (baseline, 18 and 30 months). We found significant differences in the shape of the striatum between groups. Significant group-by-time interaction was observed for the putamen bilaterally, but not for caudate. A differential rate of shape change between groups over time was observed, with more significant deflation in the symp-HD group in comparison with the pre-HD and control groups. CAG repeats were correlated with bilateral striatal shape in pre-HD and symp-HD. Robust statistical analysis of the correlates of striatal shape change in HD has confirmed the suitability of striatal morphology as a potential biomarker correlated with CAG-repeat length, and potentially, an endophenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona A Wilkes
- Research Centre for the Neurosciences of Ageing, Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, Australian National University Medical School, Canberra Hospital, Canberra, Australia.
| | | | - Mark Walterfang
- Neuropsychiatry Unit, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne and Northwestern Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Dennis Velakoulis
- Neuropsychiatry Unit, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne and Northwestern Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia; Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Govinda R Poudel
- Mary Mackillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Julie C Stout
- School of Psychological Sciences and the Turner Institute of Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Phyllis Chua
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Gary F Egan
- School of Psychological Sciences and the Turner Institute of Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jeffrey C L Looi
- Research Centre for the Neurosciences of Ageing, Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, Australian National University Medical School, Canberra Hospital, Canberra, Australia; Neuropsychiatry Unit, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne and Northwestern Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
- School of Psychological Sciences and the Turner Institute of Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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Mertin R, Diesta C, Brüggemann N, Rosales RL, Hanssen H, Westenberger A, Steinhardt J, Heldmann M, Manalo HTS, Oropilla JQ, Klein C, Helmchen C, Sprenger A. Oculomotor abnormalities indicate early executive dysfunction in prodromal X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP). J Neurol 2023; 270:4262-4275. [PMID: 37191726 PMCID: PMC10421788 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-11761-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND X-Linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP) is a movement disorder characterized by the presence of both dystonia and parkinsonism with one or the other more prominent in the initial stages and later on manifesting with more parkinsonian features towards the latter part of the disease. XDP patients show oculomotor abnormalities indicating prefrontal and striatal impairment. This study investigated oculomotor behavior in non-manifesting mutation carriers (NMC). We hypothesized that oculomotor disorders occur before the appearance of dystonic or parkinsonian signs. This could help to functionally identify brain regions already affected in the prodromal stage of the disease. METHODS Twenty XDP patients, 13 NMC, and 28 healthy controls (HC) performed different oculomotor tasks typically affected in patients with parkinsonian signs. RESULTS The error rate for two types of volitional saccades, i.e., anti-saccades and memory-guided saccades, was increased not only in XDP patients but also in NMC compared to HC. However, the increase in error rates of both saccade types were highly correlated in XDP patients only. Hypometria of reflexive saccades was only found in XDP patients. Initial acceleration and maintenance velocity of smooth pursuit eye movements were only impaired in XDP patients. CONCLUSIONS Despite being asymptomatic, NMC already showed some oculomotor deficits reflecting fronto-striatal impairments, typically found in XDP patients. However, NMC did not show saccade hypometria and impaired smooth pursuit as seen in advanced Parkinson's disease and XDP, suggesting oculomotor state rather than trait signs in these mutation carriers. Neurodegeneration may commence in the striatum and prefrontal cortex, specifically the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renana Mertin
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Cid Diesta
- Makati Medical Center, Makati City, Philippines
- Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Manila, Philippines
| | - Norbert Brüggemann
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Raymond L Rosales
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Santo Thomas, Manila, Philippines
| | - Henrike Hanssen
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ana Westenberger
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Julia Steinhardt
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Marcus Heldmann
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Institute of Psychology II, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | | | - Jean Q Oropilla
- Makati Medical Center, Makati City, Philippines
- Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Manila, Philippines
| | - Christine Klein
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Christoph Helmchen
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Andreas Sprenger
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany.
- Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
- Institute of Psychology II, University Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
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van Eimeren T, Giehl K, Reetz K, Sampaio C, Mestre TA. Neuroimaging biomarkers in Huntington's disease: Preparing for a new era of therapeutic development. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2023; 114:105488. [PMID: 37407343 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2023.105488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A critical challenge for Huntington's disease (HD) clinical trials in disease modification is the definition of endpoints that can capture change when clinical signs are subtle/non-existent. Reliable biomarkers are therefore urgently needed to facilitate drug development by allowing the enrichment of clinical trial populations and providing measures of benefit that can support the establishment of efficacy. METHODS By systematically examining the published literature on HD neuroimaging biomarker studies, we sought to advance knowledge to guide the validation of neuroimaging biomarkers. We started by reviewing both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies and then conducted an in-depth review to make quantitative comparisons between biomarkers using data only from longitudinal studies with samples sizes larger than ten participants in PET studies or 30 participants in MRI studies. RESULTS From a total of 2202 publications initially identified, we included 32 studies, 19 of which underwent in-depth comparative review. The majority of included studies used various MRI-based methods (manual to automatic) to longitudinally assess either the volume of the putamen or the caudate, which have been shown to undergo significant structural change during HD natural history. CONCLUSION Despite the impressively large number of neuroimaging biomarker studies, only a small number of adequately designed studies met our criteria. Among these various biomarkers, MRI-based volumetric analyses of the caudate and putamen are currently the best validated for use in the disease phase before clinical motor diagnosis. A biomarker that can be used to demonstrate a disease-modifying effect is still missing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thilo van Eimeren
- University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cologne, Germany; University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Kathrin Giehl
- University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cologne, Germany; Research Center Jülich, Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2), Jülich, Germany
| | - Kathrin Reetz
- University of Aachen, Department of Neurology, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Tiago A Mestre
- University of Ottawa, Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, Canada
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Jiang A, Handley RR, Lehnert K, Snell RG. From Pathogenesis to Therapeutics: A Review of 150 Years of Huntington's Disease Research. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13021. [PMID: 37629202 PMCID: PMC10455900 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241613021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative genetic disorder caused by an expanded polyglutamine-coding (CAG) trinucleotide repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. HD behaves as a highly penetrant dominant disorder likely acting through a toxic gain of function by the mutant huntingtin protein. Widespread cellular degeneration of the medium spiny neurons of the caudate nucleus and putamen are responsible for the onset of symptomology that encompasses motor, cognitive, and behavioural abnormalities. Over the past 150 years of HD research since George Huntington published his description, a plethora of pathogenic mechanisms have been proposed with key themes including excitotoxicity, dopaminergic imbalance, mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic defects, disruption of proteostasis, transcriptional dysregulation, and neuroinflammation. Despite the identification and characterisation of the causative gene and mutation and significant advances in our understanding of the cellular pathology in recent years, a disease-modifying intervention has not yet been clinically approved. This review includes an overview of Huntington's disease, from its genetic aetiology to clinical presentation and its pathogenic manifestation. An updated view of molecular mechanisms and the latest therapeutic developments will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Jiang
- Applied Translational Genetics Group, Centre for Brain Research, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand; (R.R.H.); (K.L.); (R.G.S.)
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Delva A, Van Laere K, Vandenberghe W. Longitudinal Imaging of Regional Brain Volumes, SV2A, and Glucose Metabolism In Huntington's Disease. Mov Disord 2023; 38:1515-1526. [PMID: 37382295 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Development of disease-modifying treatments for Huntington's disease (HD) could be aided by the use of imaging biomarkers of disease progression. Positron emission tomography (PET) with 11 C-UCB-J, a radioligand for the brain-wide presynaptic marker synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A), detects more widespread brain changes in early HD than volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 18 F-fludeoxyglucose (18 F-FDG) PET, but longitudinal 11 C-UCB-J PET data have not been reported. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity of 11 C-UCB-J PET, 18 F-FDG PET, and volumetric MRI for detection of longitudinal changes in early HD. METHODS Seventeen HD mutation carriers (six premanifest and 11 early manifest) and 13 healthy controls underwent 11 C-UCB-J PET, 18 F-FDG PET, and volumetric MRI at baseline (BL) and after 21.4 ± 2.7 months (Y2). Within-group and between-group longitudinal clinical and imaging changes were assessed. RESULTS The HD group showed significant 2-year worsening of Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale motor scores. There was significant longitudinal volume loss within the HD group in caudate (-4.5% ± 3.8%), putamen (-3.6% ± 3.5%), pallidum (-3.0% ± 2.7%), and frontal cortex (-2.0% ± 2.1%) (all P < 0.001). Within the HD group there was longitudinal loss of putaminal SV2A binding (6.4% ± 8.8%, P = 0.01) and putaminal glucose metabolism (-2.8% ± 4.4%, P = 0.008), but these changes were not significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Premanifest subjects at BL only had significantly lower SV2A binding than controls in basal ganglia structures, but at Y2 additionally had significant SV2A loss in frontal and parietal cortex, indicating spread of SV2A loss from subcortical to cortical regions. CONCLUSIONS Volumetric MRI may be more sensitive than 11 C-UCB-J PET and 18 F-FDG PET for detection of 2-year brain changes in early HD. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Delva
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Koen Van Laere
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Division of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wim Vandenberghe
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Tassan Mazzocco M, Murtaj V, Martins D, Schellino R, Coliva A, Toninelli E, Vercelli A, Turkheimer F, Belloli S, Moresco RM. Exploring the neuroprotective effects of montelukast on brain inflammation and metabolism in a rat model of quinolinic acid-induced striatal neurotoxicity. J Neuroinflammation 2023; 20:34. [PMID: 36782185 PMCID: PMC9923670 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-023-02714-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND One intrastriatal administration of quinolinic acid (QA) in rats induces a lesion with features resembling those observed in Huntington's disease. Our aim is to evaluate the effects of the cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast (MLK), which exhibited neuroprotection in different preclinical models of neurodegeneration, on QA-induced neuroinflammation and regional metabolic functions. METHODS The right and left striatum of Sprague Dawley and athymic nude rats were injected with QA and vehicle (VEH), respectively. Starting from the day before QA injection, animals were treated with 1 or 10 mg/kg of MLK or VEH for 14 days. At 14 and 30 days post-lesion, animals were monitored with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) using [18F]-VC701, a translocator protein (TSPO)-specific radiotracer. Striatal neuroinflammatory response was measured post-mortem in rats treated with 1 mg/kg of MLK by immunofluorescence. Rats treated with 10 mg/kg of MLK also underwent a [18F]-FDG PET study at baseline and 4 months after lesion. [18F]-FDG PET data were then used to assess metabolic connectivity between brain regions by applying a covariance analysis method. RESULTS MLK treatment was not able to reduce the QA-induced increase in striatal TSPO PET signal and MRI lesion volume, where we only detected a trend towards reduction in animals treated with 10 mg/kg of MLK. Post-mortem immunofluorescence analysis revealed that MLK attenuated the increase in striatal markers of astrogliosis and activated microglia in the lesioned hemisphere. We also found a significant increase in a marker of anti-inflammatory activity (MannR) and a trend towards reduction in a marker of pro-inflammatory activity (iNOS) in the lesioned striatum of MLK-compared to VEH-treated rats. [18F]-FDG uptake was significantly reduced in the striatum and ipsilesional cortical regions of VEH-treated rats at 4 months after lesion. MLK administration preserved glucose metabolism in these cortical regions, but not in the striatum. Finally, MLK was able to counteract changes in metabolic connectivity and measures of network topology induced by QA, in both lesioned and non-lesioned hemispheres. CONCLUSIONS Overall, MLK treatment produced a significant neuroprotective effect by reducing neuroinflammation assessed by immunofluorescence and preserving regional brain metabolism and metabolic connectivity from QA-induced neurotoxicity in cortical and subcortical regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Tassan Mazzocco
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, Medicine and Surgery Department, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute (IRCCS), Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Murtaj
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, Medicine and Surgery Department, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute (IRCCS), Milan, Italy
| | - Daniel Martins
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Roberta Schellino
- Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini" and Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Angela Coliva
- Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute (IRCCS), Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Toninelli
- Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute (IRCCS), Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Vercelli
- Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini" and Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Federico Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sara Belloli
- Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute (IRCCS), Milan, Italy
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology (IBFM), CNR, Milan, Italy
| | - Rosa Maria Moresco
- Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute (IRCCS), Milan, Italy.
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology (IBFM), CNR, Milan, Italy.
- Technomed Foundation and Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
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10
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Castro E, Polosecki P, Pustina D, Wood A, Sampaio C, Cecchi GA. Predictive Modeling of Huntington's Disease Unfolds Thalamic and Caudate Atrophy Dissociation. Mov Disord 2022; 37:2407-2416. [PMID: 36173150 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atrophy in the striatum is a hallmark of Huntington's disease (HD), including the period before clinical motor diagnosis (before-CMD), but it extends to other subcortical structures. The study of the covariation of these structures could improve the detection of disease-related longitudinal progression before-CMD, provide mechanistic insights of the disease, and potentially be used to obtain accurate prospective estimates of atrophy before-CMD and early after-CMD. METHODS We analyzed data from 337 before-CMD individuals, 236 healthy control subjects, and 95 early after-CMD individuals from three studies, and we used nine subcortical regions volumes in two analyses. First, we discriminated before-CMD from healthy control trajectories by integrating volume changes from these regions. Second, we estimated prospective atrophy before-CMD and early after-CMD by considering the influence of a region's present volume over the future volume of another one. RESULTS Before-CMD progression was robustly detected across studies. Indeed, detection of before-CMD progression improved when multiple structures were integrated, as opposed to analyzing the striatum alone, likely because of the reduced partial correlation between caudate and thalamic volume change before-CMD. Our multivariate atrophy prediction model found a thalamus-caudate association that is consistent with this pattern, which yields an improved caudate atrophy prediction in early after-CMD. CONCLUSIONS This study is the first attempt to validate before-CMD multivariate subcortical change detection across studies and to do multivariate prospective atrophy prediction in HD. These models achieve improved performance by detecting a dissociation between caudate and thalamic atrophy trajectories, and they provide a possible mechanistic understanding of the dynamics of HD. © 2022 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Castro
- Digital Health, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York, USA
| | - Pablo Polosecki
- Digital Health, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York, USA
| | - Dorian Pustina
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Andrew Wood
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | | | - Guillermo A Cecchi
- Digital Health, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York, USA
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11
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Lopes C, Ferreira IL, Maranga C, Beatriz M, Mota SI, Sereno J, Castelhano J, Abrunhosa A, Oliveira F, De Rosa M, Hayden M, Laço MN, Januário C, Castelo Branco M, Rego AC. Mitochondrial and redox modifications in early stages of Huntington's disease. Redox Biol 2022; 56:102424. [PMID: 35988447 PMCID: PMC9420526 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Deficits in mitochondrial function and redox deregulation have been attributed to Huntington's disease (HD), a genetic neurodegenerative disorder largely affecting the striatum. However, whether these changes occur in early stages of the disease and can be detected in vivo is still unclear. In the present study, we analysed changes in mitochondrial function and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at early stages and with disease progression. Studies were performed in vivo in human brain by PET using [64Cu]-ATSM and ex vivo in human skin fibroblasts of premanifest and prodromal (Pre-M) and manifest HD carriers. In vivo brain [64Cu]-ATSM PET in YAC128 transgenic mouse and striatal and cortical isolated mitochondria were assessed at presymptomatic (3 month-old, mo) and symptomatic (6–12 mo) stages. Pre-M HD carriers exhibited enhanced whole-brain (with exception of caudate) [64Cu]-ATSM labelling, correlating with CAG repeat number. Fibroblasts from Pre-M showed enhanced basal and maximal respiration, proton leak and increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels, later progressing in manifest HD. Mitochondria from fibroblasts of Pre-M HD carriers also showed reduced circularity, while higher number of mitochondrial DNA copies correlated with maximal respiratory capacity. In vivo animal PET analysis showed increased accumulation of [64Cu]-ATSM in YAC128 mouse striatum. YAC128 mouse (at 3 months) striatal isolated mitochondria exhibited a rise in basal and maximal mitochondrial respiration and in ATP production, and increased complex II and III activities. YAC128 mouse striatal mitochondria also showed enhanced mitochondrial H2O2 levels and circularity, revealed by brain ultrastructure analysis, and defects in Ca2+ handling, supporting increased striatal susceptibility. Data demonstrate both human and mouse mitochondrial overactivity and altered morphology at early HD stages, facilitating redox unbalance, the latter progressing with manifest disease. Pre-manifest HD carriers and presymptomatic YAC128 mice show increased brain [64Cu]-ATSM labelling. Increased [64Cu]-ATSM brain retention correlates with raised ROS levels in human and mouse samples. Increased [64Cu]-ATSM correlates with enhanced mitochondrial activity and mtDNA copy number. Presymptomatic YAC128 mouse striatal mitochondria show altered morphology and Ca2+ handling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Lopes
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; IIIUC-Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - I Luísa Ferreira
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; IIIUC-Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Carina Maranga
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Margarida Beatriz
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Sandra I Mota
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; IIIUC-Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - José Sereno
- ICNAS-Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - João Castelhano
- ICNAS-Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Antero Abrunhosa
- ICNAS-Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Francisco Oliveira
- ICNAS-Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Maura De Rosa
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Michael Hayden
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
| | - Mário N Laço
- FMUC-Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Medical Genetics Unit, Pediatric Hospital of Coimbra, Coimbra University Hospital (CHUC), Coimbra, Portugal.
| | | | - Miguel Castelo Branco
- ICNAS-Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Coimbra, Portugal; FMUC-Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - A Cristina Rego
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; FMUC-Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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12
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Peng L, Peng Y, Chen Z, Wang C, Long Z, Peng H, Shi Y, Shen L, Xia K, Leotti VB, Jardim LB, Tang B, Qiu R, Jiang H. The progression rate of spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 varies with disease stage. J Transl Med 2022; 20:226. [PMID: 35568848 PMCID: PMC9107762 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03428-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, the identification of modifiers and the construction of prediction model for progression facilitate genetic counseling, clinical management and therapeutic interventions. METHODS Data were derived from the longest longitudinal study, with 642 examinations by International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) from 82 SCA3 participants. Using different time scales of disease duration, we performed multiple different linear, quadratic and piece-wise linear growth models to fit the relationship between ICARS scores and duration. Models comparison was employed to determine the best-fitting model according to goodness-of-fit tests, and the analysis of variance among nested models. RESULTS An acceleration was detected after 13 years of duration: ICARS scores progressed 2.445 (SE: 0.185) points/year before and 3.547 (SE: 0.312) points/year after this deadline. Piece-wise growth model fitted better to studied data than other two types of models. The length of expanded CAG repeat (CAGexp) in ATXN3 gene significantly influenced progression. Age at onset of gait ataxia (AOga), a proxy for aging process, was not an independent modifier but affected the correlation between CAGexp and progression. Additionally, gender had no significant effect on progression rate of ICARS. The piece-wise growth models were determined as the predictive models, and ICARS predictions from related models were available. CONCLUSIONS We first confirmed that ICARS progressed as a nonlinear pattern and varied according to different stages in SCA3. In addition to ATXN3 CAGexp, AOga or aging process regulated the progression by interacting with CAGexp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linliu Peng
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Yun Peng
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Zhao Chen
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,Key Laboratory of Hunan Province in Neurodegenerative Disorders, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,Hunan International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Neurodegenerative and Neurogenetic Diseases, Changsha, China
| | - Chunrong Wang
- Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Zhe Long
- Department of Neurology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Huirong Peng
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Yuting Shi
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Lu Shen
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,Key Laboratory of Hunan Province in Neurodegenerative Disorders, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,Hunan International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Neurodegenerative and Neurogenetic Diseases, Changsha, China
| | - Kun Xia
- Center for Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Vanessa B Leotti
- Departamento de Estatística, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, 91509-900, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2400, Porto Alegre, 90035-003, Brazil
| | - Laura Bannach Jardim
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2400, Porto Alegre, 90035-903, Brazil.,Departamento de Medicina Interna, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2400, Porto Alegre, 90035-903, Brazil.,Medical Genetics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2350, Porto Alegre, 90035-903, Brazil
| | - Beisha Tang
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,Key Laboratory of Hunan Province in Neurodegenerative Disorders, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,Hunan International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Neurodegenerative and Neurogenetic Diseases, Changsha, China
| | - Rong Qiu
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, China.
| | - Hong Jiang
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China. .,School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China. .,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China. .,Key Laboratory of Hunan Province in Neurodegenerative Disorders, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China. .,Hunan International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Neurodegenerative and Neurogenetic Diseases, Changsha, China.
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13
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Piccolo FM, Kastan NR, Haremaki T, Tian Q, Laundos TL, De Santis R, Beaudoin AJ, Carroll TS, Luo JD, Gnedeva K, Etoc F, Hudspeth AJ, Brivanlou AH. Role of YAP in early ectodermal specification and a Huntington's Disease model of human neurulation. eLife 2022; 11:e73075. [PMID: 35451959 PMCID: PMC9033270 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Hippo pathway, a highly conserved signaling cascade that functions as an integrator of molecular signals and biophysical states, ultimately impinges upon the transcription coactivator Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP). Hippo-YAP signaling has been shown to play key roles both at the early embryonic stages of implantation and gastrulation, and later during neurogenesis. To explore YAP's potential role in neurulation, we used self-organizing neuruloids grown from human embryonic stem cells on micropatterned substrates. We identified YAP activation as a key lineage determinant, first between neuronal ectoderm and nonneuronal ectoderm, and later between epidermis and neural crest, indicating that YAP activity can enhance the effect of BMP4 stimulation and therefore affect ectodermal specification at this developmental stage. Because aberrant Hippo-YAP signaling has been implicated in the pathology of Huntington's Disease (HD), we used isogenic mutant neuruloids to explore the relationship between signaling and the disease. We found that HD neuruloids demonstrate ectopic activation of gene targets of YAP and that pharmacological reduction of YAP's transcriptional activity can partially rescue the HD phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco M Piccolo
- Laboratory of of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Nathaniel R Kastan
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Tomomi Haremaki
- Laboratory of of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Qingyun Tian
- Laboratory of of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Tiago L Laundos
- Laboratory of of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- INEB - Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Riccardo De Santis
- Laboratory of of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Andrew J Beaudoin
- Laboratory of of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Thomas S Carroll
- Bioinformatics Resource Center, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Ji-Dung Luo
- Bioinformatics Resource Center, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Ksenia Gnedeva
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Fred Etoc
- Laboratory of of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - AJ Hudspeth
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Ali H Brivanlou
- Laboratory of of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
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14
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Preventive Drugs for Huntington’s Disease: A Choice-Based Conjoint Survey of Patient Preferences. J Clin Transl Sci 2022; 6:e35. [PMID: 35433035 PMCID: PMC9003635 DOI: 10.1017/cts.2022.372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: This research examined the perspective of the Huntington’s disease (HD) community regarding the use of predictive biomarkers as endpoints for regulatory approval of therapeutics to prevent or delay the onset of clinical HD in asymptomatic mutation carriers. Methods: An online, choice-based conjoint survey was shared with HD community members including untested at-risk individuals, presymptomatic mutation carriers, and symptomatic individuals. Across 15 scenarios, participants chose among two proposed therapies with differing degrees of biomarker improvement and side effects or a third option of no treatment. Results: Two hundred and thirty-eight responses were received. Attributes reflecting biomarker efficacy (e.g., prevention of brain atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging, reduced mutant huntingtin, or reduced inflammation biomarkers) had 3- to 7-fold greater importance than attributes representing side effects (e.g., increased risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke over 20 years) and were more influential in directing choice of treatments. Reduction in mutant huntingtin protein was the most valued attribute overall. Multinomial logit model simulations based on survey responses demonstrated high interest among respondents (87–99% of the population) for drugs that might prevent or delay HD solely based upon biomarker evidence, even at the risk of serious side effects. Conclusion: These results indicate a strong desire among members of the HD community for preventive therapeutics and a willingness to accept significant side effects, even before the drug has been shown to definitively delay disease onset if the drug improves biomarker evidence of HD progression. Preferences of the HD community should inform regulatory policies for approving preventive therapies.
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15
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Bolin PK, Gosnell SN, Brandel-Ankrapp K, Srinivasan N, Castellanos A, Salas R. Decreased Brain Ventricular Volume in Psychiatric Inpatients with Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Treatment. CHRONIC STRESS (THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF.) 2022; 6:24705470221111092. [PMID: 35859799 PMCID: PMC9290100 DOI: 10.1177/24705470221111092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Background Brain ventricles have been reported to be enlarged in several neuropsychiatric disorders and in aging. Whether human cerebral ventricular volume can decrease over time with psychiatric treatment is not well-studied. The aim of this study was to examine whether inpatients taking serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRI) exhibited reductions in cerebral ventricular volume. Methods Psychiatric inpatients, diagnosed mainly with depression, substance use, anxiety, and personality disorders, underwent two imaging sessions (Time 1 and Time 2, approximately 4 weeks apart). FreeSurfer was used to quantify volumetric features of the brain, and ANOVA was used to analyze ventricular volume differences between Time 1 and Time 2. Inpatients' brain ventricle volumes were normalized by dividing by estimated total intracranial volume (eTIV). Clinical features such as depression and anxiety levels were collected at Time 1, Time 1.5 (approximately 2 weeks apart), and Time 2. Results Inpatients consistently taking SRIs (SRI + , n = 44) showed statistically significant reductions of brain ventricular volumes particularly for their left and right lateral ventricular volumes. Reductions in their third ventricular volume were close to significance (p = .068). The inpatients that did not take SRIs (SRI-, n = 25) showed no statistically significant changes in brain ventricular volumes. The SRI + group also exhibited similar brain structural features to the healthy control group based on the 90% confidence interval comparsions on brain ventricular volume parameters, whereas the SRI- group still exhibited relatively enlarged brain ventricular volumes after treatment. Conclusions SRI treatment was associated with decreased brain ventricle volume over treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- PK Bolin
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Drug Discovery (CDD), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - SN Gosnell
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - K Brandel-Ankrapp
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - A Castellanos
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - R Salas
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- The Menninger Clinic, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
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16
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Catlin JP, Marziali LN, Rein B, Yan Z, Feltri ML, Schaner Tooley CE. Age-related neurodegeneration and cognitive impairments of NRMT1 knockout mice are preceded by misregulation of RB and abnormal neural stem cell development. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:1014. [PMID: 34711807 PMCID: PMC8553844 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-04316-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
N-terminal methylation is an important posttranslational modification that regulates protein/DNA interactions and plays a role in many cellular processes, including DNA damage repair, mitosis, and transcriptional regulation. Our generation of a constitutive knockout mouse for the N-terminal methyltransferase NRMT1 demonstrated its loss results in severe developmental abnormalities and premature aging phenotypes. As premature aging is often accompanied by neurodegeneration, we more specifically examined how NRMT1 loss affects neural pathology and cognitive behaviors. Here we find that Nrmt1-/- mice exhibit postnatal enlargement of the lateral ventricles, age-dependent striatal and hippocampal neurodegeneration, memory impairments, and hyperactivity. These morphological and behavior abnormalities are preceded by alterations in neural stem cell (NSC) development. Early expansion and differentiation of the quiescent NSC pool in Nrmt1-/- mice is followed by its subsequent depletion and many of the resulting neurons remain in the cell cycle and ultimately undergo apoptosis. These cell cycle phenotypes are reminiscent to those seen with loss of the NRMT1 target retinoblastoma protein (RB). Accordingly, we find misregulation of RB phosphorylation and degradation in Nrmt1-/- mice, and significant de-repression of RB target genes involved in cell cycle. We also identify novel de-repression of Noxa, an RB target gene that promotes apoptosis. These data identify Nα-methylation as a novel regulatory modification of RB transcriptional repression during neurogenesis and indicate that NRMT1 and RB work together to promote NSC quiescence and prevent neuronal apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Catlin
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Leandro N Marziali
- Departments of Biochemistry and Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Hunter James Kelly Research Institute, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Benjamin Rein
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Zhen Yan
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - M Laura Feltri
- Departments of Biochemistry and Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Hunter James Kelly Research Institute, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Christine E Schaner Tooley
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA.
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17
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Chan ST, Mercaldo ND, Kwong KK, Hersch SM, Rosas HD. Impaired Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Huntington's Disease. Front Physiol 2021; 12:663898. [PMID: 34366879 PMCID: PMC8334185 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.663898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that impairments of cerebrovascular function and/or abnormalities of the cerebral vasculature might contribute to early neuronal cell loss in Huntington's disease (HD). Studies in both healthy individuals as well as in patients with other neurodegenerative disorders have used an exogenous carbon dioxide (CO2) challenge in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess regional cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR). In this study, we explored potential impairments of CVR in HD. Twelve gene expanded HD individuals, including both pre-symptomatic and early symptomatic HD and eleven healthy controls were administered a gas mixture targeting a 4-8 mmHg increase in CO2 relative to the end-tidal partial pressure of CO2 (P ET CO2) at rest. A Hilbert Transform analysis was used to compute the cross-correlation between the time series of regional BOLD signal changes (ΔBOLD) and increased P ET CO2, and to estimate the response delay of ΔBOLD relative to P ET CO2. After correcting for age, we found that the cross-correlation between the time series for regional ΔBOLD and for P ET CO2 was weaker in HD subjects than in controls in several subcortical white matter regions, including the corpus callosum, subcortical white matter adjacent to rostral and caudal anterior cingulate, rostral and caudal middle frontal, insular, middle temporal, and posterior cingulate areas. In addition, greater volume of dilated perivascular space (PVS) was observed to overlap, primarily along the periphery, with the areas that showed greater ΔBOLD response delay. Our preliminary findings support that alterations in cerebrovascular function occur in HD and may be an important, not as yet considered, contributor to early neuropathology in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suk Tak Chan
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Nathaniel D Mercaldo
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Kenneth K Kwong
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Steven M Hersch
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Herminia D Rosas
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States.,Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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18
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Gatto RG, Weissmann C, Amin M, Angeles-López QD, García-Lara L, Castellanos LCS, Deyoung D, Segovia J, Mareci TH, Uchitel OD, Magin RL. Evaluation of early microstructural changes in the R6/1 mouse model of Huntington's disease by ultra-high field diffusion MR imaging. Neurobiol Aging 2021; 102:32-49. [PMID: 33765430 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion MRI (dMRI) has been able to detect early structural changes related to neurological symptoms present in Huntington's disease (HD). However, there is still a knowledge gap to interpret the biological significance at early neuropathological stages. The purpose of this study is two-fold: (i) establish if the combination of Ultra-High Field Diffusion MRI (UHFD-MRI) techniques can add a more comprehensive analysis of the early microstructural changes observed in HD, and (ii) evaluate if early changes in dMRI microstructural parameters can be linked to cellular biomarkers of neuroinflammation. Ultra-high field magnet (16.7T), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) techniques were applied to fixed ex-vivo brains of a preclinical model of HD (R6/1 mice). Fractional anisotropy (FA) was decreased in deep and superficial grey matter (GM) as well as white matter (WM) brain regions with well-known early HD microstructure and connectivity pathology. NODDI parameters associated with the intracellular and extracellular compartment, such as intracellular ventricular fraction (ICVF), orientation dispersion index (ODI), and isotropic volume fractions (IsoVF) were altered in R6/1 mice GM. Further, histological studies in these areas showed that glia cell markers associated with neuroinflammation (GFAP & Iba1) were consistent with the dMRI findings. dMRI can be used to extract non-invasive information of neuropathological events present in the early stages of HD. The combination of multiple imaging techniques represents a better approach to understand the neuropathological process allowing the early diagnosis and neuromonitoring of patients affected by HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo G Gatto
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Carina Weissmann
- Insituto de Fisiología Biología Molecular y Neurociencias-IFIBYNE-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos, Aires, Argentina
| | - Manish Amin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Quetzalli D Angeles-López
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, México City, México
| | - Lucia García-Lara
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, México City, México
| | - Libia C Salinas Castellanos
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, México City, México
| | - Daniel Deyoung
- Department of Biochemistry, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jose Segovia
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, México City, México
| | - Thomas H Mareci
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Osvaldo D Uchitel
- Insituto de Fisiología Biología Molecular y Neurociencias-IFIBYNE-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos, Aires, Argentina
| | - Richard L Magin
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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19
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Johnson EB, Ziegler G, Penny W, Rees G, Tabrizi SJ, Scahill RI, Gregory S. Dynamics of Cortical Degeneration Over a Decade in Huntington's Disease. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:807-816. [PMID: 33500176 PMCID: PMC7986936 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Characterizing changing brain structure in neurodegeneration is fundamental to understanding long-term effects of pathology and ultimately providing therapeutic targets. It is well established that Huntington's disease (HD) gene carriers undergo progressive brain changes during the course of disease, yet the long-term trajectory of cortical atrophy is not well defined. Given that genetic therapies currently tested in HD are primarily expected to target the cortex, understanding atrophy across this region is essential. METHODS Capitalizing on a unique longitudinal dataset with a minimum of 3 and maximum of 7 brain scans from 49 HD gene carriers and 49 age-matched control subjects, we implemented a novel dynamical systems approach to infer patterns of regional neurodegeneration over 10 years. We use Bayesian hierarchical modeling to map participant- and group-level trajectories of atrophy spatially and temporally, additionally relating atrophy to the genetic marker of HD (CAG-repeat length) and motor and cognitive symptoms. RESULTS We show, for the first time, that neurodegenerative changes exhibit complex temporal dynamics with substantial regional variation around the point of clinical diagnosis. Although widespread group differences were seen across the cortex, the occipital and parietal regions undergo the greatest rate of cortical atrophy. We have established links between atrophy and genetic markers of HD while demonstrating that specific cortical changes predict decline in motor and cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS HD gene carriers display regional variability in the spatial pattern of cortical atrophy, which relates to genetic factors and motor and cognitive symptoms. Our findings indicate a complex pattern of neuronal loss, which enables greater characterization of HD progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileanoir B Johnson
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Gabriel Ziegler
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - William Penny
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Geraint Rees
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Dementia Research Institute at University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachael I Scahill
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Gregory
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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20
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Mansoor NM, Vanniyasingam T, Malone I, Hobbs NZ, Rees E, Durr A, Roos RAC, Landwehrmeyer B, Tabrizi SJ, Johnson EB, Scahill RI. Validating Automated Segmentation Tools in the Assessment of Caudate Atrophy in Huntington's Disease. Front Neurol 2021; 12:616272. [PMID: 33935934 PMCID: PMC8079754 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.616272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Neuroimaging shows considerable promise in generating sensitive and objective outcome measures for therapeutic trials across a range of neurodegenerative conditions. For volumetric measures the current gold standard is manual delineation, which is unfeasible for samples sizes required for large clinical trials. Methods: Using a cohort of early Huntington's disease (HD) patients (n = 46) and controls (n = 35), we compared the performance of four automated segmentation tools (FIRST, FreeSurfer, STEPS, MALP-EM) with manual delineation for generating cross-sectional caudate volume, a region known to be vulnerable in HD. We then examined the effect of each of these baseline regions on the ability to detect change over 15 months using the established longitudinal Caudate Boundary Shift Integral (cBSI) method, an automated longitudinal pipeline requiring a baseline caudate region as an input. Results: All tools, except Freesurfer, generated significantly smaller caudate volumes than the manually derived regions. Jaccard indices showed poorer levels of overlap between each automated segmentation and manual delineation in the HD patients compared with controls. Nevertheless, each method was able to demonstrate significant group differences in volume (p < 0.001). STEPS performed best qualitatively as well as quantitively in the baseline analysis. Caudate atrophy measures generated by the cBSI using automated baseline regions were largely consistent with those derived from a manually segmented baseline, with STEPS providing the most robust cBSI values across both control and HD groups. Conclusions: Atrophy measures from the cBSI were relatively robust to differences in baseline segmentation technique, suggesting that fully automated pipelines could be used to generate outcome measures for clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina M Mansoor
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tishok Vanniyasingam
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Malone
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Dementia Research Centre, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Z Hobbs
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elin Rees
- IXICO plc, Griffin Court, Long Lane, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandra Durr
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau/Paris Brain Institute AP-HP, INSERM, CNRS, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Raymund A C Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eileanoir B Johnson
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachael I Scahill
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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21
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Przybyl L, Wozna-Wysocka M, Kozlowska E, Fiszer A. What, When and How to Measure-Peripheral Biomarkers in Therapy of Huntington's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22041561. [PMID: 33557131 PMCID: PMC7913877 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22041561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the main challenges in further advancing therapeutic strategies for Huntington’s disease (HD) is the development of biomarkers which must be applied to assess the efficiency of the treatment. HD is a dreadful neurodegenerative disorder which has its source of pathogenesis in the central nervous system (CNS) but is reflected by symptoms in the periphery. Visible symptoms include motor deficits and slight changes in peripheral tissues, which can be used as hallmarks for prognosis of the course of HD, e.g., the onset of the disease symptoms. Knowing how the pathology develops in the context of whole organisms is crucial for the development of therapy which would be the most beneficial for patients, as well as for proposing appropriate biomarkers to monitor disease progression and/or efficiency of treatment. We focus here on molecular peripheral biomarkers which could be used as a measurable outcome of potential therapy. We present and discuss a list of wet biomarkers which have been proposed in recent years to measure pre- and postsymptomatic HD. Interestingly, investigation of peripheral biomarkers in HD can unravel new aspects of the disease pathogenesis. This especially refers to inflammatory proteins or specific immune cells which attract scientific attention in neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukasz Przybyl
- Laboratory of Mammalian Model Organisms, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
- Correspondence: (L.P.); (A.F.)
| | - Magdalena Wozna-Wysocka
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland; (M.W.-W.); (E.K.)
| | - Emilia Kozlowska
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland; (M.W.-W.); (E.K.)
| | - Agnieszka Fiszer
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland; (M.W.-W.); (E.K.)
- Correspondence: (L.P.); (A.F.)
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22
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Palomar-Garcia A, Camara E. SeSBAT: Single Subject Brain Analysis Toolbox. Application to Huntington's Disease as a Preliminary Study. Front Syst Neurosci 2020; 14:488652. [PMID: 33117135 PMCID: PMC7550747 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.488652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers require complex processing routines that are time-consuming and labor-intensive for clinical users. The Single Subject Brain Analysis Toolbox (SeSBAT) is a fully automated MATLAB toolbox with a graphical user interface (GUI) that offers standardized and optimized protocols for the pre-processing and analysis of anatomical MRI data at the single-subject level. In this study, the two-fold strategy provided by SeSBAT is illustrated through its application on a cohort of 42 patients with Huntington’s disease (HD), in pre-manifest and early manifest stages, as a suitable model of neurodegenerative processes. On the one hand, hypothesis-driven analysis can be used to extract biomarkers of neurodegeneration in specific brain regions of interest (ROI-based analysis). On the other hand, an exploratory voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach can detect volume changes due to neurodegeneration throughout the whole brain (whole-brain analysis). That illustration reveals the potential of SeSBAT in providing potential prognostic biomarkers in neurodegenerative processes in clinics, which could be critical to overcoming the limitations of current qualitative evaluation strategies, and thus improve the diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, the importance of the availability of tools for characterization at the single-subject level has been emphasized, as there is high interindividual variability in the pattern of neurodegeneration. Thus, tools like SeSBAT could pave the way towards more effective and personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Palomar-Garcia
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, IDIBELL (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Estela Camara
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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23
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Van Cauter S, Severino M, Ammendola R, Van Berkel B, Vavro H, van den Hauwe L, Rumboldt Z. Bilateral lesions of the basal ganglia and thalami (central grey matter)-pictorial review. Neuroradiology 2020; 62:1565-1605. [PMID: 32761278 PMCID: PMC7405775 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-020-02511-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The basal ganglia and thalami are paired deep grey matter structures with extensive metabolic activity that renders them susceptible to injury by various diseases. Most pathological processes lead to bilateral lesions, which may be symmetric or asymmetric, frequently showing characteristic patterns on imaging studies. In this comprehensive pictorial review, the most common and/or typical genetic, acquired metabolic/toxic, infectious, inflammatory, vascular and neoplastic pathologies affecting the central grey matter are subdivided according to the preferential location of the lesions: in the basal ganglia, in the thalami or both. The characteristic imaging findings are described with emphasis on the differential diagnosis and clinical context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Van Cauter
- Department of Medical Imaging, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Schiepse Bos 6, 3600, Genk, Belgium. .,Department of Radiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 39, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Mariasavina Severino
- Neuroradiology Unit, IRCCS Instituto Giannina Gaslini, Via Gerolamo Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Rosamaria Ammendola
- Neuroradiology Unit, IRCCS Instituto Giannina Gaslini, Via Gerolamo Gaslini 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy
| | - Brecht Van Berkel
- Department of Medical Imaging, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Schiepse Bos 6, 3600, Genk, Belgium.,Department of Radiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 39, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hrvoje Vavro
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Dubrava, Avenija Gojka Šuška 6, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Luc van den Hauwe
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem, Belgium.,Department of Medical Imaging, AZ KLINA, Augustijnslei 100, 2930, Brasschaat, Belgium
| | - Zoran Rumboldt
- Department of Radiology, University of Rijeka School of Medicine, Ulica Braće Branchetta 20, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia.,Department of Radiology, Medical University of South Carolina, 96 Jonathan Lucas Street, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
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24
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Ramirez-Garcia G, Galvez V, Diaz R, Bayliss L, Fernandez-Ruiz J, Campos-Romo A. Longitudinal atrophy characterization of cortical and subcortical gray matter in Huntington's disease patients. Eur J Neurosci 2019; 51:1827-1843. [PMID: 31705594 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease with clinical manifestations that involve motor, cognitive and psychiatric deficits. Cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have described the main cortical and subcortical macrostructural atrophy of HD. However, longitudinal studies characterizing progressive atrophy are lacking. This study aimed to describe the cortical and subcortical gray matter atrophy using complementary volumetric and surface-based MRI analyses in a cohort of seventeen early HD patients in a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis and to correlate the longitudinal volumetric atrophy with the functional decline using several clinical measures. A group of seventeen healthy individuals was included as controls. After obtaining structural MRIs, volumetric analyses were performed in 36 cortical and 7 subcortical regions of interest per hemisphere and surface-based analyses were performed in the whole cortex, caudate, putamen and thalamus. Cross-sectional cortical surface-based and volumetric analyses showed significant decreases in frontoparietal and temporo-occipital cortices, while subcortical volumetric analysis showed significant decreases in all subcortical structures except the hippocampus. The longitudinal surface-based analysis showed widespread cortical thinning with volumetric decreases in the superior frontal lobe, while a subcortical volumetric decrease occurred in the caudate, putamen and thalamus with shape deformation on the anterior, medial and dorsal side. Functional capacity and motor status decline correlated with caudate progressive atrophy, while cognitive decline correlated with left superior frontal and right paracentral progressive atrophy. These results provide new insights into progressive volumetric and surface-based morphometric atrophy of gray matter in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Ramirez-Garcia
- Unidad Periférica de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía "MVS", Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Víctor Galvez
- Laboratorio de Neurociencias Cognitivas y Desarrollo, Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Panamericana, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Rosalinda Diaz
- Laboratorio de Neuropsicología, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Leo Bayliss
- Departamento de Neurología, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía "MVS", Ciudad de México, México
| | - Juan Fernandez-Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Neuropsicología, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México.,Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Ciudad de México, México.,Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Veracruzana, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Aurelio Campos-Romo
- Unidad Periférica de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía "MVS", Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
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25
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Sampedro F, Martínez-Horta S, Perez-Perez J, Horta-Barba A, Martin-Lahoz J, Alonso-Solís A, Corripio I, Gomez-Anson B, Kulisevsky J. Widespread Increased Diffusivity Reveals Early Cortical Degeneration in Huntington Disease. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2019; 40:1464-1468. [PMID: 31467235 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a6168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Huntington disease is a devastating genetic neurodegenerative disorder for which no effective treatment is yet available. Although progressive striatal atrophy is its pathologic hallmark, concomitant cortical deterioration is assumed to occur, but it is poorly characterized. Our objective was to study the loss of cortical integrity and its association with clinical indicators throughout the course of the disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using a cohort of 39 patients with Huntington disease and 25 controls with available MR imaging (T1WI and DTI), we compared cortical atrophy and intracortical diffusivity across disease stages. Intracortical diffusivity is a DTI-derived metric that has recently been suggested to detect incipient neuronal death because water can diffuse more freely in cortical regions with reduced neural density. RESULTS We observed progressive thinning and increasing diffusivity within the cerebral cortex of patients with Huntington disease (P < .05, corrected for multiple comparisons). Most important, in the absence of pronounced atrophy, widespread increased diffusivity was already present in individuals with premanifest Huntington disease, correlating, in turn, with clinical and disease-specific progression markers. CONCLUSIONS Intracortical diffusivity may be more sensitive than cortical thinning for tracking early neurodegeneration in Huntington disease. Moreover, our findings provide further evidence of an early cortical compromise in Huntington disease, which contributes to our understanding of its clinical phenotype and could have important therapeutic implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Sampedro
- From the Movement Disorders Unit (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Neurology Department.,Biomedical Research Institute (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., A.A.-S., I.C., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Madrid, Spain
| | - S Martínez-Horta
- From the Movement Disorders Unit (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Neurology Department.,Biomedical Research Institute (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., A.A.-S., I.C., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Madrid, Spain.,Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (S.M.-H., J.P.-P., J.M.-L., B.G.-A., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Perez-Perez
- From the Movement Disorders Unit (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Neurology Department.,Biomedical Research Institute (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., A.A.-S., I.C., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Madrid, Spain.,Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (S.M.-H., J.P.-P., J.M.-L., B.G.-A., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Horta-Barba
- From the Movement Disorders Unit (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Neurology Department.,Biomedical Research Institute (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., A.A.-S., I.C., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Madrid, Spain
| | - J Martin-Lahoz
- From the Movement Disorders Unit (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Neurology Department.,Biomedical Research Institute (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., A.A.-S., I.C., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Madrid, Spain.,Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (S.M.-H., J.P.-P., J.M.-L., B.G.-A., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Alonso-Solís
- Biomedical Research Institute (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., A.A.-S., I.C., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain
| | - I Corripio
- Psychiatry Department (I.C.), Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.,Biomedical Research Institute (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., A.A.-S., I.C., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Salud Mental (I.C.), Madrid, Spain
| | - B Gomez-Anson
- Neuroradiology, Radiology Department (B.G.-A.).,European Huntington's Disease Network (S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.K.), Ulm, Germany
| | - J Kulisevsky
- From the Movement Disorders Unit (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Neurology Department .,Biomedical Research Institute (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., A.A.-S., I.C., J.K.), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (F.S., S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.M.-L., J.K.), Madrid, Spain.,European Huntington's Disease Network (S.M.-H., J.P.-P., A.H.-B., J.K.), Ulm, Germany
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26
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Zeun P, Scahill RI, Tabrizi SJ, Wild EJ. Fluid and imaging biomarkers for Huntington's disease. Mol Cell Neurosci 2019; 97:67-80. [PMID: 30807825 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative condition for which there is no disease-modifying treatment. The known genetic cause of Huntington's disease makes it possible to identify individuals destined to develop the disease and instigate treatments before the onset of symptoms. Multiple trials are already underway that target the cause of HD, yet clinical measures are often insensitive to change over typical clinical trial duration. Robust biomarkers of drug target engagement, disease severity and progression are required to evaluate the efficacy of treatments and concerted efforts are underway to achieve this. Biofluid biomarkers have potential advantages of direct quantification of biological processes at the molecular level, whilst imaging biomarkers can quantify related changes at a structural level in the brain. The most robust biofluid and imaging biomarkers can offer complementary information, providing a more comprehensive evaluation of disease stage and progression to inform clinical trial design and endpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Zeun
- Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom.
| | - Rachael I Scahill
- Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom.
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom.
| | - Edward J Wild
- Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom.
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Petrella LI, Castelhano JM, Ribeiro M, Sereno JV, Gonçalves SI, Laço MN, Hayden MR, Rego AC, Castelo-Branco M. A whole brain longitudinal study in the YAC128 mouse model of Huntington's disease shows distinct trajectories of neurochemical, structural connectivity and volumetric changes. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 27:2125-2137. [PMID: 29668904 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder causing cognitive and motor impairments, evolving to death within 15-20 years after symptom onset. We previously established a mouse model with the entire human HD gene containing 128 CAG repeats (YAC128) which accurately recapitulates the natural history of the human disease. Defined time points in this natural history enable the understanding of longitudinal trajectories from the neurochemical and structural points of view using non-invasive high-resolution multi-modal imaging. Accordingly, we designed a longitudinal structural imaging (MRI and DTI) and spectroscopy (1H-MRS) study in YAC128, at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age, at 9.4 T. Structural analysis (MRI/DTI), confirmed that the striatum is the earliest affected brain region, but other regions were also identified through connectivity analysis (pre-frontal cortex, hippocampus, globus pallidus and thalamus), suggesting a striking homology with the human disease. Importantly, we found for the first time, a negative correlation between striatal and hippocampal changes only in YAC128. In fact, the striatum showed accelerated volumetric decay in HD, as opposed to the hippocampus. Neurochemical analysis of the HD striatum suggested early neurometabolic alterations in neurotransmission and metabolism, with a significant increase in striatal GABA levels, and specifically anticorrelated levels of N-acetyl aspartate and taurine, suggesting that the later is homeostatically adjusted for neuroprotection, as neural loss, indicated by the former, is progressing. These results provide novel insights into the natural history of HD and prove a valuable role for longitudinal multi-modal panels of structural and metabolite/neurotransmission in the YAC128 model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena I Petrella
- Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.,Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology-Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Life Science (CNC.IBILI), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João M Castelhano
- Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.,Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology-Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Life Science (CNC.IBILI), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Mario Ribeiro
- Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.,Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology-Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Life Science (CNC.IBILI), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - José V Sereno
- Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.,Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology-Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Life Science (CNC.IBILI), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sónia I Gonçalves
- Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.,Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology-Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Life Science (CNC.IBILI), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.,Neuroplasticity and Neural Activity Laboratory, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mário N Laço
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology-Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Life Science (CNC.IBILI), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Michael R Hayden
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - A Cristina Rego
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology-Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Life Science (CNC.IBILI), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Miguel Castelo-Branco
- Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.,Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology-Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Life Science (CNC.IBILI), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
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Guevara C, de Grazia J, Baabor P, Soruco W. Self-reported urinary impairment identifies 'fast progressors' in terms of neuronal loss in multiple system atrophy. Auton Neurosci 2019; 217:1-6. [PMID: 30704970 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION MSA is an adult-onset, sporadic, progressive parkinsonian syndrome characterised by the presence of akinesia, cerebellar dysfunction, autonomic failure and pyramidal signs. Annualized-whole-brain atrophy rate (a-WBAR) is an informative way to quantify disease progression. In this longitudinal work we investigate the correlations of a-WBAR with clinical scales for motor impairment, autonomic disability and cognitive decline in MSA and explore how atrophy progresses within the brain. METHOD Fourty-one MSA patients were studied using Structural Imaging Evaluation with Normalization of Atrophy (SIENA). SIENA is an MRI-based algorithm that quantifies brain tissue volume. Clinical parameters were explored using the 18-item Movement Disorder Society-sponsored revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, the Hoehn and Yahr Scale, the Frontal Assessment Battery and the Natural History and Neuroprotection in Parkinson Plus Syndromes scale (sub-items for orthostatic and urinary functions). RESULTS The mean (±SD) age was 60.4 years ± 7.7 and a-WBAR was 1.65% ± 0.9. Demographics and clinical ratings at the time of the first scan were non-significantly associated with a-WBAR. The only exception was the baseline urinary score with a weak but significant association (R2 = 0.15, p = 0.04). Progression of grey matter atrophy was detected in the left superior temporal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, right frontopolar region and midbrain. CONCLUSION Urinary impairment at baseline may help to identify 'fast progressors' in terms of neuronal loss, particularly in the frontal and temporal lobes. Thus, urinary impairment should be recognized as a key target for disease modifying therapeutic interventions in MSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Guevara
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santos Dummont 999, Santiago, Chile.
| | - José de Grazia
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santos Dummont 999, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pablo Baabor
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santos Dummont 999, Santiago, Chile
| | - Wendy Soruco
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santos Dummont 999, Santiago, Chile
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Lois C, González I, Izquierdo-García D, Zürcher NR, Wilkens P, Loggia ML, Hooker JM, Rosas HD. Neuroinflammation in Huntington's Disease: New Insights with 11C-PBR28 PET/MRI. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:2563-2571. [PMID: 29719953 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a devastating neurodegenerative genetic disorder that causes progressive motor dysfunction, emotional disturbances, and cognitive impairment. Unfortunately, there is no treatment to cure or slow the progression of the disease. Neuroinflammation is one hallmark of Huntington's disease, and modulation of neuroinflammation has been suggested as a potential target for therapeutic intervention. The relationship between neuroinflammation markers and the disease pathology is still poorly understood. To improve our understanding of neuroinflammation in Huntington's disease, we measured translocator protein (TSPO) expression using 11C-PBR28 and simultaneous PET/MRI. Standardized-uptake-value ratios, normalized by whole brain uptake, were calculated for data acquired 60-90 min after radiotracer administration. We identified distinct patterns of regional neuroinflammation (as defined by TSPO overexpression relative to a control group) in the basal ganglia of Huntington's disease patients. These patterns were observed at the individual level in all patients, with region of interest analysis confirming significant differences between patients and the control group in the putamen and the pallidum. Additionally, we observed further distinct regional and subregional signatures, which may provide insights into phenotypical variability. For example, in certain Huntington's disease patients, we observed in vivo elevation of the level of TSPO binding in subnuclei in the thalamus and brainstem that have been previously associated with visual function, motor function, and motor coordination. Our main result is an objective score, based solely on 11C-PBR28 measurements, that correlates well with measurements of brain atrophy. We conclude that PET/MR imaging using 11C-PBR28 provides a high signal-to-background ratio and has the potential to be used to assess Huntington's disease progression. Our results suggest 11C-PBR28 might prove useful in clinical trials evaluating therapies targeting neuroinflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Lois
- Department of
Radiology, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General
Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
- Department of
Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
- Madrid-MIT M+Visión Consortium, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Iván González
- Department of
Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - David Izquierdo-García
- Department of
Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Nicole R. Zürcher
- Department of
Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Paul Wilkens
- Department of
Neurology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Marco L. Loggia
- Department of
Anesthesiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging,
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Jacob M. Hooker
- Department of
Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - H. Diana Rosas
- Department of
Neurology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
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Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Huntington's Disease. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2018; 142:335-380. [PMID: 30409258 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2018.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder, caused by expansion of the CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene. HD is characterized clinically by progressive motor, cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms. There are currently no disease modifying treatments available for HD, and there is a great need for biomarkers to monitor disease progression and identify new targets for therapeutic intervention. Neuroimaging techniques provide a powerful tool for assessing disease pathology and progression in premanifest stages, before the onset of overt motor symptoms. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is non-invasive imaging techniques which have been employed to study structural and microstructural changes in premanifest and manifest HD gene carriers. This chapter described structural imaging techniques and analysis methods employed across HD MRI studies. Current evidence for structural MRI abnormalities in HD, and associations between atrophy, structural white matter changes, iron deposition and clinical performance are discussed; together with the use of structural MRI measures as a diagnostic tool, to assess longitudinal changes, and as potential biomarkers and endpoints for clinical trials.
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Hanssen H, Heldmann M, Prasuhn J, Tronnier V, Rasche D, Diesta CC, Domingo A, Rosales RL, Jamora RD, Klein C, Münte TF, Brüggemann N. Basal ganglia and cerebellar pathology in X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism. Brain 2018; 141:2995-3008. [DOI: 10.1093/brain/awy222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Henrike Hanssen
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Marcus Heldmann
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Jannik Prasuhn
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Volker Tronnier
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Dirk Rasche
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Cid C Diesta
- Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines
| | - Aloysius Domingo
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Raymond L Rosales
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Santo Tomas Hospital, Manila, Philippines
| | - Roland D Jamora
- Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine-Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines
| | - Christine Klein
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Thomas F Münte
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Norbert Brüggemann
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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Reiner A, Deng Y. Disrupted striatal neuron inputs and outputs in Huntington's disease. CNS Neurosci Ther 2018; 24:250-280. [PMID: 29582587 PMCID: PMC5875736 DOI: 10.1111/cns.12844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the gene coding for the protein huntingtin, resulting in a pathogenic expansion of the polyglutamine tract in the N-terminus of this protein. The HD pathology resulting from the mutation is most prominent in the striatal part of the basal ganglia, and progressive differential dysfunction and loss of striatal projection neurons and interneurons account for the progression of motor deficits seen in this disease. The present review summarizes current understanding regarding the progression in striatal neuron dysfunction and loss, based on studies both in human HD victims and in genetic mouse models of HD. We review evidence on early loss of inputs to striatum from cortex and thalamus, which may be the basis of the mild premanifest bradykinesia in HD, as well as on the subsequent loss of indirect pathway striatal projection neurons and their outputs to the external pallidal segment, which appears to be the basis of the chorea seen in early symptomatic HD. Later loss of direct pathway striatal projection neurons and their output to the internal pallidal segment account for the severe akinesia seen late in HD. Loss of parvalbuminergic striatal interneurons may contribute to the late dystonia and rigidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Reiner
- Department of Anatomy & NeurobiologyThe University of Tennessee Health Science CenterMemphisTNUSA
- Department of OphthalmologyThe University of Tennessee Health Science CenterMemphisTNUSA
| | - Yun‐Ping Deng
- Department of Anatomy & NeurobiologyThe University of Tennessee Health Science CenterMemphisTNUSA
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Coppen EM, van der Grond J, Roos RAC. Atrophy of the putamen at time of clinical motor onset in Huntington's disease: a 6-year follow-up study. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MOVEMENT DISORDERS 2018; 5:2. [PMID: 29593880 PMCID: PMC5866517 DOI: 10.1186/s40734-018-0069-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Background Striatal atrophy is detectable many years before the predicted onset of motor symptoms in premanifest Huntington's disease (HD). However, the extent of these neurodegenerative changes at the actual time of conversion from premanifest to a motor manifest disease stage is not known. With this study, we aimed to assess differences in degree and rate of atrophy between converters, i.e. premanifest individuals who develop clinically manifest HD over the course of the study, and non-converters. Methods Structural T1-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans were used to measure volumes of seven subcortical structures. Images were acquired yearly over a maximum follow-up period of 6 years (mean 4.8 ± 1.8 years) in 57 participants (healthy controls n = 28, premanifest HD gene carriers n = 29). Of the premanifest HD gene carriers, 20 individuals clinically developed manifest HD over the course of the study, i.e. converters, whereas 9 individuals did not show any clinical signs. Differences between controls, converters and non-converters in volumetric decline over time were assessed using a one-way ANCOVA with age, gender and intracranial volume as covariates. All data were adjusted for multiple comparisons using Bonferonni correction. Results The putamen showed a significant difference in volume at the time of conversion in the converters group compared to the non-converters group (adjusted p = 0.04). Although, volumes of all other subcortical structures were smaller at time of conversion compared to non-converters and controls, these differences were not statistically significant. Over time, rate of volumetric decline in all subcortical structures in converters did not significantly differ from non-converters. Conclusions Putamen volume is smaller at the time of manifestation of motor symptoms compared with premanifest HD that not showed any clinical disease progression during the course of this 6-year follow-up study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma M Coppen
- 1Department of Neurology (J3-R-162), Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen van der Grond
- 2Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Raymund A C Roos
- 1Department of Neurology (J3-R-162), Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
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Luis-Ravelo D, Estévez-Silva H, Barroso-Chinea P, Afonso-Oramas D, Salas-Hernández J, Rodríguez-Núñez J, Acevedo-Arozena A, Marcellino D, González-Hernández T. Pramipexole reduces soluble mutant huntingtin and protects striatal neurons through dopamine D3 receptors in a genetic model of Huntington's disease. Exp Neurol 2018; 299:137-147. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Guevara C, Bulatova K, Soruco W, Gonzalez G, Farías GA. Retrospective Diagnosis of Parkinsonian Syndromes Using Whole-Brain Atrophy Rates. Front Aging Neurosci 2017; 9:99. [PMID: 28469572 PMCID: PMC5396185 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: The absence of markers for ante-mortem diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) results in these disorders being commonly mistaken for each other, particularly in the initial stages. We aimed to investigate annualized whole-brain atrophy rates (a-WBAR) in these disorders to aid in the diagnosis between IPD vs. PSP and MSA. Methods: Ten healthy controls, 20 IPD, 39 PSP, and 41 MSA patients were studied using Structural Imaging Evaluation with Normalization of Atrophy (SIENA). SIENA is an MRI-based algorithm that quantifies brain tissue volume and does not require radiotracers. SIENA has been shown to have a low estimation error for atrophy rate over the whole brain (0.5%). Results: In controls, the a-WBAR was 0.37% ± 0.28 (CI 95% 0.17-0.57), while in IPD a-WBAR was 0.54% ± 0.38 (CI 95% 0.32-0.68). The IPD patients did not differ from the controls. In PSP, the a-WBAR was 1.93% ± 1.1 (CI 95% 1.5-2.2). In MSA a-WBAR was 1.65% ± 0.9 (CI 95%1.37-1.93). MSA did not differ from PSP. The a-WBAR in PSP and MSA were significantly higher than in IPD (p < 0.001). a-WBAR 0.6% differentiated patients with IPD from those with PSA and MSA with 91% sensitivity and 80% specificity. Conclusions: a-WBAR within the normal range is unlikely to be observed in PSP or MSA. a-WBAR may add a potential retrospective application to improve the diagnostic accuracy of MSA and PSP vs. IPD during the first year of clinical assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Guevara
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de ChileSantiago, Chile
| | | | - Wendy Soruco
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de ChileSantiago, Chile
| | - Guido Gonzalez
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de ChileSantiago, Chile
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Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant, neurodegenerative disorder with a primary etiology of striatal pathology. The Huntingtin gene (HTT) has a unique feature of a DNA trinucleotide (triplet) repeat, with repeat length ranging from 10 to 35 in the normal population. Repeat lengths between 36 and 39 cause HD at reduced penetrance (some will get the disease, others won't) and when expanded to 40 or more repeats (mHTT), causes HD at full penetrance (every person with this length or beyond will definitely develop the disease). The symptoms of HD may be motor, cognitive, and psychiatric, and are consistent with the pathophysiology of frontostriatal circuitry malfunction. Expressed ubiquitously and throughout the entire life cycle (development through adulthood), mHTT causes initial dysfunction and eventual death of a specific cell population within the striatum. Although all areas of the brain are eventually affected, the primary pathology of the disease is regionally specific. As a single-gene disorder, HD has the distinction of having the potential of treatment that is aimed directly at the known pathogenic mechanism by gene silencing, providing hope for neuroprotection and ultimately, prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peggy C Nopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
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Scahill RI, Andre R, Tabrizi SJ, Aylward EH. Structural imaging in premanifest and manifest Huntington disease. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2017; 144:247-261. [PMID: 28947121 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-801893-4.00020-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) neuropathology has a devastating effect on brain structure and consequently brain function; neuroimaging provides a means to assess these effects in gene carriers. In this chapter we first outline the unique utility of structural imaging in understanding HD and discuss some of the acquisition and analysis techniques currently available. We review the existing literature to summarize what we know so far about structural brain changes across the spectrum of disease from premanifest through to manifest disease. We then consider how these neuroimaging findings relate to patient function and nonimaging biomarkers, and can be used to predict disease onset. Finally we review the utility of imaging measures for assessment of treatment efficacy in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael I Scahill
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ralph Andre
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Elizabeth H Aylward
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Turner LM, Jakabek D, Wilkes FA, Croft RJ, Churchyard A, Walterfang M, Velakoulis D, Looi JCL, Georgiou-Karistianis N, Apthorp D. Striatal morphology correlates with frontostriatal electrophysiological motor processing in Huntington's disease: an IMAGE-HD study. Brain Behav 2016; 6:e00511. [PMID: 28031992 PMCID: PMC5167007 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2015] [Revised: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD) causes progressive atrophy to the striatum, a critical node in frontostriatal circuitry. Maintenance of motor function is dependent on functional connectivity of these premotor, motor, and dorsolateral frontostriatal circuits, and structural integrity of the striatum itself. We aimed to investigate whether size and shape of the striatum as a measure of frontostriatal circuit structural integrity was correlated with functional frontostriatal electrophysiological neural premotor processing (contingent negative variation, CNV), to better understand motoric structure-function relationships in early HD. METHODS Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and electrophysiological (EEG) measures of premotor processing were obtained from a combined HD group (12 presymptomatic, 7 symptomatic). Manual segmentation of caudate and putamen was conducted with subsequent shape analysis. Separate correlational analyses (volume and shape) included covariates of age, gender, intracranial volume, and time between EEG and MRI. RESULTS Right caudate volume correlated with early CNV latency over frontocentral regions and late CNV frontally, whereas right caudate shape correlated with early CNV latency centrally. Left caudate volume correlated with early CNV latency over centroparietal regions and late CNV frontally. Right and left putamen volumes correlated with early CNV latency frontally, and right and left putamen shape/volume correlated with parietal CNV slope. CONCLUSIONS Timing (latency) and pattern (slope) of frontostriatal circuit-mediated premotor functional activation across scalp regions were correlated with abnormalities in structural integrity of the key frontostriatal circuit component, the striatum (size and shape). This was accompanied by normal reaction times, suggesting it may be undetected in regular tasks due to preserved motor "performance." Such differences in functional activation may reflect atrophy-based frontostriatal circuitry despecialization and/or compensatory recruitment of additional brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Turner
- Research School of Psychology College of Medicine, Biology, & Environment Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - David Jakabek
- Graduate School of Medicine University of Wollongong Wollongong New South Wales Australia
| | - Fiona A Wilkes
- Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Australian National University Medical School Canberra Hospital Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Rodney J Croft
- School of Psychology & Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute University of Wollongong Wollongong New South Wales Australia
| | - Andrew Churchyard
- School of Psychological Sciences Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Monash University Monash Victoria Australia; Calvary Health Care Bethlehem Hospital Caulfield Victoria Australia
| | - Mark Walterfang
- Neuropsychiatry Unit Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre University of Melbourne Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Dennis Velakoulis
- Neuropsychiatry Unit Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre University of Melbourne Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Jeffrey C L Looi
- Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Australian National University Medical School Canberra Hospital Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia; Neuropsychiatry Unit Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre University of Melbourne Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
- School of Psychological Sciences Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Monash University Monash Victoria Australia
| | - Deborah Apthorp
- Research School of Psychology College of Medicine, Biology, & Environment Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia; Graduate School of Medicine University of Wollongong Wollongong New South Wales Australia
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Garcia TP, Müller S. Cox regression with exclusion frequency-based weights to identify neuroimaging markers relevant to Huntington’s disease onset. Ann Appl Stat 2016; 10:2130-2156. [DOI: 10.1214/16-aoas967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Pépin J, Francelle L, Carrillo-de Sauvage MA, de Longprez L, Gipchtein P, Cambon K, Valette J, Brouillet E, Flament J. In vivo imaging of brain glutamate defects in a knock-in mouse model of Huntington's disease. Neuroimage 2016; 139:53-64. [PMID: 27318215 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Revised: 06/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Atrophy of the striatum has been proposed for several years as a biomarker to assess disease progression in HD gene carriers. However, it does not provide any information about the biological mechanisms linked to HD pathogenesis. Changes in brain metabolites have been also consistently seen in HD patients and animal models using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), but metabolite measurements are generally limited to a single voxel. In this study, we used Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer imaging of glutamate (gluCEST) in order to map glutamate distribution in the brain of a knock-in mouse model (Ki140CAG) with a precise anatomical resolution. We demonstrated that both heterozygous and homozygous mice with pathological CAG repeat expansion in gene encoding huntingtin exhibited an atrophy of the striatum and a significant alteration of their metabolic profile in the striatum as compared to wild type littermate controls. The striatal decrease was then confirmed by gluCEST imaging. Surprisingly, CEST imaging also revealed that the corpus callosum was the most affected structure in both genotype groups, suggesting that this structure could be highly vulnerable in HD. We evaluated for the first time gluCEST imaging as a potential biomarker of HD and demonstrated its potential for characterizing metabolic defects in neurodegenerative diseases in specific regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémy Pépin
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Laetitia Francelle
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Maria-Angeles Carrillo-de Sauvage
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Lucie de Longprez
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Pauline Gipchtein
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Karine Cambon
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Julien Valette
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Emmanuel Brouillet
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Julien Flament
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm), UMS 27, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
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Deng YP, Reiner A. Cholinergic interneurons in the Q140 knockin mouse model of Huntington's disease: Reductions in dendritic branching and thalamostriatal input. J Comp Neurol 2016; 524:3518-3529. [PMID: 27219491 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We have previously found that thalamostriatal axodendritic terminals are reduced as early as 1 month of age in heterozygous Q140 HD mice (Deng et al. [] Neurobiol Dis 60:89-107). Because cholinergic interneurons are a major target of thalamic axodendritic terminals, we examined the VGLUT2-immunolabeled thalamic input to striatal cholinergic interneurons in heterozygous Q140 males at 1 and 4 months of age, using choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunolabeling to identify cholinergic interneurons. Although blinded neuron counts showed that ChAT+ perikarya were in normal abundance in Q140 mice, size measurements indicated that they were significantly smaller. Sholl analysis further revealed the dendrites of Q140 ChAT+ interneurons were significantly fewer and shorter. Consistent with the light microscopic data, ultrastructural analysis showed that the number of ChAT+ dendritic profiles per unit area of striatum was significantly decreased in Q140 striata, as was the abundance of VGLUT2+ axodendritic terminals making synaptic contact with ChAT+ dendrites per unit area of striatum. The density of thalamic terminals along individual cholinergic dendrites was, however, largely unaltered, indicating that the reduction in the areal striatal density of axodendritic thalamic terminals on cholinergic neurons was due to their dendritic territory loss. These results show that the abundance of thalamic input to individual striatal cholinergic interneurons is reduced early in the life span of Q140 mice, raising the possibility that this may occur in human HD as well. Because cholinergic interneurons differentially affect striatal direct vs. indirect pathway spiny projection neurons, their reduced thalamic excitatory drive may contribute to early abnormalities in movement in HD. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:3518-3529, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Ping Deng
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, 38163
| | - Anton Reiner
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, 38163.
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D JFD, Stout JC, Poudel G, Churchyard A, Chua P, Egan GF, Georgiou-Karistianis N. Multimodal imaging biomarkers in premanifest and early Huntington's disease: 30-month IMAGE-HD data. Br J Psychiatry 2016; 208:571-8. [PMID: 26678864 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.156588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The discovery of potential disease-modifying therapies in a neurodegenerative condition like Huntington's disease depends on the availability of sensitive biomarkers that reflect decline across disease stages and that are functionally and clinically relevant. AIMS To quantify macrostructural and microstructural changes in participants with premanifest and symptomatic Huntington's disease over 30 months, and to establish their functional and clinical relevance. METHOD Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging study measuring changes in macrostructural (volume) and microstructural (diffusivity) measures in 40 patients with premanifest Huntington's disease, 36 patients with symptomatic Huntington's disease and 36 healthy control participants over three testing sessions spanning 30 months. RESULTS Relative to controls, there was greater longitudinal atrophy in participants with symptomatic Huntington's disease in whole brain, grey matter, caudate and putamen, as well as increased caudate fractional anisotropy; caudate volume loss was the only measure to differ between premanifest Huntington's disease and control groups. Changes in caudate volume and fractional anisotropy correlated with each other and neurocognitive decline; caudate volume loss also correlated with clinical and disease severity. CONCLUSIONS Caudate neurodegeneration, especially atrophy, may be the most suitable candidate surrogate biomarker for consideration in the development of upcoming clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan F Domínguez D
- Juan F. Domínguez D., PhD, Julie C. Stout, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Govinda Poudel, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and VLSCI Life Sciences Computation Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Andrew Churchyard, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Phyllis Chua, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Gary F. Egan, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia and Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Julie C Stout
- Juan F. Domínguez D., PhD, Julie C. Stout, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Govinda Poudel, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and VLSCI Life Sciences Computation Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Andrew Churchyard, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Phyllis Chua, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Gary F. Egan, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia and Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Govinda Poudel
- Juan F. Domínguez D., PhD, Julie C. Stout, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Govinda Poudel, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and VLSCI Life Sciences Computation Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Andrew Churchyard, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Phyllis Chua, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Gary F. Egan, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia and Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew Churchyard
- Juan F. Domínguez D., PhD, Julie C. Stout, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Govinda Poudel, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and VLSCI Life Sciences Computation Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Andrew Churchyard, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Phyllis Chua, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Gary F. Egan, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia and Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Phyllis Chua
- Juan F. Domínguez D., PhD, Julie C. Stout, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Govinda Poudel, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and VLSCI Life Sciences Computation Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Andrew Churchyard, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Phyllis Chua, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Gary F. Egan, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia and Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gary F Egan
- Juan F. Domínguez D., PhD, Julie C. Stout, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Govinda Poudel, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and VLSCI Life Sciences Computation Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Andrew Churchyard, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Phyllis Chua, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Gary F. Egan, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia and Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
- Juan F. Domínguez D., PhD, Julie C. Stout, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Govinda Poudel, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and VLSCI Life Sciences Computation Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Andrew Churchyard, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Phyllis Chua, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Gary F. Egan, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia and Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, PhD, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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RNA Sequence Analysis of Human Huntington Disease Brain Reveals an Extensive Increase in Inflammatory and Developmental Gene Expression. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143563. [PMID: 26636579 PMCID: PMC4670106 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 11/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by an expanded CAG trinucleotide repeat in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. Transcriptional dysregulation in the human HD brain has been documented but is incompletely understood. Here we present a genome-wide analysis of mRNA expression in human prefrontal cortex from 20 HD and 49 neuropathologically normal controls using next generation high-throughput sequencing. Surprisingly, 19% (5,480) of the 28,087 confidently detected genes are differentially expressed (FDR<0.05) and are predominantly up-regulated. A novel hypothesis-free geneset enrichment method that dissects large gene lists into functionally and transcriptionally related groups discovers that the differentially expressed genes are enriched for immune response, neuroinflammation, and developmental genes. Markers for all major brain cell types are observed, suggesting that HD invokes a systemic response in the brain area studied. Unexpectedly, the most strongly differentially expressed genes are a homeotic gene set (represented by Hox and other homeobox genes), that are almost exclusively expressed in HD, a profile not widely implicated in HD pathogenesis. The significance of transcriptional changes of developmental processes in the HD brain is poorly understood and warrants further investigation. The role of inflammation and the significance of non-neuronal involvement in HD pathogenesis suggest anti-inflammatory therapeutics may offer important opportunities in treating HD.
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Ragan DK, Cerqua J, Nash T, McKinstry RC, Shimony JS, Jones BV, Mangano FT, Holland SK, Yuan W, Limbrick DD. The accuracy of linear indices of ventricular volume in pediatric hydrocephalus: technical note. J Neurosurg Pediatr 2015; 15:547-51. [PMID: 25745953 PMCID: PMC4558898 DOI: 10.3171/2014.10.peds14209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Assessment of ventricular size is essential in clinical management of hydrocephalus and other neurological disorders. At present, ventricular size is assessed using indices derived from the dimensions of the ventricles rather than the actual volumes. In a population of 22 children with congenital hydrocephalus and 22 controls, the authors evaluated the relationship between ventricular volume and linear indices in common use, such as the frontooccipital horn ratio, Evans' index, and the bicaudate index. Ventricular volume was measured on high-resolution anatomical MR images. The frontooccipital horn ratio was found to have a stronger correlation with both absolute and relative ventricular volume than other indices. Further analysis of the brain volumes found that congenital hydrocephalus produced a negligible decrease in the volume of the brain parenchyma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin K. Ragan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | - Tiffany Nash
- Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Robert C. McKinstry
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Joshua S. Shimony
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | | | | | - Weihong Yuan
- Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - David D. Limbrick
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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Lebreton F, Cayzac S, Pietropaolo S, Jeantet Y, Cho YH. Sleep Physiology Alterations Precede Plethoric Phenotypic Changes in R6/1 Huntington's Disease Mice. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0126972. [PMID: 25966356 PMCID: PMC4428700 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In hereditary neurodegenerative Huntington’s disease (HD), there exists a growing consideration that sleep and circadian dysregulations may be important symptoms. It is not known, however, whether sleep abnormalities contribute to other behavioral deficits in HD patients and mouse models. To determine the precise chronology for sleep physiology alterations and other sensory, motor, psychiatric and cognitive symptoms of HD, the same R6/1 HD transgenics and their wild-type littermates were recorded monthly for sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) together with a wide range of behavioral tests according to a longitudinal plan. We found an early and progressive deterioration of both sleep architecture and EEG brain rhythms in R6/1 mice, which are correlated timely with their spatial working memory impairments. Sleep fragmentation and memory impairments were accompanied by the loss of delta (1-4Hz) power in the transgenic mice, the magnitude of which increased with age and disease progression. These precocious sleep and cognitive impairments were followed by deficits in social behavior, sensory and motor abilities. Our data confirm the existence and importance of sleep physiology alterations in the widely used R6/1 mouse line and highlight their precedence over other plethoric phenotypic changes. The brainwave abnormalities, may represent a novel biomarker and point to innovative therapeutic interventions against HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Lebreton
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5287, Bat B2—Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence Cedex, France
| | - Sebastien Cayzac
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5287, Bat B2—Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence Cedex, France
| | - Susanna Pietropaolo
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5287, Bat B2—Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence Cedex, France
| | - Yannick Jeantet
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5287, Bat B2—Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence Cedex, France
| | - Yoon H. Cho
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5287, Bat B2—Avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence Cedex, France
- * E-mail:
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Deng YP, Wong T, Wan JY, Reiner A. Differential loss of thalamostriatal and corticostriatal input to striatal projection neuron types prior to overt motor symptoms in the Q140 knock-in mouse model of Huntington's disease. Front Syst Neurosci 2014; 8:198. [PMID: 25360089 PMCID: PMC4197654 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor slowing and forebrain white matter loss have been reported in premanifest Huntington's disease (HD) prior to substantial striatal neuron loss. These findings raise the possibility that early motor defects in HD may be related to loss of excitatory input to striatum. In a prior study, we showed that in the heterozygous Q140 knock-in mouse model of HD that loss of thalamostriatal axospinous terminals is evident by 4 months, and loss of corticostriatal axospinous terminals is evident at 12 months, before striatal projection neuron pathology. In the present study, we specifically characterized the loss of thalamostriatal and corticostriatal terminals on direct (dSPN) and indirect (iSPN) pathway striatal projection neurons, using immunolabeling to identify thalamostriatal (VGLUT2+) and corticostriatal (VGLUT1+) axospinous terminals, and D1 receptor immunolabeling to distinguish dSPN (D1+) and iSPN (D1-) synaptic targets. We found that the loss of corticostriatal terminals at 12 months of age was preferential for D1+ spines, and especially involved smaller terminals, presumptively of the intratelencephalically projecting (IT) type. By contrast, indirect pathway D1- spines showed little loss of axospinous terminals at the same age. Thalamostriatal terminal loss was comparable for D1+ and D1- spines at both 4 and 12 months. Regression analysis showed that the loss of VGLUT1+ terminals on D1+ spines was correlated with a slight decline in open field motor parameters at 12 months. Our overall results raise the possibility that differential thalamic and cortical input loss to SPNs is an early event in human HD, with cortical loss to dSPNs in particular contributing to premanifest motor slowing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Ping Deng
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Ting Wong
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jim Y Wan
- Department of Preventive Medicine, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Anton Reiner
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, TN, USA
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Aylward EH, Harrington DL, Mills JA, Nopoulos PC, Ross CA, Long JD, Liu D, Westervelt HK, Paulsen JS. Regional atrophy associated with cognitive and motor function in prodromal Huntington disease. J Huntingtons Dis 2014; 2:477-89. [PMID: 25062732 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-130076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroimaging studies suggest that volumetric MRI measures of specific brain structures may serve as excellent biomarkers in future clinical trials of Huntington disease (HD). OBJECTIVE Demonstration of the clinical significance of these measures is an important step in determining their appropriateness as potential outcome measures. METHODS Measures of gray- and white-matter lobular volumes and subcortical volumes (caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, thalamus, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus) were obtained from MRI scans of 516 individuals who tested positive for the HD gene expansion, but were not yet exhibiting signs or symptoms severe enough to warrant diagnosis ("pre-HD"). MRI volumes (corrected for intracranial volume) were correlated with cognitive, motor, psychiatric, and functional measures known to be sensitive to subtle changes in pre-HD. RESULTS Caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus volumes consistently correlated with cognitive and motor, but not psychiatric or functional measures in pre-HD. Volumes of white matter, nucleus accumbens, and thalamus, but not cortical gray matter, also correlated with some of the motor and cognitive measures. CONCLUSIONS Results of regression analyses suggest that volumes of basal ganglia structures contributed more highly to the prediction of most motor and cognitive variables than volumes of other brain regions. These results support the use of volumetric measures, especially of the basal ganglia, as outcome measures in future clinical trials in pre-HD. Results may also assist investigators in selecting the most appropriate measures for treatment trials that target specific clinical features or regions of neuropathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth H Aylward
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Deborah L Harrington
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA VA San Diego Healthcare System, Research Service, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - James A Mills
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Peggy C Nopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Christopher A Ross
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Long
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Dawei Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Holly K Westervelt
- Division of Biology and Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Jane S Paulsen
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
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Chan AWS. Progress and prospects for genetic modification of nonhuman primate models in biomedical research. ILAR J 2014; 54:211-23. [PMID: 24174443 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilt035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The growing interest of modeling human diseases using genetically modified (transgenic) nonhuman primates (NHPs) is a direct result of NHPs (rhesus macaque, etc.) close relation to humans. NHPs share similar developmental paths with humans in their anatomy, physiology, genetics, and neural functions; and in their cognition, emotion, and social behavior. The NHP model within biomedical research has played an important role in the development of vaccines, assisted reproductive technologies, and new therapies for many diseases. Biomedical research has not been the primary role of NHPs. They have mainly been used for safety evaluation and pharmacokinetics studies, rather than determining therapeutic efficacy. The development of the first transgenic rhesus macaque (2001) revolutionized the role of NHP models in biomedicine. Development of the transgenic NHP model of Huntington's disease (2008), with distinctive clinical features, further suggested the uniqueness of the model system; and the potential role of the NHP model for human genetic disorders. Modeling human genetic diseases using NHPs will continue to thrive because of the latest advances in molecular, genetic, and embryo technologies. NHPs rising role in biomedical research, specifically pre-clinical studies, is foreseeable. The path toward the development of transgenic NHPs and the prospect of transgenic NHPs in their new role in future biomedicine needs to be reviewed. This article will focus on the advancement of transgenic NHPs in the past decade, including transgenic technologies and disease modeling. It will outline new technologies that may have significant impact in future NHP modeling and will conclude with a discussion of the future prospects of the transgenic NHP model.
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Degnan AJ, Levy LM. Neuroimaging of rapidly progressive dementias, part 1: neurodegenerative etiologies. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2014; 35:418-23. [PMID: 23436051 PMCID: PMC7964711 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a3454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Most dementias begin insidiously, developing slowly and generally occurring in the elderly age group. The so-called rapidly progressive dementias constitute a different, diverse collection of conditions, many of which are reversible or treatable. For this reason, prompt identification and assessment of acute and subacute forms of dementia are critical to effective treatment. Numerous other entities within this category of presenile rapid-onset dementias are untreatable such as the prion-related diseases. Neuroimaging aids in the diagnosis and evaluation of many of these rapidly progressive dementias, which include myriad conditions ranging from variations of more common neurodegenerative dementias, such as Alzheimer disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia; infectious-related dementias such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome dementia; autoimmune and malignancy-related conditions; to toxic and metabolic forms of encephalopathy. This first of a 2-part review will specifically address the ability of MR imaging and ancillary neuroimaging strategies to support the diagnostic evaluation of rapidly progressive dementias due to neurodegenerative causes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Degnan
- From the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (A.J.D.), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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