1
|
Manivannan A, Foley LM, Hitchens TK, Rattray I, Bates GP, Modo M. Ex vivo 100 μm isotropic diffusion MRI-based tractography of connectivity changes in the end-stage R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease. NEUROPROTECTION 2023; 1:66-83. [PMID: 37745674 PMCID: PMC10516267 DOI: 10.1002/nep3.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Background Huntington's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Brain atrophy, as measured by volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is a downstream consequence of neurodegeneration, but microstructural changes within brain tissue are expected to precede this volumetric decline. The tissue microstructure can be assayed non-invasively using diffusion MRI, which also allows a tractographic analysis of brain connectivity. Methods We here used ex vivo diffusion MRI (11.7 T) to measure microstructural changes in different brain regions of end-stage (14 weeks of age) wild type and R6/2 mice (male and female) modeling Huntington's disease. To probe the microstructure of different brain regions, reduce partial volume effects and measure connectivity between different regions, a 100 μm isotropic voxel resolution was acquired. Results Although fractional anisotropy did not reveal any difference between wild-type controls and R6/2 mice, mean, axial, and radial diffusivity were increased in female R6/2 mice and decreased in male R6/2 mice. Whole brain streamlines were only reduced in male R6/2 mice, but streamline density was increased. Region-to-region tractography indicated reductions in connectivity between the cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus with the striatum, as well as within the basal ganglia (striatum-globus pallidus-subthalamic nucleus-substantia nigra-thalamus). Conclusions Biological sex and left/right hemisphere affected tractographic results, potentially reflecting different stages of disease progression. This proof-of-principle study indicates that diffusion MRI and tractography potentially provide novel biomarkers that connect volumetric changes across different brain regions. In a translation setting, these measurements constitute a novel tool to assess the therapeutic impact of interventions such as neuroprotective agents in transgenic models, as well as patients with Huntington's disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashwinee Manivannan
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lesley M. Foley
- Animal Imaging Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - T. Kevin Hitchens
- Animal Imaging Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ivan Rattray
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Huntington’s Disease Centre and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gillian P. Bates
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Huntington’s Disease Centre and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, University College London, London, UK
| | - Michel Modo
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Schmid RD, Remlinger J, Abegg M, Hoepner R, Hoffmann R, Lukas C, Saft C, Salmen A. No optical coherence tomography changes in premanifest Huntington's disease mutation carriers far from disease onset. Brain Behav 2022; 12:e2592. [PMID: 35511084 PMCID: PMC9226796 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) may detect retinal changes as a biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases like manifest Huntington's disease (HD). We investigate macular retinal layer thicknesses in a premanifest HD (pre-HD) cohort and healthy controls (HC). METHODS Pre-HD mutation carriers underwent standardized ratings and a preset macular OCT scan. Thickness values were determined for each sector of all macular retinal layers, the mean of all sectors and the mean of the inner ring (IR, 3 mm) after segmentation (Heyex segmentation batch). HC were retrospectively included from an existing database. The IR thickness of the ganglion cell layer (GCL), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), GCL + inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), and total retina were included in the exploratory correlation analyses with paraclinical ratings and compared to HC. RESULTS The analyses comprised n = 24 pre-HD participants (n = 10 male, n = 14 female) and n = 38 HC (n = 14 male, n = 24 female). Retinal layer parameters did not correlate with paraclinical ratings. Expected correlations between established HD biomarkers were robust. The IR thicknesses of the GCL, GCIPL, and total retina did not differ between pre-HD and HC. The IR thickness of the RNFL was significantly higher in pre-HD participants (pre-HD: 23.22 μm (standard deviation 2.91), HC: 21.26 μm (1.90), p = .002). DISCUSSION In this cross-sectional cohort of genetically determined pre-HD participants, neurodegenerative features were not detected with retinal layer segmentation. Since our pre-HD collective was more than 16 years before disease onset, OCT may not be sensitive enough to detect early changes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rahel Dominique Schmid
- Department of Ophthalmology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jana Remlinger
- Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Mathias Abegg
- Department of Ophthalmology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Robert Hoepner
- Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Rainer Hoffmann
- Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Huntington Center NRW, Bochum, Germany.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, Huntington Center South, kbo-Isar-Amper-Klinikum, Taufkirchen (Vils), Germany
| | - Carsten Lukas
- Institute of Neuroradiology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Carsten Saft
- Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Huntington Center NRW, Bochum, Germany
| | - Anke Salmen
- Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Huntington Center NRW, Bochum, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hybrid 2-[18F] FDG PET/MRI in premanifest Huntington's disease gene-expansion carriers: The significance of partial volume correction. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252683. [PMID: 34115782 PMCID: PMC8195345 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited, progressive neurodegenerative disease that has no cure. Striatal atrophy and hypometabolism has been described in HD as far as 15 years before clinical onset and therefore structural and functional imaging biomarkers are the most applied biomarker modalities which call for these to be exact; however, most studies are not considering the partial volume effect and thereby tend to overestimate metabolic reductions, which may bias imaging outcome measures of interventions. Objective Evaluation of partial volume effects in a cohort of premanifest HD gene-expansion carriers (HDGECs). Methods 21 HDGECs and 17 controls had a hybrid 2-[18F]FDG PET/MRI scan performed. Volume measurements and striatal metabolism, both corrected and uncorrected for partial volume effect were correlated to an estimate of disease burden, the CAG age product scaled (CAPS). Results We found significantly reduced striatal metabolism in HDGECs, but not in striatal volume. There was a negative correlation between the CAPS and striatal metabolism, both corrected and uncorrected for the partial volume effect. The partial volume effect was largest in the smallest structures and increased the difference in metabolism between the HDGEC with high and low CAPS scores. Statistical parametric mapping confirmed the results. Conclusions A hybrid 2-[18F]FDG PET/MRI scan provides simultaneous information on structure and metabolism. Using this approach for the first time on HDGECs, we highlight the importance of partial volume effect correction in order not to underestimate the standardized uptake value and thereby the risk of overestimating the metabolic effect on the striatal structures, which potentially could bias studies determining imaging outcome measures of interventions in HDGECs and probably also symptomatic HD.
Collapse
|
5
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Mitchell CT, Krier I, Arjomand J, Borowsky B, Tabrizi SJ, Leavitt BR, Luthi-Carter R. Longitudinal expression changes are weak correlates of disease progression in Huntington's disease. Brain Commun 2020; 2:fcaa172. [PMID: 33305259 PMCID: PMC7713990 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a severe but slowly progressive hereditary illness for which only symptomatic treatments are presently available. Clinical measures of disease progression are somewhat subjective and may require years to detect significant change. There is a clear need to identify more sensitive, objective and consistent measures to detect disease progression in Huntington's disease clinical trials. Whereas Huntington's disease demonstrates a robust and consistent gene expression signature in the brain, previous studies of blood cell RNAs have lacked concordance with clinical disease stage. Here we utilized longitudinally collected samples from a well-characterized cohort of control, Huntington's disease-at-risk and Huntington's disease subjects to evaluate the possible correlation of gene expression and disease status within individuals. We interrogated these data in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. A number of changes in gene expression showed consistency within this study and as compared to previous reports in the literature. The magnitude of the mean disease effect over 2 years' time was small, however, and did not track closely with motor symptom progression over the same time period. We therefore conclude that while blood-derived gene expression indicators can be of value in understanding Huntington's disease pathogenesis, they are insufficiently sensitive to be of use as state biomarkers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Mitchell
- University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
- School of Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Irina Krier
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- UCL Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Huntington's Disease Centre, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Blair R Leavitt
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 75Z 4H4
| | - Ruth Luthi-Carter
- University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
- School of Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Coppen EM, van der Grond J, Hart EP, Lakke EAJF, Roos RAC. The visual cortex and visual cognition in Huntington's disease: An overview of current literature. Behav Brain Res 2018; 351:63-74. [PMID: 29792890 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The processing of visual stimuli from retina to higher cortical areas has been extensively studied in the human brain. In Huntington's disease (HD), an inherited neurodegenerative disorder, it is suggested that visual processing deficits are present in addition to more characteristic signs such as motor disturbances, cognitive dysfunction, and behavioral changes. Visual deficits are clinically important because they influence overall cognitive performance and have implications for daily functioning. The aim of this review is to summarize current literature on clinical visual deficits, visual cognitive impairment, and underlying visual cortical changes in HD patients. A literature search was conducted using the electronic database of PubMed/Medline. This review shows that changes of the visual system in patients with HD were not the primary focus of currently published studies. Still, early atrophy and alterations of the posterior cerebral cortex was frequently observed, primarily in the associative visual cortical areas such as the lingual and fusiform gyri, and lateral occipital cortex. Changes were even present in the premanifest phase, before clinical onset of motor symptoms, suggesting a primary region for cortical degeneration in HD. Although impairments in visuospatial processing and visual perception were reported in early disease stages, heterogeneous cognitive batteries were used, making a direct comparison between studies difficult. The use of a standardized battery of visual cognitive tasks might therefore provide more detailed information regarding the extent of impairments in specific visual domains. Further research could provide more insight into clinical, functional, and pathophysiological changes of the visual pathway in HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emma M Coppen
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Jeroen van der Grond
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Ellen P Hart
- Centre for Human Drug Research, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Egbert A J F Lakke
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Raymund A C Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
BACKGROUND We report the case of a 52-year-old male with pre-motor Huntington's disease (HD) who has undergone detailed clinical and neuropsychological examination. This patient's negative symptomatology and behavioural change are having a detrimental impact on his social, occupational and interpersonal life, in the absence of motor symptoms. METHODS The patient has undergone repeat neuropsychological testing (T1 aged 50; T2 aged 52) with particular focus on executive function and social cognition on repeat testing. RESULTS This case details a specific manifestation of HD relating to behavioural, psychiatric and social affective deficits. CONCLUSIONS This case illustrates how social cognitive changes can occur in HD, months and even years prior to the onset of motor features and how such unrecognized deficits can have a deleterious impact on an individual's functional ability and lifestyle, before the disease is traditionally considered to have become manifest.
Collapse
|
9
|
Rattray I, Smith EJ, Crum WR, Walker TA, Gale R, Bates GP, Modo M. Correlations of Behavioral Deficits with Brain Pathology Assessed through Longitudinal MRI and Histopathology in the HdhQ150/Q150 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0168556. [PMID: 28099507 PMCID: PMC5242535 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A variety of mouse models have been developed that express mutant huntingtin (mHTT) leading to aggregates and inclusions that model the molecular pathology observed in Huntington's disease. Here we show that although homozygous HdhQ150 knock-in mice developed motor impairments (rotarod, locomotor activity, grip strength) by 36 weeks of age, cognitive dysfunction (swimming T maze, fear conditioning, odor discrimination, social interaction) was not evident by 94 weeks. Concomitant to behavioral assessments, T2-weighted MRI volume measurements indicated a slower striatal growth with a significant difference between wild type (WT) and HdhQ150 mice being present even at 15 weeks. Indeed, MRI indicated significant volumetric changes prior to the emergence of the "clinical horizon" of motor impairments at 36 weeks of age. A striatal decrease of 27% was observed over 94 weeks with cortex (12%) and hippocampus (21%) also indicating significant atrophy. A hypothesis-free analysis using tensor-based morphometry highlighted further regions undergoing atrophy by contrasting brain growth and regional neurodegeneration. Histology revealed the widespread presence of mHTT aggregates and cellular inclusions. However, there was little evidence of correlations between these outcome measures, potentially indicating that other factors are important in the causal cascade linking the molecular pathology to the emergence of behavioral impairments. In conclusion, the HdhQ150 mouse model replicates many aspects of the human condition, including an extended pre-manifest period prior to the emergence of motor impairments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Rattray
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- King’s College London School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edward J. Smith
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- King’s College London School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - William R. Crum
- King’s College London, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas A. Walker
- King’s College London School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Gale
- King’s College London School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gillian P. Bates
- King’s College London School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michel Modo
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Radiology, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Pont L, Benavente F, Jaumot J, Tauler R, Alberch J, Ginés S, Barbosa J, Sanz-Nebot V. Metabolic profiling for the identification of Huntington biomarkers by on-line solid-phase extraction capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry combined with advanced data analysis tools. Electrophoresis 2016; 37:795-808. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201500378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Revised: 11/10/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pont
- Departament de Química Analítica, Facultat de Química; Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
| | - Fernando Benavente
- Departament de Química Analítica, Facultat de Química; Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
| | - Joaquim Jaumot
- Department of Environmental Chemistry; IDAEA-CSIC; Barcelona Spain
| | - Romà Tauler
- Department of Environmental Chemistry; IDAEA-CSIC; Barcelona Spain
| | - Jordi Alberch
- Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Immunologia i Neurociències, Facultat de Medicina; Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
- Institut d′Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS); Barcelona Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED); Madrid Spain
| | - Silvia Ginés
- Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Immunologia i Neurociències, Facultat de Medicina; Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
- Institut d′Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS); Barcelona Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED); Madrid Spain
| | - José Barbosa
- Departament de Química Analítica, Facultat de Química; Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
| | - Victoria Sanz-Nebot
- Departament de Química Analítica, Facultat de Química; Universitat de Barcelona; Barcelona Spain
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Gregory S, Cole JH, Farmer RE, Rees EM, Roos RA, Sprengelmeyer R, Durr A, Landwehrmeyer B, Zhang H, Scahill RI, Tabrizi SJ, Frost C, Hobbs NZ. Longitudinal Diffusion Tensor Imaging Shows Progressive Changes in White Matter in Huntington’s Disease. J Huntingtons Dis 2015; 4:333-46. [DOI: 10.3233/jhd-150173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gregory
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - James H. Cole
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK
- Computational, Cognitive & Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Ruth E. Farmer
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine London, UK
| | - Elin M. Rees
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK
| | - Raymund A.C. Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2300RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Alexandra Durr
- Department of Genetics and Cytogenetics, INSERM UMR S679, APHP Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | | | - Hui Zhang
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, UK
| | | | | | - Chris Frost
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine London, UK
| | - Nicola Z. Hobbs
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK
- IXICO Plc., London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Wade BSC, Joshi SH, Pirnia T, Leaver AM, Woods RP, Thompson PM, Espinoza R, Narr KL. Random Forest Classification of Depression Status Based On Subcortical Brain Morphometry Following Electroconvulsive Therapy. PROCEEDINGS. IEEE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BIOMEDICAL IMAGING 2015; 2015:92-96. [PMID: 26413200 DOI: 10.1109/isbi.2015.7163824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Disorders of the central nervous system are often accompanied by brain abnormalities detectable with MRI. Advances in biomedical imaging and pattern detection algorithms have led to classification methods that may help diagnose and track the progression of a brain disorder and/or predict successful response to treatment. These classification systems often use high-dimensional signals or images, and must handle the computational challenges of high dimensionality as well as complex data types such as shape descriptors. Here, we used shape information from subcortical structures to test a recently developed feature-selection method based on regularized random forests to 1) classify depressed subjects versus controls, and 2) patients before and after treatment with electroconvulsive therapy. We subsequently compared the classification performance of high-dimensional shape features with traditional volumetric measures. Shape-based models outperformed simple volumetric predictors in several cases, highlighting their utility as potential automated alternatives for establishing diagnosis and predicting treatment response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Shantanu H Joshi
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, UCLA
| | - Tara Pirnia
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, UCLA
| | - Amber M Leaver
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, UCLA
| | - Roger P Woods
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, UCLA ; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, University of Southern California ; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA
| | | | - Katherine L Narr
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, UCLA ; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
The Relationship Between Atrophy and Hypometabolism: Is It Regionally Dependent in Dementias? Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2015; 15:44. [DOI: 10.1007/s11910-015-0562-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
14
|
Cole JH, Farmer RE, Rees EM, Johnson HJ, Frost C, Scahill RI, Hobbs NZ. Test-Retest Reliability of Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Huntington's Disease. PLOS CURRENTS 2014; 6. [PMID: 24672743 PMCID: PMC3962450 DOI: 10.1371/currents.hd.f19ef63fff962f5cd9c0e88f4844f43b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has shown microstructural abnormalities in patients with Huntington's Disease (HD) and work is underway to characterise how these abnormalities change with disease progression. Using methods that will be applied in longitudinal research, we sought to establish the reliability of DTI in early HD patients and controls. Test-retest reliability, quantified using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), was assessed using region-of-interest (ROI)-based white matter atlas and voxelwise approaches on repeat scan data from 22 participants (10 early HD, 12 controls). T1 data was used to generate further ROIs for analysis in a reduced sample of 18 participants. The results suggest that fractional anisotropy (FA) and other diffusivity metrics are generally highly reliable, with ICCs indicating considerably lower within-subject compared to between-subject variability in both HD patients and controls. Where ICC was low, particularly for the diffusivity measures in the caudate and putamen, this was partly influenced by outliers. The analysis suggests that the specific DTI methods used here are appropriate for cross-sectional research in HD, and give confidence that they can also be applied longitudinally, although this requires further investigation. An important caveat for DTI studies is that test-retest reliability may not be evenly distributed throughout the brain whereby highly anisotropic white matter regions tended to show lower relative within-subject variability than other white or grey matter regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James H Cole
- Huntington's Disease Research Group, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Computational, Cognitive & Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Ruth E Farmer
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Elin M Rees
- Huntington's Disease Research Group, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Hans J Johnson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Chris Frost
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Rachael I Scahill
- Huntington's Disease Research Group, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Nicola Z Hobbs
- Huntington's Disease Research Group, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|