Early detection of Niemann-pick disease type C with cataplexy and orexin levels: continuous observation with and without Miglustat

Study objectives

Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) is an autosomal recessive and congenital neurological disorder characterized by the accumulation of cholesterol and glycosphingolipids. Symptoms include hepatosplenomegaly, vertical supranuclear saccadic palsy, ataxia, dystonia, and dementia. Some cases frequently display narcolepsy-like symptoms, including cataplexy which was reported in 26% of all NPC patients and was more often recorded among late-infantile onset (50%) and juvenile onset (38%) patients. In this current study, we examined CSF orexin levels in the 10 patients of NPC with and without cataplexy, which supports previous findings.

Methods

Ten patients with NPC were included in the study (5 males and 5 females). NPC diagnosis was biochemically confirmed in all 10 patients, from which 8 patients with NPC1 gene were identified. We compared CSF orexin levels among NPC, narcoleptic and idiopathic hypersomnia patients.

Results

Six NPC patients with cataplexy had low or intermediate orexin levels. In 4 cases without cataplexy, their orexin levels were normal. In 5 cases with Miglustat treatment, their symptoms stabilized or improved. For cases without Miglustat treatment, their conditions worsened generally. The CSF orexin levels of NPC patients were significantly higher than those of patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy and lower than those of patients with idiopathic hypersomnia, which was considered as the control group with normal CSF orexin levels.

Discussion

Our study indicates that orexin level measurements can be an early alert of potential NPC. Low or intermediate orexin levels could further decrease due to reduction in the neuronal function in the orexin system, accelerating the patients’ NPC pathophysiology. However with Miglustat treatment, the orexin levels stabilized or improved, along with other general symptoms. Although the circuitry is unclear, this supports that orexin system is indeed involved in narcolepsy-cataplexy in NPC patients.

Conclusion

The NPC patients with cataplexy had low or intermediate orexin levels. In the cases without cataplexy, their orexin levels were normal. Our study suggests that orexin measurements can serve as an early alert for potential NPC; furthermore, they could be a marker of therapy monitoring during a treatment.

0757 Increasing Number of Cases Who Had Both Hypersomnolence Disorders and Developmental Disorders With Orexin Measurements

Introduction

Recently, attention has been paid to the relationship between developmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and sleep disorders. We meet many developmental disorder patients who complaint hypersomnolence. Among these patients, cases with coexistence of central hypersomnia and developmental disorders, or developmental disorder alone were increased. Therefore, we first investigated patients with the complaint of hypersomnolence, who were also suspected developmental disorders. Furthermore, we have been measuring CSF orexin in 17 cases suspected of both disorders to investigate orexin levels of these patients.

Methods

86patients who complained of EDS with suspicion of developmental disorders had been examined. In order to diagnose hypersomnolence disorders, PSG and MSLT were performed. Psychological examinations were performed for diagnosing developmental disorders.We have been measuring for CSF orexin in 17 cases suspected both hypersomnolence and developmental disorders. We examined the onset of hypersomnolence and the clinical history of these ADHD or ASD cases for more details.

Results

In 86 examined cases, developmental disorders coexisted in 30 cases. Among 30 cases, ADHD were 18, ASD were 6 and both diagnosed were 6 cases. Among them, 20 cases diagnosed as having coexistence of hypersomnia (8: narcolepsy, 12: IHS) and developmental disorders (ADHD:12, ASD:4, ADHD/ASD:4). In 17 cases with orexin measurements, 10 cases coexisted ADHD and 4 cases coexisted ASD. Two cases diagnosed as both ADHD and ASD. In 10 ADHD cases, 3 cases had low orexin levels, and 7 cases had normal orexin levels. Other 7 ASD cases had normal orexin levels.

Conclusion

ADHD has a higher rate of central hypersomnia (12/18) compared with ASD and the rate of narcolepsy was also high (5/12). While patients in ASD was diagnosed as IHS (3/6), narcolepsy cases were not observed. It became clear that the majority of patients had developmental disorder or had a tendency for developmental disorder before the onset of hypersomnolence.Although it is possible that ADHD/ASD symptoms may be exacerbated by orexin dysfunctions, ADHD/ASD may not newly occur. There were cases with low orexin levels, but it seems that narcolepsy happened to coexist with developmental disorders.

Support

a

0518 Sleep Facilitation by Artificial Carbonated Bathing in Healthy Elderly; EEG, Core, Proximal, and Distal Temperature Evaluations

Introduction

Bathing, especially with hot spring with various mineral compositions, is known to facilitate / improve sleep by warming the body. Artificial carbonated bathing (ACB) is known to keep the body warm too. Previous our study examined that ACB before sleep more specifically affected body temperature and sleep on healthy young subjects. In this study, we evaluated the effects of usual (plain hot water; PH) and artificial carbonated bathing, on sleep using clinical thermometers and EEG in healthy elderly subjects.

Methods

Nine healthy elderly women (average age 71.3 years old) were divided into 2 groups ACB (858 ppm, Awacomachi, Danrei Co.) and PH with a week interval. Subjects soaked in the bath (38 C degree) deep enough their chests touched the water for 10 min. From the time they finished bathing to the next morning, we measured their distal skin temperature (top side of the foot), proximal skin temperature (lower part of the clavicle) and EEG using a single channel portable device (Brain wave sensor, Proassist Co.). Subjects were told to sleep from 23:00-6:00. As the same time, subjects were examined with visual analog scale (VAS) and clinical flicker fusion test (CFF).

Results

There was no significant difference in body temperature (proximal, distal, distal-proximal temperature gradient: DPG) before and during sleep between ACB and PH. The condition of the ACB tended to have less light sleep compared to PH (150min vs 201min, p=0.08), but there was no significant difference in the SWS (44.1min vs 39.1min, ns), EEG delta power analysis, VAS and CFF.

In the previous study, bathing was performed for 15 min at a water temperature of 40 C degree, but this condition was considered to be a high risk for the elderly. The reason why there was no significant difference in body temperature. The effects of ACB were not fully demonstrated due to changes in hot water temperature and bathing time.

Conclusion

The effect of ACB on the body temperature of healthy elderly people could not be confirmed. However, a tendency to reduce light sleep was observed.

Support

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP19K11294

Cerebrospinal fluid orexin-A levels in systemic lupus erythematosus patients presenting with excessive daytime sleepiness

Objective Involvement of the hypothalamus is rare in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we measured cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) orexin-A levels in SLE patients with hypothalamic lesions to investigate whether the orexin system plays a role in SLE patients with hypothalamic lesions who present with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Methods Orexin-A levels were measured in CSF from four patients with SLE who presented with hypothalamic lesions detected by MRI. Three patients underwent repeated CSF testing. All patients met the updated American College of Rheumatology revised criteria for SLE. Results Tests for serum anti-aquaporin-4 antibodies, CSF myelin basic protein and CSF oligoclonal bands were negative in all patients. All patients presented with EDS. Low to intermediate CSF orexin-A levels (92-180 pg/ml) were observed in three patients in the acute stage, two of whom (patients 1 and 2) underwent repeated testing and showed increased CSF orexin-A levels, reduced abnormal hypothalamic lesion intensities detected by MRI and EDS dissipation at follow-up. In contrast, CSF orexin-A levels were normal in one patient (patient 4) while in the acute stage and at follow-up, despite improvements in EDS and MRI findings. Patient 4 showed markedly increased CSF interleukin-6 levels (1130 pg/ml) and a slightly involved hypothalamus than the other patients. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the orexinergic system has a role in EDS in SLE patients with hypothalamic lesions. Furthermore, cytokine-mediated tissue damage might cause EDS without orexinergic involvement.

Aripiprazole is effective for the improvement of psychotic symptoms in patients with dementia with lewy bodies

Objective

Dementia with lewy bodies (DLB) is commonly considered the second most common form of dementia. The purpose of this study is to investigate the treatment effects of aripiprazole in patients with DLB.

Methods

Eleven patients who had meet the criteria for DLB participated in this study. The presence of psychotic symptoms was confirmed by scores of either the delusions or hallucinations items of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) score. Patients who had 25 or more on the Mini-mental State Examination Scale (MMSE) at the entry or having brain damage were excluded. Aripiprazole was initiated at a low dose (3 or 6 mg/day) and titrated to higher doses at 2-weeks intervals or more rapidly based on investigator's judgment. Previous medications prior to aripiprazole administration were not changed through this trial. Patient's clinical status was assessed at baseline, then 2 weeks during the study by using NPI, Clinical Global Impression (CGI) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) to measure psychotic behavioral symptoms, and Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS) to measure parkinsonism symptoms. Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and MMSE were carried out at screening and end point to evaluate cognitive function.

Results

The mean scores of the SAS and CDR were significantly decreased at the study endpoint compared to baseline. The mean scores of the NPI and BPRS improved up until 4 weeks after having started aripiprazole. After 4 weeks, improvements slowed. The mean score of the CGI-S was decreased up until 8 weeks.

Conclusion

This study shows that aripiprazole may be effective for the treatment of psychotic symptoms in patients with DLB.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Hypocretin/orexin and narcolepsy: new basic and clinical insights

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations. Both sporadic (95%) and familial (5%) forms of narcolepsy exist in humans. The major pathophysiology of human narcolepsy has been recently discovered based on the discovery of narcolepsy genes in animals; the genes involved in the pathology of the hypocretin/orexin ligand and its receptor. Mutations in hypocretin-related genes are rare in humans, but hypocretin ligand deficiency is found in a large majority of narcolepsy with cataplexy. Hypocretin ligand deficiency in human narcolepsy is probably due to the post-natal cell death of hypocretin neurones. Although a close association between human leucocyte antigen (HLA) and human narcolepsy with cataplexy suggests an involvement of autoimmune mechanisms, this has not yet been proved. Hypocretin deficiency is also found in symptomatic cases of narcolepsy and EDS with various neurological conditions, including immune-mediated neurological disorders, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, MA2-positive paraneoplastic syndrome and neuromyelitis optica (NMO)-related disorder. The findings in symptomatic narcoleptic cases may have significant clinical relevance to the understanding of the mechanisms of hypocretin cell death and choice of treatment option. The discoveries in human cases lead to the establishment of the new diagnostic test of narcolepsy (i.e. low cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 levels for 'narcolepsy with cataplexy' and 'narcolepsy due to medical condition'). As a large majority of human narcolepsy patients are ligand deficient, hypocretin replacement therapy may be a promising new therapeutic option, and animal experiments using gene therapy and cell transplantations are in progress.

Endovascular Treatment of Urgent Carotid Occlusion. Case selection & Technique

SUMMARY

Emergency revascularization of acute carotid artery occlusion is still controversial.We treated 15 patients (13 men and two women, mean age of 67.3 years) with acute atherosclerotic carotid occlusion by endovascular procedures and evaluated the usefulness of this treatment. All of the patients were evaluated with emergency MRI and MRA before treatment. Intracranial tandem arterial occlusion due to distal embolism was observed in nine patients, and contralateral carotid stenosis (> 70%) was observed in seven. The mean NIHSS score of the patients was 15.4 +/- 7.4 (mean +/- SD) before treatment. Treatment modality included local intraarterial fibrinolysis (LIF), percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), and carotid artery stenting (CAS). A protective balloon was successfully placed in the distal carotid artery through the plaque before recanalization in seven patients. Three patients were treated with LIF+PTA, five with PTA+CAS, six with LIF+PTA+CAS, and one with PTA only. Successful recanalization of the carotid artery was obtained in 14 of the 15 patients, and distal tandem middle cerebral artery occlusion was also successfully recanalized in eight of the nine patients. GOS was four or five in eight patients (good outcome group) and 1-3 in seven patients (poor outcome group). Mean NIHSS score of the 15 patients was (6.9 +/- 7.4) after treatment. Preoperative NIHSS score (10.3 +/- 7.4) in the good outcome group was significantly lower than that (21.3 +/- 5.4) in the poor outcome group. The protective balloon technique, PTA with stenting, seems to be useful for acute revascularization of urgent carotid occlusion. Simultaneous treatment of the intracranial tandem occlusive lesion is essential to achieve good clini-cal results. Patients with acute carotid occlusion with NIHSS scores of less than 16 could be good candidates for this advanced treatment.

CSF hypocretin measures in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

The majority of patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy were reported to have very low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypocretin-1 (orexin-A) levels. The hypocretin-1 levels of secondary excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) disorders are not known. In this study, we found that CSF hypocretin levels in the patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome were within the control range. The low hypocretin levels seem to reflect only the presence of cataplexy and DR2 positive in narcoleptics but not EDS itself.

CSF hypocretin levels in Guillain-Barre syndrome and other inflammatory neuropathies

CSF hypocretin-1 was measured in 28 Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), 12 Miller-Fisher syndrome, 12 chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and 48 control subjects. Seven GBS subjects had undetectably low hypocretin-1 levels (<100 pg/mL). Hypocretin-1 levels were moderately reduced in an additional 11 GBS, 5 Miller-Fisher syndrome, and 1 CIDP subject. Low levels in GBS occurred early in the disease and were associated with upper CNS level abnormalities.