MECHANISMS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY: Cushing's syndrome causes irreversible effects on the human brain: a systematic review of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies

Computerized Analysis of Brain MRI Parameter Dynamics in Young Patients With Cushing Syndrome-A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND

Young patients with Cushing Syndrome (CS) may develop cognitive and behavioral alterations during disease course.

METHODS

To investigate the effects of CS on the brain, we analyzed consecutive MRI scans of patients with (n = 29) versus without CS (n = 8). Multiple brain compartments were processed for total and gray/white matter (GM/WM) volumes and intensities, and cortical volume, thickness, and surface area. Dynamics (last/baseline scans ratio per parameter) were analyzed versus cortisol levels and CS status (persistent, resolved, and non-CS).

RESULTS

Twenty-four-hour urinary free cortisol (24hUFC) measurements had inverse correlation with the intensity of subcortical GM structures and of the corpus callosum, and with the cerebral WM intensity. 24hUFC dynamics had negative correlation with volume dynamics of multiple cerebral and cerebellar structures. Patients with persistent CS had less of an increase in cortical thickness and WM intensity, and less of a decrease in WM volume compared with patients with resolution of CS. Patients with resolution of their CS had less of an increase in subcortical GM and cerebral WM volumes, but a greater increase in cortical thickness of frontal lobe versus controls.

CONCLUSION

Changes in WM/GM consistency, intensity, and homogeneity in patients with CS may correlate with CS clinical consequences better than volume dynamics alone.

Thigh Muscle Fat Infiltration Is Associated With Impaired Physical Performance Despite Remission in Cushing's Syndrome

CONTEXT

Muscle weakness is common in patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS) and may persist after the resolution of hypercortisolism. Intramuscular fatty infiltration has been associated with the deterioration of muscle performance in several conditions.

OBJECTIVES

To quantify the degree of fatty infiltration in the thigh muscles of "cured" CS patients and evaluate the relationship between intramuscular fatty infiltration and physical performance.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS

Thirty-six women with CS in remission, and 36 controls matched for age, BMI, menopausal status, and level of physical activity.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

We analyzed the percentage fat fraction (FF) of the thigh muscles in the anterior, posterior, and combined anterior and posterior compartments using MRI and 2-point Dixon sequence. We assessed muscle function and strength using the following tests: gait speed (GS), timed up and go (TUG), 30-second chair stand, and hand grip strength.

RESULTS

Fat fraction in all the compartments analyzed was increased in patients as compared with controls. The performance on TUG, 30-second chair stand, and GS was more impaired in CS patients versus controls. In patients, greater FF was negatively associated with performance on functional tests. Fat fraction in the combined anterior and posterior compartments predicted performance on TUG (ß 0.626, P < 0.000) and GS (ß -0.461, P = 0.007), after adjusting for age, BMI, menopausal status, and muscle mass.

CONCLUSIONS

Thigh muscle fatty infiltration is increased in "cured" CS patients and is associated with poorer muscle performance. Future studies are needed to establish therapeutic strategies to improve muscle weakness in these patients.

Hormone levels are related to functional compensation in prolactinomas: A resting-state fMRI study

Prolactinomas are tumors of the pituitary gland, which overproduces prolactin leading to dramatic fluctuations of endogenous hormone levels throughout the body. While it is not fully understood how endogenous hormone disorders affect a patient's brain, it is well known that fluctuating hormone levels can have negative neuropsychological effects. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), we investigated whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) and its relationship with hormone levels in prolactinomas. By performing seed-based FC analyses, we compared FC metrics between 33 prolactinoma patients and 31 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and hand dominance. We then carried out a partial correlation analysis to examine the relationship between FC metrics and hormone levels. Compared to healthy controls, prolactinoma patients showed significantly increased thalamocortical and cerebellar-cerebral FC. Endogenous hormone levels were also positively correlated with increased FC metrics, and these hormone-FC relationships exhibited sex differences in prolactinoma patients. Our study is the first to reveal altered FC patterns in prolactinomas and to quantify the hormone-FC relationships. These results indicate the importance of endogenous hormones on functional compensation of the brain in patients with prolactinomas.

Glucocorticoids Influencing Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway; Multiple Sites, Heterogeneous Effects

Glucocorticoid hormones are vital; their accurate operation is a necessity at all ages and in all life situations. Glucocorticoids regulate diverse physiological processes and they use many signaling pathways to fulfill their effect. As the operation of these hormones affects many organs, the excess of glucocorticoids is actually detrimental to the whole human body. The endogenous glucocorticoid excess is a relatively rare condition, but a significant proportion of adult people uses glucocorticoid medication for the treatment of chronic illnesses, therefore they are exposed to the side effects of long-term glucocorticoid treatment. Our review summarizes the adverse effects of glucocorticoid excess affecting bones, adipose tissue, brain and skin, focusing on those effects which involve the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Cushing's syndrome: Treatment and new therapeutic approaches

Overt Cushing's syndrome is a severe condition responsible for multiple comorbidities and increased mortality. Effective treatment is essential to reduce mortality, improve comorbidities and long-term quality of life. Surgical resection of the causal lesion(s) is generally the first-line and most effective treatment to normalize cortisol secretion. Adjunctive symptomatic treatments of co-morbidities are often necessary both during the active phase of the disease and for persisting co-morbidities after cessation of hypercortisolism. Second-line treatments include various pharmacological treatments, bilateral adrenalectomy, and radiotherapy of corticotroph tumors. The choice of these treatments is complex, must be performed in a multidisciplinary expert team to be individualized for each patient, and use a shared decision-making approach.

Reversibility of cerebral blood flow in patients with Cushing's disease after surgery treatment

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Cushing's disease (CD) patients have metabolic abnormalities in the brain caused by excessive exposure to endogenous cortisol. However, the reversibility of brain metabolism of CD patients after treatment remains largely unknown.

METHODS

This study recruited 50 CD patients seeking treatment and 34 matched normal controls (NCs). The patients were treated with Transsphenoidal Adenomectomy (TSA) and reexamined 3 months later. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) of the patients was assessed using 3D pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling (PCASL) imaging before the treatment and at the 3-month follow-up and were compared with CBF measure of the NCs using a whole-brain voxelwise group comparison method. For remitted patients, their CBF measures and hormone level measures, including adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), 24-hour urinary free cortisol (24hUFC) and serum cortisol, were compared before and after the treatment. Finally, a correlation analysis was carried out to explore the relationship between changes of CBF and hormone level measures of the remitted CD patients.

RESULTS

After the treatment, 45 patients reached remission. Compared with the NCs, the CD patients before the treatment exhibited significantly reduced CBF in cortical regions, including occipital lobe, parietal lobe, superior/middle/inferior temporal gyrus, superior/middle/inferior frontal gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, middle/posterior cingulate gyrus, and rolandic operculum, as well as significantly increased CBF in subcortical structures, including caudate, pallidum, putamen, limbic lobe, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, thalamus, and amygdala (p < 0.01, false discovery rate corrected). For the remitted patients, the change in CBF before and after the treatment displayed a spatial pattern similar to the difference between the NCs and the CD patients before the treatment, and no significant difference in CBF was observed between the NCs and the remitted CD patients after the treatment. The changes of 24hUFC were significantly correlated with the changes of averaged CBF within the subcortical region in the remitted patients (p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate that the brain metabolic abnormalities of CD patients are reversible when their hormone level changes towards normal after surgery treatment.

Dynamic changes of views on the brain changes of Cushing's syndrome using different computer-assisted tool

Cushing's syndrome (CS) provides a unique model for assessing the neurotoxic effect of chronic hypercortisolism on human brains. With the ongoing development of different computer-assisted tools, four research stages emerged, each with its own pearls and pitfalls. This review summarizes current knowledge and describes the dynamic changes of views on the brain changes of CS, especially in the current era of the rapid development of artificial intelligence and big data. The adverse effects of GC on brain are proven to be on structural, functional and cellular levels at the same time.

Altered Gray Matter Structure and White Matter Microstructure in Patients with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: Relevance for Working Memory Performance

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) has been associated with brain structure alterations, but systematic studies are lacking. We explore brain morphology in 37 (21 female) CAH patients and 43 (26 female) healthy controls, aged 16–33 years, using structural magnetic resonance imaging to estimate cortical thickness, surface area, volume, subcortical volumes, and white matter (WM) microstructure. We also report data on a small cohort of patients (n = 8) with CAH, who received prenatal dexamethasone (DEX). Patients with CAH had reduced whole brain volume (4.23%) and altered structure of the prefrontal, parietal, and superior occipital cortex. Patients had reduced mean FA, and reduced RD and MD, but not after correcting for brain volume. The observed regions are hubs of the visuospatial working memory and default mode (DMN) networks. Thickness of the left superior parietal and middle frontal gyri was associated with visuospatial working memory performance, and patients with CAH performed worse on this task. Prenatal treatment with DEX affected brain structures in the parietal and occipital cortex, but studies in larger cohorts are needed. In conclusion, our study suggests that CAH is associated with brain structure alterations, especially in the working memory network, which might underlie the cognitive outcome observed in patients.

Reversible and the irreversible structural alterations on brain after resolution of hypercortisolism in Cushing's disease

The adverse effects of hypercortisolism on the human brain have been highlighted in previous studies of Cushing's disease (CD). However, the reversibility of brain damage after the resolution of hypercortisolism remains unclear. Thus, we studied the potential volumetric reversibility in biochemically remitted CD patients. Cross-sectional analysis demonstrated the active CD patients (n = 61) had the smallest gray matter (GM) volumes (553.33 ± 45.90 CM³) among four groups. While the GM volumes of short-term remitted CD patients (586.62 ± 46.89 CM³, n = 28) and long-term remitted CD patients (596.58 ± 45.95 CM³, n = 35) were between those of the active CD patients and healthy control subjects (628.14 ± 46.88 CM³, n = 74). Moreover, significant positive correlations between remitted time and GM volumes were only found in short-term remitted CD patients. On the contrary, the alterations of white matter (WM) in CD patients seem to be independent of concomitant hypercortisolism, persisting after remission. A preliminary longitude analysis also demonstrated similar results. Volumetric reversibility of GM, but not WM is highly prevalent in short-term after resolution of hypercortisolism in Cushing disease. Our study enhances our understanding of the reversible and the irreversible structural alterations in the human brain due to hypercortisolism.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Adrenocortical Carcinoma

Insight into the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) impact of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is important. The disease and its treatment options potentially have an impact on HRQoL. For patients with limited survival, HRQoL research is of utmost importance. We will therefore provide an overview of HRQoL studies in patients with ACC. We found six studies that measured HRQoL in 323 patients with ACC (3 cross-sectional, 1 cohort, 2 trials), all indicating a reduced HRQoL compared to the general population. The FIRMACT trial found that HRQoL of patients with ACC was reduced compared to the general population, and that chemotherapy-mitotane further reduced HRQoL even though survival improved. Clinical aspects of the disease, including cortisol and aldosterone production and adrenal insufficiency have shown great impact on HRQoL in benign disease, even after the recovery of hormonal status. However, the impact of malignant adrenal disease and treatment options on HRQoL including adrenalectomy, radiotherapy, mitotane therapy, and chemotherapy have not been sufficiently studied in patients with ACC. Although the number of HRQoL studies in patients with ACC is limited, the existing literature does indicate that ACC has a large impact on patients' HRQoL, with disease specific aspects. Further HRQoL research in patients with ACC is essential to improve patient-centered care, preferably by using an ACC-specific HRQoL questionnaire.

Hippocampal Volume, Cognitive Functions, Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life in Patients With Cushing Syndrome

CONTEXT

Cushing syndrome (CS) is associated with hippocampal atrophy and psychopathology.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this systematic review was to assess hippocampal volume (HV) in patients with CS. The secondary objectives were to assess patients' cognitive functioning, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and quality of life.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, LILACs, and Scopus databases were searched for relevant studies until 1 May 2019.

STUDY SELECTION

Case-control studies comparing patients with CS with healthy control subjects, or studies assessing patients with CS before and after surgery were included. The initial search resulted in 18 studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data extraction regarding all outcomes was performed independently by two reviewers. Quality assessment was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for case-control studies.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Meta-analysis was performed using a random effect model. The right-side HV in patients with CS was reduced by a standard mean difference of 0.68 (95% CI, -1.12 to -0.24; P = 0.002; I2 = 0%) compared with healthy control subjects, but with no increase in HV after surgery. Patients had more depressive symptoms, impaired cognitive functions, and reduced health-related QoL (HRQoL), which all responded favorably to surgery. The data did not support the presence of anxiety in patients with CS.

CONCLUSION

An overall reduction of HV in patients with CS was not suggested by the study findings. However, most cognitive domains were significantly affected and responded favorably to surgery. Depressive symptoms and reduced HRQoL were present in patients with CS and improved after surgery.

Corticosterone Replacement Alleviates Hippocampal Neuronal Apoptosis and Spatial Memory Impairment Induced by Dexamethasone via Promoting Brain Corticosteroid Receptor Rebalance after Traumatic Brain Injury

The balance of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is indispensable for maintaining the normal function and structure of the hippocampus. However, changes in GR/MR and their effect on the survival of hippocampal neurons after traumatic brain injury (TBI) are still unclear. Previous studies have indicated that high-dose glucocorticoids (GC) aggravate hippocampal neuronal damage after TBI. We hypothesize that the imbalance of GR/MR expression and activation caused by injury and irrational use of dexamethasone (DEX) aggravates post-traumatic hippocampal apoptosis and spatial memory dysfunction, but that restoration by refilling MR and inhibiting GR promotes the survival of neurons. Using rat controlled cortical impact model, we examined the plasma corticosterone (CORT), corticosteroid receptor expression, apoptosis, and cell loss in the hippocampus, and, accordingly, the spatial memory after TBI and GC treatment within 7 days. Plasma CORT, MR, and GR expression level were significantly reduced at 2 days after TBI. Accordingly, the number of apoptotic cells also peaked at 2 days. Compared with the TBI control group, DEX treatment (5 mg/kg) significantly reduced plasma CORT, upregulated GR expression, and increased the number of apoptotic cells and cell loss, whereas CORT replacement (0.3 mg/kg) upregulated MR expression, inhibited apoptosis, and improved spatial memory. The deleterious and protective effects of DEX and CORT were counteracted by spironolactone and mifepristone respectively. The results suggest that inhibition of GR by RU486 or the refilling of MR by CORT protects hippocampal neurons and alleviates spatial memory impairment via promoting GR/MR rebalancing after TBI.

Improvement in cognitive impairment following the successful treatment of endogenous Cushing's syndrome-a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Endogenous Cushing's syndrome, a rare endocrine disorder, characterised by chronic cortisol hypersecretion, results in neuropsychiatric disturbances and in cognitive deficits, which are only partially reversible after the biochemical remission of the disease.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report a case of a woman with a profound cognitive deficit and a gradual functional decline caused by Cushing's disease of at least 10 years duration. The neurosurgical resection of her 2 mm adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secreting pituitary microadenoma resulted in a successful resolution of the patient's hypercortisolism and a significant recovery of her neurocognitive function. The patient's progress was evaluated using serial clinical observations, functional assessments, Mini-Mental Status exams and through the formal neuropsychological report. Furthermore, the patient's recovery of her neurocognitive function was reflected by a sustained improvement in the patient's specific structural brain abnormalities on radiological imaging.

CONCLUSIONS

This report illustrates the importance of early detection and treatment of Cushing's syndrome in order to prevent neurocognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric disorders which are associated with an endogenous cortisol hypersecretion. The long term adverse effects of severe hypercortisolaemia on brain function and the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for the structural and functional changes in brain anatomy due to glucocorticoid excess are reviewed.

The Relationship Between Neuroimmunity and Bipolar Disorder: Mechanism and Translational Application

Neuroimmune system may be involved in the pathological process of bipolar disorder (BD), but the essential association is not fully understood. Accumulating evidence has shown that BD involves the activation of immune cells and the release of inflammatory substances in the central nerve system (CNS). Meanwhile, neuroimmune responses also interact with other hypothesis of the etiology of BD that are widely recognized, such as neurotransmitter systems, neuroendocrine systems, neurotrophic factors, and oxidative stress. Simultaneously, related genes and immune changes in peripheral blood vary with it. Overall, neuroimmunity may play an important role in the pathogenesis of BD, and the inflammatory cytokines, especially interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, have potential value for the clinical diagnosis and prognosis of BD, as well as predicting the therapeutic effects of drugs. Large-scale studies are needed to extend the evidence on neuroimmunity in BD, and to examine its clinical value for applications such as early prediction and treatment.

Overall and Disease-Specific Mortality in Patients With Cushing Disease: A Swedish Nationwide Study

CONTEXT

Whether patients with Cushing disease (CD) in remission have increased mortality is still debatable.

OBJECTIVE

To study overall and disease-specific mortality and predictive factors in an unselected nationwide cohort of patients with CD.

DESIGN, PATIENTS, AND METHODS

A retrospective study of patients diagnosed with CD, identified in the Swedish National Patient Registry between 1987 and 2013. Medical records were systematically reviewed to verify the diagnosis. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) with 95% CIs were calculated and Cox regression models were used to identify predictors of mortality.

RESULTS

Of 502 identified patients with CD (n = 387 women; 77%), 419 (83%) were confirmed to be in remission. Mean age at diagnosis was 43 (SD, 16) years and median follow-up was 13 (interquartile range, 6 to 23) years. The observed number of deaths was 133 vs 54 expected, resulting in an overall SMR of 2.5 (95% CI, 2.1 to 2.9). The commonest cause of death was cardiovascular diseases (SMR, 3.3; 95% CI, 2.6 to 4.3). Excess mortality was also found associated with infections and suicide. For patients in remission, the SMR was 1.9 (95% CI, 1.5 to 2.3); bilateral adrenalectomy and glucocorticoid replacement therapy were independently associated with increased mortality, whereas GH replacement was associated with improved outcome.

CONCLUSION

Findings from this large nationwide study indicate that patients with CD have excess mortality. The findings illustrate the importance of achieving remission and continued active surveillance, along with adequate hormone replacement and evaluation of cardiovascular risk and mental health.

Elevated resting-state connectivity in the medial temporal lobe and the prefrontal cortex among patients with Cushing's syndrome in remission

Objective Cushing's syndrome is associated with long-term cognitive deficits and affective symptoms such as depression and anxiety. The alterations in brain function underlying these deficits after Cushing's syndrome are unclear and therefore we aimed to explore alterations in resting-state functional connectivity in patients with Cushing's syndrome in remission. Design Cross-sectional case-control study. Methods Nineteen women with Cushing's syndrome in remission for a median time of 7 years (IQR: 6-10) and a mean age of 45 years were included at three university clinics. These patients and 38 age-matched female controls underwent brain imaging at a single center. The main outcome measure was functional connectivity at rest, measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results The medial temporal lobe (MTL) and prefrontal cortex networks, exhibited elevated functional connectivity among patients compared to controls. The degree of elevated functional connectivity in the MTL was negatively associated with time in remission. Conclusions Resting-state functional connectivity within glucocorticoid receptor-rich regions, particularly the MTL and medial prefrontal cortex, was increased in patients. These differences in connectivity may provide a neural basis for the cognitive deficits and affective symptoms commonly experienced by patients with Cushing's syndrome in remission.

Factors predicting long-term comorbidities in patients with Cushing's syndrome in remission

PURPOSE

In Cushing's syndrome, comorbidities often persist after remission of glucocorticoid excess. Here, we aim to identify factors predicting long-term comorbidities in patients with Cushing's syndrome in remission.

METHODS

In a retrospective cross-sectional study, 118 patients with Cushing's syndrome in remission (52 pituitary, 58 adrenal, 8 ectopic) were followed for a median of 7.9 years (range 2-38) after the last surgery. Associations between baseline anthropometric, metabolic, hormonal parameters at diagnosis, and comorbidities (obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, osteoporosis, depression) at last follow-up, were tested by uni- and multivariate regression analysis.

RESULTS

In patients with manifest comorbidities at diagnosis, remission of Cushing's syndrome resolved diabetes in 56% of cases, hypertension in 36% of cases, hyperlipidaemia in 23%, and depression in 52% of cases. In a multivariate regression analysis, age, fasting glucose, BMI, and the number of comorbidities at diagnosis were positive predictors of the number of long-term comorbidities, while baseline 24-h urinary free cortisol (UFC) negatively correlated with the persistence of long-term comorbidities. The negative relationship between baseline UFC and long-term comorbidities was also found when pituitary and adrenal Cushing's cases were analyzed separately. Baseline UFC was negatively related to the time of exposure to excess glucocorticoids.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term comorbidities after remission of Cushing's syndrome depend not only on the presence of classic cardiovascular risk factors (age, hyperglycemia, BMI), but also on the extent of glucocorticoid excess. Lower baseline UFC is associated with a higher number of long-term comorbidities, possibly due to the longer exposure to excess glucocorticoids in milder Cushing's syndrome.

The burden of disease for pituitary patients

Pituitary diseases are rare conditions with severe chronic multiorgan and multisystemic morbidity requiring complex multidisciplinary treatment and usually life-long drug treatment. Most cases are caused by functioning or non-functioning pituitary adenoma. From the patient's perspective, the burden of disease is caused by the tumour itself and associated compression symptoms, interventions, hormone excess and deficiencies, systemic manifestations of these endocrine abnormalities and general psychosocial issues that can manifest in patients with a chronic condition. In this review, patient burden is classified according to classic endocrine syndromes, with burden at diagnosis and after long-term remission, and also within the framework of value-based health care and the conceptual model of wellbeing. The recently developed patient-reported outcome measurement tool that helps to evaluate burden of patients is also discussed.

Overweight among seafarers working on board merchant ships

BACKGROUND

Obesity and overweight represent a relevant risk factor for seafarer's health. The frequency and distribution of overweight and obesity among seafarers working on board of Italian flag ships were studied. Analysis was made on occupational medicine files collected, in the frame of health surveillance inspections, between 2013 and 2016 from Centro Internazionale Radio Medico (CIRM).

METHODS

The data of nationality, age, weight, height, blood glucose and blood pressure values obtained from 1155 seafarers were analyzed. Body mass index (BMI) values were calculated and compared with data reported for the general population of the same nationality of seafarers examined.

RESULTS

BMI values revealed a tendency to overweight, whereas blood glucose and systolic blood pressure values were in general in the normal range. Approximtely 40% of subjects investigated were overweight, and more than the 10% of them were obese. Underweight was noticeable only in 1.22% of crew members and 0.34% of officers. The 0.52% of subjects investigated was diabetic, and 2.68% were hypertensive. Seafarers, regardless their nationality and rank, showed a greater tendency to overweight and obesity compared with general population of the same ethnicity.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to the occurrence of overweight and obesity among seafarers, campaigns for promoting awareness of the phenomenon and on the danger of these conditions for health should be promoted. Specific initiatives to avoid the assumption of junk food and the organization of adequate spaces, times and programs for physical exercise sessions on board should be offered for keeping seafarers healthier.

MECHANISMS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY: Anorexia nervosa and endocrinology: a clinical update

Anorexia nervosa is a syndrome, that is collections of symptoms, which is not defined by its etiology. The severe cases are intractable. The syndrome is associated with multiple, profound endocrine alterations which may be adaptive, reactive or etiologic. Adaptive changes potentially may be inappropriate in clinical settings such as inpatient intensive re-nutrition or in a setting with somatic comorbidity. Electrolyte levels must be closely monitored during the refeeding process, and the need for weight gain must be balanced against potentially fatal refeeding complications. An important focus of clinical research should be to identify biomarkers associated with different stages of weight loss and re-nutrition combined with psychometric data. Besides well-established peripheral endocrine actions, several hormones also are released directly to different brain areas, where they may exert behavioral and psychogenic actions that could offer therapeutic targets. We need reliable biomarkers for predicting outcome and to ensure safe re-nutrition, however, first of all we need them to explore the metabolism in anorexia nervosa to open new avenues with therapeutic targets. A breakthrough in our understanding and treatment of this whimsical disease remains. Considering this, the aim of the present review is to provide an updated overview of the many endocrine changes in a clinical perspective.

Quality of Life in Patients With Cushing's Disease

Cushing's disease (and by extension, Cushing's syndrome) is a rare disease due to a chronic cortisol excess, which usually has an important impact on quality of life (QoL). It can lead to numerous comorbidities that can interfere with daily life, as fatigability, myopathy, bone loss and fragility, increased cardiovascular risk, depression, and cognitive alterations. Of note, psychological alterations (including depression and anxiety) occur often, and are an important determinant of impaired quality QoL. QoL scores using different questionnaires are poorer in comparison to healthy controls, other pituitary adenomas and some chronic diseases. Even if some improvements can be observed after successful treatment, recovery does not seem to be complete, and comorbidities persist. This persistent QoL impairment has been found using both generic and disease-specific QoL questionnaires, and is also reported by the patients themselves, when asked directly. Multidisciplinary teams are essential to improve patients' well-being. Clinicians should take into account the whole scope of clinical problems and address the different comorbidites associated with the disease. Screening in the psychological sphere, with further intervention if necessary, can be helpful in the management of these patients. Interventions and programs have shown promising results, although there is a need for further development of new strategies for the benefit of these patients.

Illustration of patient-reported outcome challenges and solutions in rare diseases: a systematic review in Cushing's syndrome

Rare diseases are often not fully understood and efforts put in investigating it from patient perspective are usually met with challenges. We performed a systematic literature review (SLR) for the last 20 years in Cushing's Syndrome (CS) to illustrate Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) challenges, and show what solutions were found.PROs and other Clinical Outcome Assessment (COA) used with CS patients were reviewed in 36 studies. Two CS-specific Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) measures were identified (i.e., CushingQoL, Tuebingen CD-25), as well as depression and neurocognitive measures. For CS-specific HRQL measures, the CushingQoL was the most widely used measure due in part to being the first CS-specific HRQL measure developed. With algorithms mapping the CushingQoL to both the SF-6D and EQ-5D, the CushingQoL could be used to facilitate economic modelling studies in the absence of a generic HRQL measure. While the CushingQoL offers only the global scale and two subscales compared to the six subscales of the Tuebingen CD-25, there is not yet adequate statistical validation data available for the Tuebingen CD-25 to suggest it can withstand the scrutiny of review by multiple stakeholders. Results of this review indicate that the inclusion of a measure of depressive symptoms, such as the BDI-II or similar measure, would be reasonable to include given the high level of comorbidity of depression among CS patients. A brief neurocognitive performance outcome, such as Trail Making tasks A and D or Digit Symbol, could help inform the interpretation of HRQL results. Neurocognitive differences may be an unassessed mediator of HRQL outcomes, partly accounting for the persistence of depressive symptoms and HRQL deficits despite treatment. Results suggest that HRQL improvements are possible within this population. These results are limited by small sample sizes and pre/post study design.CS showcases the difficulties encountered in measuring PROs in rare diseases. A solution for this specific case was developed in the form of dedicated PRO instruments, the CushingQOL and the Tuebingen-25. However, some aspects of CS may not be fully answered or not yet validated (e.g., depressive and cognitive symptoms). Further research needs to be done to address them.

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Due to Steroid 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline

Objective

To update the congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to steroid 21-hydroxylase deficiency clinical practice guideline published by the Endocrine Society in 2010.

Conclusions

The writing committee presents updated best practice guidelines for the clinical management of congenital adrenal hyperplasia based on published evidence and expert opinion with added considerations for patient safety, quality of life, cost, and utilization.

Prenatal Treatment of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: Long-Term Effects of Excess Glucocorticoid Exposure

Prenatal treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia with dexamethasone (DEX) has been in use since the mid-1980s and has proven effective at reducing virilization of external genitalia in affected girls. However, multiple experimental studies on animals and clinical studies on humans show that prenatal administration of glucocorticoids may cause unwanted adverse effects which have raised concerns about the long-term safety of the treatment. The long-term outcome of prenatal DEX treatment on cognition has been investigated, but the results are still conflicting. Overall, most of the evidence points towards a negative effect on executive functions where girls seem to be more susceptible than boys. Some effects on social behavior have been observed, but results are still contradictory and treated children are mostly well adapted. Cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic function are still areas to be investigated. Larger studies are warranted to investigate areas other than cognition and behavior and to be able to draw more definitive conclusions about prenatal DEX treatment.

Manic Episodes Due to Medical Illnesses: A Literature Review

The body of evidence for mania as a secondary syndrome due to organic diseases is small. The clinical diagnosis and management of these patients are mainly based on clinical experience and on some case reports. Treatment should be focused on both the underlying medical illness and the control of acute symptoms. Mania due to a medical condition is relevant in the clinical setting, and thus more research is needed to add evidence-based recommendations to the currently available clinical knowledge. In this review, we summarize the latest information on the etiology, epidemiology, diagnostic aspects, and management of secondary mania.

Structural brain abnormalities in Cushing's syndrome

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Alongside various physical symptoms, patients with Cushing's disease and Cushing's syndrome display a wide variety of neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms, which are indicative of involvement of the central nervous system. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the structural brain abnormalities that are associated with Cushing's disease and Cushing's syndrome and their relation to behavioral and cognitive symptomatology.

RECENT FINDINGS

In this review, we discuss the gray matter structural abnormalities found in patients with active Cushing's disease and Cushing's syndrome, the reversibility and persistence of these changes and the white matter structural changes related to Cushing's syndrome. Recent findings are of particular interest because they provide more detailed information on localization of the structural changes as well as possible insights into the underlying biological processes.

SUMMARY

Active Cushing's disease and Cushing's syndrome is related to volume reductions of the hippocampus and in a prefrontal region involving the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial frontal gyrus (MFG). Whilst there are indications that the reductions in hippocampal volume are partially reversible, the changes in the ACC and MFG appear to be more persistent. In contrast to the volumetric findings, changes in white matter connectivity are typically widespread involving multiple tracts.

Worse Health-Related Quality of Life at long-term follow-up in patients with Cushing's disease than patients with cortisol producing adenoma. Data from the ERCUSYN

OBJECTIVE

Hypercortisolism in Cushing's syndrome (CS) is associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which may persist despite remission. We used the data entered into the European Registry on Cushing's syndrome (ERCUSYN) to evaluate if patients with CS of pituitary origin (PIT-CS) have worse HRQoL, both before and after treatment than patients with adrenal causes (ADR-CS).

METHODS

Data from 595 patients (492 women; 83%) who completed the CushingQoL and/or EQ-5D questionnaires at baseline and/or following treatment were analysed.

RESULTS

At baseline, HRQoL did not differ between PIT-CS (n = 293) and ADR-CS (n = 120) on both EuroQoL and CushingQoL. Total CushingQoL score in PIT-CS and ADR-CS was 41 ± 18 and 44 ± 20, respectively (P = .7). At long-time follow-up (>1 year after treatment) total CushingQoL score was however lower in PIT-CS than ADR-CS (56 ± 20 vs 62 ± 23; P = .045). In a regression analysis, after adjustment for baseline age, gender, remission status, duration of active CS, glucocorticoid dependency and follow-up time, no association was observed between aetiology and HRQoL. Remission was associated with better total CushingQoL score (P < .001), and older age at diagnosis with worse total score (P = .01). Depression at diagnosis was associated with worse total CushingQoL score at the last follow-up (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

PIT-CS patients had poorer HRQoL than ADR-CS at long-term follow-up, despite similar baseline scoring. After adjusting for remission status, no interaetiology differences in HRQoL scoring were found. Age and presence of depression at diagnosis of CS may be potential predictors of worse HRQoL regardless of CS aetiology.

Longitudinal relationships among depressive symptoms, cortisol, and brain atrophy in the neocortex and the hippocampus

OBJECTIVE

Depression is associated with accelerated aging and age-related diseases. However, mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. The aim of this study was to longitudinally assess the link between depressive symptoms, brain atrophy, and cortisol levels.

METHOD

Participants from the Betula prospective cohort study (mean age = 59 years, SD = 13.4 years) underwent clinical, neuropsychological and brain 3T MRI assessments at baseline and a 4-year follow-up. Cortisol levels were measured at baseline in four saliva samples. Cortical and hippocampal atrophy rates were estimated and compared between participants with and without depressive symptoms (n = 81) and correlated with cortisol levels (n = 49).

RESULTS

Atrophy in the left superior frontal gyrus and right lingual gyrus developed in parallel with depressive symptoms, and in the left temporal pole, superior temporal cortex, and supramarginal cortex after the onset of depressive symptom. Depression-related atrophy was significantly associated with elevated cortisol levels. Elevated cortisol levels were also associated with widespread prefrontal, parietal, lateral, and medial temporal atrophy.

CONCLUSION

Depressive symptoms and elevated cortisol levels are associated with atrophy of the prefrontal and limbic areas of the brain.

Morbidity of Cushing's Syndrome and Impact of Treatment

Cortisol excess in Cushing's syndrome is associated with metabolic, cardiovascular, and cognitive alterations, only partially reversible after resolution of hypercortisolism. Elevated cardiovascular risk may persist after eucortisolism has been achieved. Fractures and low bone mineral density are also described in Cushing's syndrome in remission. Hypercortisolism may induce irreversible structural and functional changes in the brain, leading to neuropsychiatric disorders in the active phase of the disease, which persist. Sustained deterioration of the cardiovascular system, bone remodeling, and cognitive function along with neuropsychological impairment are associated with high morbidity and poor quality of life before and after remission.

Quality of Life in Cushing's disease: A long term issue?

The purpose of this review is to describe how quality of life (QoL) is impaired in patients with hypercortisolism due to Cushing's syndrome of any aetiology, including pituitary-dependent Cushing's disease. It is worse in active disease, but improvement after successful therapy is often incomplete, due to persistent physical and psychological co-morbidities, even years after endocrine "cure". Physical symptoms like extreme fatigability, central obesity with limb atrophy, hypertension, fractures, and different skin abnormalities severely impair the affected patients' everyday life. Psychological and cognitive problems like bad memory, difficulties to concentrate and emotional distress, often associated with anxiety and depression, make it difficult for many patients to overcome the aftermath of treated Cushing's syndrome. Recent studies have shown diffuse structural abnormalities in the central nervous system during active hypercortisolism, thought to be related to the wide distribution of glucocorticoid receptors throughout the brain. Even though they improve after treatment, normalization is often not complete. Shortening the exposure to active Cushing's syndrome by reducing the often long delay to diagnosis and promptly receiving effective treatment is highly desirable, together with preparing the patient for the difficult periods, especially after surgery. In this way they are prepared for the impairments they perceive in every day life, and live with the hope of later improvement, which can be therapeutic in many instances.

Genomic and epigenomic mechanisms of glucocorticoids in the brain

Following the discovery of glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus and other brain regions, research has focused on understanding the effects of glucocorticoids in the brain and their role in regulating emotion and cognition. Glucocorticoids are essential for adaptation to stressors (allostasis) and in maladaptation resulting from allostatic load and overload. Allostatic overload, which can occur during chronic stress, can reshape the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis through epigenetic modification of genes in the hippocampus, hypothalamus and other stress-responsive brain regions. Glucocorticoids exert their effects on the brain through genomic mechanisms that involve both glucocorticoid receptors and mineralocorticoid receptors directly binding to DNA, as well as by non-genomic mechanisms. Furthermore, glucocorticoids synergize both genomically and non-genomically with neurotransmitters, neurotrophic factors, sex hormones and other stress mediators to shape an organism's present and future responses to a stressful environment. Here, we discuss the mechanisms of glucocorticoid action in the brain and review how glucocorticoids interact with stress mediators in the context of allostasis, allostatic load and stress-induced neuroplasticity.

Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging analysis in patients with short-term remission of Cushing's disease

OBJECTIVE

The data on patients with short-term remission of Cushing's disease (CD) might provide information that is not available from previous long-term remission studies. We aimed to investigate structural changes in the brain in these patients and to examine whether these changes were associated with clinical characteristics.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was performed.

METHODS

Thirty-four patients with CD (14 with CD in short-term remission and 20 with active CD) and 34 controls matched for age, sex and education underwent clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging brain scans. Biometric measurements, disease duration and remission duration data were collected. Grey matter volumes in the whole brain were examined using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

RESULTS

No differences were observed in the grey matter volumes of the medial frontal gyrus (MFG) and cerebellum between the patients with remitted CD and healthy controls, whereas patients with active CD had smaller grey matter volumes in these two regions compared with controls and patients with remitted CD. Furthermore, significant correlations were found between remission time and grey matter values in these regions in short-term remission patients with CD. Additionally, greater grey matter volumes in the bilateral caudate of short-term remission patients with CD were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Trends for structural restoration were found in CD patients with short-term remission. This finding was associated with the number of days elapsed since curative surgery and the current age of the patients. This study enhances our understanding of potential reversibility after the resolution of hypercortisolism in CD patients.

Decreased prefrontal functional brain response during memory testing in women with Cushing's syndrome in remission

Neurocognitive dysfunction is an important feature of Cushing's syndrome (CS). Our hypothesis was that patients with CS in remission have decreased functional brain responses in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus during memory testing. In this cross-sectional study we included 19 women previously treated for CS and 19 controls matched for age, gender, and education. The median remission time was 7 (IQR 6-10) years. Brain activity was studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging during episodic- and working-memory tasks. The primary regions of interest were the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. A voxel-wise comparison of functional brain responses in patients and controls was performed. During episodic-memory encoding, patients displayed lower functional brain responses in the left and right prefrontal gyrus (p<0.001) and in the right inferior occipital gyrus (p<0.001) compared with controls. There was a trend towards lower functional brain responses in the left posterior hippocampus in patients (p=0.05). During episodic-memory retrieval, the patients displayed lower functional brain responses in several brain areas with the most predominant difference in the right prefrontal cortex (p<0.001). During the working memory task, patients had lower response in the prefrontal cortices bilaterally (p<0.005). Patients, but not controls, had lower functional brain response during a more complex working memory task compared with a simpler one. In conclusion, women with CS in long-term remission have reduced functional brain responses during episodic and working memory testing. This observation extends previous findings showing long-term adverse effects of severe hypercortisolaemia on brain function.

Roles of Hippocampal Somatostatin Receptor Subtypes in Stress Response and Emotionality

Altered brain somatostatin functions recently appeared as key elements for the pathogenesis of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. The hippocampus exerts an inhibitory feedback on stress but the mechanisms involved remain unclear. We investigated herein the role of hippocampal somatostatin receptor subtypes in both stress response and behavioral emotionality using C57BL/6, wild type and sst₂ or sst₄ knockout mice. Inhibitory effects of hippocampal infusions of somatostatin agonists on stress-induced hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) activity were tested by monitoring peripheral blood and local hippocampus corticosterone levels, the latter by using microdialysis. Anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects were determined in the elevated-plus maze, open field, forced swimming, and stress-sensitive beam walking tests. Hippocampal injections of somatostatin analogs and sst₂ or sst_4, but not sst₁ or sst₃ receptor agonists produced rapid and sustained inhibition of HPA axis. sst₂ agonists selectively produced anxiolytic-like behaviors whereas both sst₂ and sst₄ agonists had antidepressant-like effects. Consistent with these findings, high corticosterone levels and anxiety were found in sst₂KO mice and depressive-like behaviors observed in both sst₂KO and sst₄KO strains. Both hippocampal sst₂ and sst₄ receptors selectively inhibit stress-induced HPA axis activation but mediate anxiolytic and antidepressive effects through distinct mechanisms. Such results are to be accounted for in development of pathway-specific somatostatin receptor agents in the treatment of hypercortisolism (Cushing's disease) and stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders.

Health-related quality of life of patients with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulations: a cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Health-related quality of life (HrQoL) is increasingly considered to be an important outcome of care for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of type of HPA axis dysregulation and cortisol status on HrQOL and its evolution with time and treatment.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

METHODS

Between September 2007 and April 2014, HrQoL questionnaires were administered during routine management to all patients with HPA axis dysregulation hospitalized in a single department, and this was repeated after 6- 12-, 24- and 36-month during standard follow-up. The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) and the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) were used simultaneously, with a common time schedule to measure the impact of HPA axis dysregulation on HrQoL. Multivariate mixed linear regression models were constructed to adjust for potential confounders.

RESULTS

343 patients (206 with Cushing's syndrome of pituitary origin, 91 with Cushing's syndrome of adrenal origin and 46 with Addison's disease) responded to the questionnaires. Overall, HrQoL scores were well below population values. Cushing syndrome of pituitary origin was associated with worse HrQoL, especially in physical dimensions. More than half of the patients, of all diagnoses and cortisol status, had psychological distress requiring attention according to the GHQ-12. Hypercortisolism had the greatest negative influence on HrQoL.

CONCLUSIONS

HRQoL appears significantly altered by all forms of HPA axis dysregulation, and most substantially and broadly by Cushing's syndrome, notably during periods of hypercortisolism. These effects on HRQoL deserve further consideration both in clinical practice and research.

MANAGEMENT OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE: Quality of life tools for the management of pituitary disease

BACKGROUND

In the last few years, quality of life (QoL) has become an outcome measure in patients with pituitary diseases.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the available data on QoL impairment evaluated with questionnaires in patients with pituitary diseases.

DESIGN

Critical review of the pertinent literature and pragmatic discussion of available information.

METHODS

Selection of relevant literature from PubMed and WOK, especially from the last 5 years and comprehensive analysis.

RESULTS

QoL is impaired in all pituitary diseases, mostly in acromegaly and Cushing's disease (similar to other causes of Cushing's syndrome), but also in non-functioning pituitary adenomas and prolactinomas, especially in the active phase of the disease. Nevertheless, even after endocrine 'cure', scores tend to be below normative values, indicative of residual morbidity after hormonal control. The presence of hypopituitarism worsens subjective QoL perception, which can improve after optimal substitution therapy, including recombinant human growth hormone, when indicated.

CONCLUSIONS

To improve the long-term outcome of pituitary patients, helping them to attain the best possible health, it appears desirable to include subjective aspects captured when evaluating QoL, so that the affected dimensions are identified and if relevant treated. Additionally, being aware that treatment outcome may not always mean complete normalisation of physical and mental issues related to QoL can be a first step to adaptation and conforming to this new status.

White matter involvement on DTI-MRI in Cushing's syndrome relates to mood disturbances and processing speed: a case-control study

PURPOSE

Cushing's syndrome (CS) is an endocrine disorder due to prolonged exposure to cortisol. Recently, microstructural white matter (WM) alterations detected by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have been reported in CS patients, and related to depression, but other functional significances. remain otherwise unclear. We aimed at investigating in more depth mood symptoms in CS patients, and how these relate to cognition (information processing speed), and to WM alterations on DTI.

METHODS

The sample comprised 35 CS patients and 35 healthy controls. Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was used to measure depressive symptoms, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess anxiety, and processing speed was measured by the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). DTI studies were acquired using a 3-Tesla Philips-Achieva MR-facility. Voxelwise statistical analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean, axial and radial diffusivities (MD, AD, RD) data were performed using FMRIB Software Library. Correlation analysis were obtained between mood and processing speed variables, and FA, MD, AD and RD values, taking both CS patients and healthy controls.

RESULTS

Active, controlled and cured CS patients showed greater depression (F = 12.4, p < 0.001), anxious state (F = 4.8, p = 0.005) and anxious trait (F = 9.6, p < 0.001) scores, than controls. Using the entire sample, depression scores correlated negatively to FA and positively to RD values. Although there were no differences in processing speed between groups, SDMT scores correlated positively to both FA and AD values.

CONCLUSIONS

There were greater depressive and anxious symptoms in CS patients than in healthy controls, but no difference in processing speed. However, DTI is related to depression and information processing speed in CS.

Moderating Effects of Cortisol on Neural-Cognitive Association in Cognitively Normal Elderly Subjects

Cortisol homeostasis is important for healthy brain and cognitive aging. The aim of the current study is to investigate the role of serum cortisol levels in the relationship between regional brain volumes and cognitive processing speed in a group of cognitively normal elderly subjects. Forty-one healthy elderly participants were from a parallel longitudinal study. The reported data in this study reflects baseline measurements. Whole-brain anatomical scanning was performed using a 3.0 Tesla Philips Medical Systems Achieva scanner. Cognitive processing speed was assessed by the digit-symbol and symbol search tests, from the Chinese version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—third edition (WAIS-III). Serum cortisol levels (sampled in the late morning) were measured by ELISA kits. Whole-brain regression analysis revealed that serum cortisol levels positively predicted the white matter volumes (WMV) of the right thalamus, the gray matter volumes (GMV) of the left thalamus and right cerebellar tonsil, and negatively predicted the WMV and GMV of the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) in 41 healthy elderly participants. Furthermore, serum cortisol significantly moderated the relationship between the GMV of the left MTG and processing speed, as well as the GMV of the left thalamus and processing speed. This study provided the first piece of evidence supporting serum cortisol levels in moderating the relationship between regional brain volumes and processing speed in healthy elderly subjects. This observation enriches our understanding of the role of cortisol in brain morphology and cognitive functioning.

Impaired quality and efficiency of sleep impairs cognitive functioning in Addison's disease

BACKGROUND

Standard replacement therapy for Addison's disease (AD) does not restore a normal circadian rhythm. Periods of sub- and supra- physiological cortisol levels experienced by patients with AD likely induce disrupted sleep. Given that healthy sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation, the novelty of the current study was to characterise, using objective measures, the relationship between sleep and memory in patients with AD, and to examine the hypothesis that poor sleep is a biological mechanism underlying memory impairment in those patients.

METHODS

We used a within-subjects design. Ten patients with AD and 10 matched healthy controls completed standardised neuropsychological tests assessing declarative memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test) and procedural memory (Finger Tapping Task) before and after a period of actigraphy-measured sleep, and before and after a period of waking.

RESULTS

Relative to healthy controls, patients with AD experienced disrupted sleep characterised by poorer sleep efficiency and more time spent awake. Patients also showed impaired verbal learning and memory relative to healthy controls (p=0.007). Furthermore, whereas healthy controls' declarative memory performance benefited from a period of sleep compared to waking (p=0.032), patients with AD derived no such benefit from sleep (p=0.448). Regarding the procedural memory task, analyses detected no significant between-group differences (all p's<0.065), and neither group showed significant sleep-enhanced performance.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated, using actigraphy and standardized measures of memory performance, an association between sleep disturbances and cognitive deficits in patients with AD. These results suggest that, in patients with AD, the source of memory deficits is, at least to some extent, disrupted sleep patterns that interfere with optimal consolidation of previously-learned declarative information. Hence, treating the sleep disturbances that are frequently experienced by patients with AD may improve their cognitive functioning.

Altered spontaneous brain activity in Cushing's disease: a resting-state functional MRI study

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE

Cushing's disease (CD) provides a unique and naturalist model for studying the influence of hypercortisolism on the human brain and the reversibility of these effects after resolution of the condition. This cross-sectional study used resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) to investigate the altered spontaneous brain activity in CD patients and the trends for potential reversibility after the resolution of the hypercortisolism. We also aim to determine the relationship of these changes with clinical characteristics and cortisol levels.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Active CD patients (n = 18), remitted CD patients (n = 14) and healthy control subjects (n = 22) were included in this study. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) values were calculated to represent spontaneous brain activity.

RESULTS

Our study resulted in three major findings: (i) active CD patients showed significantly altered spontaneous brain activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus (PCu), occipital lobe (OC)/cerebellum, thalamus, right postcentral gyrus (PoCG) and left prefrontal cortex (PFC); (ii) trends for partial restoration of altered spontaneous brain activity after the resolution hypercortisolism were found in several brain regions; and (iii) active CD patients showed a significant correlation between cortisol levels and ALFF/ReHo values in the PCC/PCu, a small cluster in the OC and the right IPL.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides a new approach to investigating brain function abnormalities in patients with CD and enhances our understanding of the effect of hypercortisolism on the human brain. Furthermore, our explorative potential reversibility study of patients with CD may facilitate the development of future longitudinal studies.

Affective alterations in patients with Cushing's syndrome in remission are associated with decreased BDNF and cortisone levels

OBJECTIVE

Affective alterations and poorer quality of life often persist in patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS) in remission. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and is highly expressed in brain areas controlling mood and response to stress. Our aims were to assess affective alterations after long-term remission of CS and evaluate whether they are associated with serum BDNF, salivary cortisol (SalF) and/or cortisone (SalE) concentrations.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Thirty-six CS patients in remission (32 females/4 males; mean age (±s.d.), 48.8 ± 11.8 years; median duration of remission, 72 months) and 36 gender-, age- and BMI-matched controls were included. Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and EuroQoL and CushingQoL questionnaires were completed and measured to evaluate anxiety, depression, stress perception and quality of life (QoL) respectively. Salivary cortisol was measured using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/TMS). BDNF was measured in serum using an ELISA.

RESULTS

Remitted CS patients showed worse scores in all questionnaires than controls: STAI (P < 0.001), BDI (P < 0.001), CES-D (P < 0.001), PANAS (P < 0.01), PSS (P < 0.01) and EuroQoL (P < 0.01). A decrease in BDNF was observed in CS vs controls (P = 0.038), and low BDNF was associated with more anxiety (r = -0.247, P = 0.037), depression (r = -0.249, P = 0.035), stress (r = -0.277, P = 0.019) and affective balance (r = 0.243, P = 0.04). Morning salivary cortisone was inversely associated with trait anxiety (r = -0.377, P = 0.040) and depressed affect (r = -0.392, P = 0.032) in CS patients. Delay to diagnosis was associated with depressive symptoms (BDI-II: r = 0.398, P = 0.036 and CES-D: r = 0.449, P = 0.017) and CushingQoL scoring (r = -0.460, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Low BDNF levels are associated with affective alterations in 'cured' CS patients, including depression, anxiety and impaired stress perception. Elevated levels of SalE might also be related to poor affective status in these patients.

Prolonged corticosterone exposure induces dendritic spine remodeling and attrition in the rat medial prefrontal cortex

The stress-responsive hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a central role in promoting adaptations acutely, whereas adverse effects on physiology and behavior following chronic challenges may result from overactivity of this system. Elevations in glucocorticoids, the end-products of HPA activation, play roles in adaptive and maladaptive processes by targeting cognate receptors throughout neurons in limbic cortical networks to alter synaptic functioning. Because previous work has shown that chronic stress leads to functionally relevant regressive alterations in dendritic spine shape and number in pyramidal neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), this study examines the capacity of sustained increases in circulating corticosterone (B) alone to alter dendritic spine morphology and density in this region. Subcutaneous B pellets were implanted in rats to provide continuous exposure to levels approximating the circadian mean or peak of the steroid for 1, 2, or 3 weeks. Pyramidal neurons in the prelimbic area of the mPFC were selected for intracellular fluorescent dye filling, followed by high-resolution three-dimensional imaging and analysis of dendritic arborization and spine morphometry. Two or more weeks of B exposure decreased dendritic spine volume in the mPFC, whereas higher dose exposure of the steroid resulted in apical dendritic retraction and spine loss in the same cell population, with thin spine subtypes showing the greatest degree of attrition. Finally, these structural alterations were noted to persist following a 3-week washout period and corresponding restoration of circadian HPA rhythmicity. These studies suggest that prolonged disruptions in adrenocortical functioning may be sufficient to induce enduring regressive structural and functional alterations in the mPFC. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:3729-3746, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The risks of overlooking the diagnosis of secreting pituitary adenomas

Secreting pituitary adenomas that cause acromegaly and Cushing’s disease, as well as prolactinomas and thyrotroph adenomas, are uncommon, usually benign, slow-growing tumours. The rarity of these conditions means that their diagnosis is not familiar to most non-specialist physicians. Consequently, pituitary adenomas may be overlooked and remain untreated, and affected individuals may develop serious comorbidities that reduce their quality of life and life expectancy. Because many signs and symptoms of pituitary adenomas overlap with those of other, more common disorders, general practitioners and non-endocrinology specialists need to be aware of the “red flags” suggestive of these conditions. A long duration of active disease in patients with secreting pituitary adenomas is associated with an increased risk of comorbidities and reduced quality of life. Appropriate treatment can lead to disease remission, and, although some symptoms may persist in some patients, treatment usually reduces the incidence and severity of comorbidities and improves quality of life. Therefore, correct, early diagnosis and characterization of a pituitary adenoma is crucial for patients, to trigger timely, appropriate treatment and to optimize outcome. This article provides an overview of the epidemiology of hormonal syndromes associated with pituitary adenomas, discusses the difficulties of and considerations for their diagnosis, and reviews the comorbidities that may develop, but can be prevented, by accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. We hope this review will help general practitioners and non-endocrinology specialists to suspect secreting pituitary adenomas and refer patients to an endocrinologist for confirmation of the diagnosis and treatment.

Quality of life in patients with adrenal insufficiency correlates stronger with hydrocortisone dosage, than with long-term systemic cortisol levels

In patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI) a higher hydrocortisone intake has been associated with more impairment in quality of life (QoL). Irrespective of age, sex and severity of AI the dosage of hydrocortisone is titrated around 20mg/D in all patients with AI based on physical and mental signs and symptoms. However, until now it is unknown whether these QoL impairments are related to increased systemic cortisol exposure. Measurement of hair cortisol levels (CORThair) can be used to assess chronic systemic cortisol exposure. This study aimed to explore whether QoL in patients with AI is associated with CORThair and daily hydrocortisone intake. We performed a cross-sectional study in 120 patients with AI on stable hydrocortisone replacement, in whom hair samples and QoL data were collected. CORThair were measured with ELISA, and QoL was assessed with validated questionnaires (SF-36, EQ-5D, HADS, MFI-20). Patients reported impairments in 14 of 15 QoL subscales (p<0.001). More impairments in physical aspects of QoL correlated with higher CORThair and higher daily hydrocortisone intake (p<0.05), an effect that was more pronounced in female patients. Regression analyses including both CORThair and hydrocortisone intake revealed a significant negative contribution of higher hydrocortisone intake on physical aspects of QoL (p≤0.046), whereas no significant contribution was found for CORThair. The present study showed that patients with AI report several impairments in QoL which are associated with hydrocortisone intake, and to a lesser extent reflected by chronic systemic cortisol exposure as measured by hair cortisol. This suggests that QoL impairments in patients with AI are not per se the effect of prolonged exposure to elevated systemic cortisol levels.