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Pérez-Carbonell L, Muñoz-Lopetegi A, Sánchez-Valle R, Gelpi E, Farré R, Gaig C, Iranzo A, Santamaria J. Sleep architecture and sleep-disordered breathing in fatal insomnia. Sleep Med 2022; 100:311-346. [PMID: 36182725 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2022.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Fatal insomnia (FI) is a rare prion disease severely affecting sleep architecture. Breathing during sleep has not been systematically assessed. Our aim was to characterize the sleep architecture, respiratory patterns, and neuropathologic findings in FI. METHODS Eleven consecutive FI patients (ten familial, one sporadic) were examined with video-polysomnography (vPSG) between 2002 and 2017. Wake/sleep stages and respiration were evaluated using a modified scoring system. Postmortem neuropathology was assessed in seven patients. RESULTS Median age at onset was 48 years and survival after vPSG was 1 year. All patients had different combinations of breathing disturbances including increased respiratory rate variability (RRV; n = 7), stridor (n = 9), central sleep apnea (CSA) (n = 5), hiccup (n = 6), catathrenia (n = 7), and other expiratory sounds (n = 10). RRV in NREM sleep correlated with ambiguous and solitary nuclei degeneration (r = 0.9, p = 0.008) and reduced survival (r = -0.7, p = 0.037). Two new stages, Subwake1 and Subwake2, present in all patients, were characterized. NREM sleep (conventional or undifferentiated) was identifiable in ten patients but reduced in duration in eight. REM sleep occurred in short segments in nine patients, and their reduced duration correlated with medullary raphe nuclei degeneration (r = -0.9, p = 0.005). Seven patients had REM without atonia. Three vPSG patterns were identified: agitated, with aperiodic, manipulative, and finalistic movements (n = 4); quiet-apneic, with CSA (n = 4); and quiet-non-apneic (n = 3). CONCLUSIONS FI patients show frequent breathing alterations, associated with respiratory nuclei damage, and, in addition to NREM sleep distortion, have severe impairment of REM sleep, related with raphe nuclei degeneration. Brainstem impairment is crucial in FI.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amaia Muñoz-Lopetegi
- Sleep Center, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Clinical Neurophysiology Group, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS); CIBER de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raquel Sánchez-Valle
- Alzheimer Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain; Neurological Tissue Bank of the IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ellen Gelpi
- Neurological Tissue Bank of the IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain; Division of Neuropathology and Neurochemistry, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Ramon Farré
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona-IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Bunyola, Spain
| | - Carles Gaig
- Sleep Center, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Clinical Neurophysiology Group, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS); CIBER de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alex Iranzo
- Sleep Center, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Clinical Neurophysiology Group, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS); CIBER de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Joan Santamaria
- Sleep Center, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Clinical Neurophysiology Group, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS); CIBER de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Barcelona, Spain.
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Habteslassie D, McMahon M, Wimaleswaran H. Can insomnia be fatal? An Australian case of fatal familial insomnia. Intern Med J 2022; 52:667-670. [PMID: 35419959 DOI: 10.1111/imj.15737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a rare prion disease with autosomal dominant inheritance. Currently, there is only one published case study of FFI in Australia. FFI is universally fatal, with the disease duration ranging from 8 to 72 months. Clinically, it manifests with disordered sleep-wake cycle, dysautonomia, motor disturbances and neuropsychiatric disorders. We describe a case of FFI detailing the investigative process, including the importance of sleep assessment and polysomnography in obtaining a diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Habteslassie
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Marcus McMahon
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hari Wimaleswaran
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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3
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Beckman D, Linden R. A roadmap for investigating the role of the prion protein in depression associated with neurodegenerative disease. Prion 2017; 10:131-42. [PMID: 27057694 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2016.1152437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The physiological properties of the native, endogenous prion protein (PrP(C)) is a matter of concern, due to its pleiotropic functions and links to neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. In line with our hypothesis that the basic function of PrP(C) is to serve as a cell surface scaffold for the assembly of signaling modules, multiple interactions have been identified of PrP(C) with signaling molecules, including neurotransmitter receptors. We recently reported evidence that PrP(C) may modulate monoaminergic neurotransmission, as well as depressive-like behavior in mice. Here, we discuss how those results, together with a number of other studies, including our previous demonstration that both inflammatory and behavioral stress modulate PrP(C) content in neutrophils, suggest a distributed role of PrP(C) in clinical depression and inflammation associated with neurodegenerative diseases. An overarching understanding of the multiple interventions of PrP(C) upon physiological events may both shed light on the pathogenesis of, as well as help the identification of novel therapeutic targets for clinical depression, Prion and Alzheimer's Diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rafael Linden
- a Instituto de Biofísica da UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
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4
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Abstract
Circadian rhythms describe the behavioral and physiological changes that occur in living organisms in order to attune to a 24 hour cycle of day and night. The most striking aspect of circadian function is the sleep-wake cycle, however many other physiological processes are regulated in 24 hour oscillations, including blood pressure, body temperature, appetite, urine production, and the transcription and translation of thousands of circadian dependent genes. Circadian disruption and sleep disorders are strongly connected to neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Huntington's disease as well as others. Metal exposures have been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, in some cases involving metals that are essential micronutrients but are toxic at high levels of exposure (such as manganese, copper, and zinc), and in other cases involving metals that have no biological role but are toxic to living systems (such as lead, mercury, and aluminum). In this review, we examine the evidence for circadian and sleep disorders with exposures to these metals and review the literature for possible mechanisms. We suggest that giving the aging population, the prevalence of environmental exposures to metals, and the increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative disease in the aged, more research into the mechanisms of circadian disruption subsequent to metal exposures is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy L Parmalee
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Molecular Pharmacology, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Michael Aschner
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Molecular Pharmacology, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, New York, USA
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5
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Beckman D, Santos LE, Americo TA, Ledo JH, de Mello FG, Linden R. Prion Protein Modulates Monoaminergic Systems and Depressive-like Behavior in Mice. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:20488-98. [PMID: 26152722 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.666156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We sought to examine interactions of the prion protein (PrP(C)) with monoaminergic systems due to: the role of PrP(C) in both Prion and Alzheimer diseases, which include clinical depression among their symptoms, the implication of monoamines in depression, and the hypothesis that PrP(C) serves as a scaffold for signaling systems. To that effect we compared both behavior and monoaminergic markers in wild type (WT) and PrP(C)-null (PrP(-/-)) mice. PrP(-/-) mice performed poorly when compared with WT in forced swimming, tail suspension, and novelty suppressed feeding tests, typical of depressive-like behavior, but not in the control open field nor rotarod motor tests; cyclic AMP responses to stimulation of D1 receptors by dopamine was selectively impaired in PrP(-/-) mice, and responses to serotonin, but not to norepinephrine, also differed between genotypes. Contents of dopamine, tyrosine hydroxylase, and the 5-HT5A serotonin receptor were increased in the cerebral cortex of PrP(-/-), as compared with WT mice. Microscopic colocalization, as well as binding in overlay assays were found of PrP(C) with both the 5HT5A and D1, but not D4 receptors. The data are consistent with the scaffolding of monoaminergic signaling modules by PrP(C), and may help understand the pathogenesis of clinical depression and neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jose H Ledo
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica da UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brasil
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6
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Lugaresi E, Provini F, Cortelli P. Agrypnia Excitata. Sleep Med 2011; 12 Suppl 2:S3-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2011.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2011] [Revised: 10/11/2011] [Accepted: 10/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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7
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Montagna P. Fatal familial insomnia and the role of the thalamus in sleep regulation. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2011; 99:981-996. [PMID: 21056239 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-52007-4.00018-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Pasquale Montagna
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Bologna Medical School, Bologna, Italy.
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8
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Vidal C, Herzog C, Haeberle A, Bombarde C, Miquel M, Carimalo J, Launay J, Mouillet-Richard S, Lasmézas C, Dormont D, Kellermann O, Bailly Y. Early dysfunction of central 5-HT system in a murine model of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Neuroscience 2009; 160:731-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.02.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2008] [Revised: 02/18/2009] [Accepted: 02/19/2009] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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9
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Thomas AV, Klein JC, Brockhaus-Dumke A, Heiss WD, Jacobs AH, Petereit HF. Fatale familiäre Insomnie. DER NERVENARZT 2006; 77:711-5. [PMID: 16550412 DOI: 10.1007/s00115-006-2073-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a hereditary prion disease caused by a mutation in codon 178 of the prion protein gene PRNP on chromosome 20. It is characterized by disturbed night sleep, resulting in daily vigilance perturbations and a variety of other neurological symptoms. We present the case of a 46-year-old woman deteriorating despite immunosuppressive treatment which was initiated suspecting cerebral vasculitis as the cause of her progressive neurological symptoms. The correct diagnosis was established only post mortem. Based on the case presented here, we discuss typical clinical symptoms and imaging findings. In particular, we outline how modern diagnostic methods such as positron emission tomography with [(15)O]H(2)O and [(18)F]FDG and single photon emission computed tomography can add valuable information to results from conventionally performed imaging techniques and genetic testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Thomas
- Max Planck Institut für neurologische Forschung, Köln
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10
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Mössner R, Yun SW, Lesch KP, Gerlach M, Klein MA, Riederer P. Unaltered susceptibility to scrapie in serotonin transporter deficient mice. Neurochem Int 2006; 49:454-8. [PMID: 16730863 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2006.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2005] [Accepted: 03/01/2006] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The serotonergic system has been hypothesized to play an important role in prion diseases. Specifically, hyperactivity of the serotonergic system in prion diseases is suggested by an increase in the turnover rate of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) in human and experimental prion diseases. The 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) determines the duration of serotonergic neurotransmission by way of reuptake of 5-HT from the extracellular space. 5-HTT availability is reduced in brains of patients with the human prion disease familial fatal insomnia. To further clarify a possible role of the 5-HTT in prion diseases we investigated whether mice lacking the 5-HTT display an altered susceptibility to experimental scrapie infection. Surprisingly, 5-HTT knockout mice developed mouse scrapie in a time course similar to wildtype control mice with accumulation of the pathological prion protein, PrP(Sc) and with typical pathological hallmarks of the disease. These findings argue against a major role of the 5-HTT in the pathogenesis of prion diseases in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainald Mössner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Füchsleinstrasse 15, 97080 Würzburg, Germany.
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11
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Abstract
Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) is characterized by loss of sleep, oneiric stupor with autonomic/motor hyperactivity and somato-motor abnormalities (pyramidal signs, myoclonus, dysarthria/dysphagia, ataxia). Positon emission tomography (PET) disclosed thalamic hypometabolism and milder involvement of the cortex; neuropathology severe neuronal loss in the thalamic nuclei variably affecting the caudate, gyrus cinguli and fronto-temporal cortices. Genetic analysis disclosed a mutation in the PRNP gene and FFI was transmitted to experimental animals, thus classifying FFI within the prion diseases. Rare Sporadic Fatal Insomnia (SFI) cases occur without PRNP mutation but with features similar to FFI. FFI represents a model disease for the study of sleep-wake regulation: (I) the profound thalamic hypometabolism/atrophy associated with lack of sleep spindles and delta sleep implicate the thalamus in the origin of slow wave sleep (SWS); (II) loss of SWS is associated with marked autonomic and motor hyperactivity; termed 'agrypnia excitata', this association has been proposed as a useful clinical concept representative of thalamo-limbic dysfunction; (III) lack of SWS occurs with substantial preservation of stage 1 NREM sleep, implying that the latter has mechanisms different from SWS and unaffected by thalamic atrophy; accordingly, conflating stage 1 NREM with SWS into NREM sleep is inappropriate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasquale Montagna
- Center for Sleep Disorders, Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Bologna Medical School, Via Ugo Foscolo 7-40123 Bologna, Italy.
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12
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Ledoux JM. Effects on the serotoninergic system in sub-acute transmissible spongiform encephalopathies: current data, hypotheses, suggestions for experimentation. Med Hypotheses 2005; 64:910-8. [PMID: 15780484 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2004.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2004] [Accepted: 11/10/2004] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Sub-acute transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases, are affections in which little is known of their etiology. The predominant theory stipulates that an abnormal protease-resistant prion protein (PrPres) would be infectious by directly inducing its defective conformation to the normal native protein (PrPC). The function of PrPC remains unknown. The preferred localization of PrPC at the level of the synapses supposes a function in neuronal transmission. Several neurotransmitter systems (acetylcholine, GABA, dopamine, etc.) are damaged in TSEs, mainly the serotonin (5-HT) system. At a hypothetical level, PrPC would play a trophic and functional role by regulating the capture of amino acid precursors of neurotransmitters and the functions of neuroreceptors, in particular regarding tryptophan and 5-HT receptors. By comparison with the modes of action of Ras proteins and of the envelope glycoprotein of jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus, the adaptation of an oncogenic model is suggested for the mode of action of PrPres. The sequence of events could be the following: capture of PrPres and forming of an abnormal receptor, chronic disturbance of transduction pathways, more particularly of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI-3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/glycogen synthetase kinase 3 (GSK 3)/Wnt-beta catenin pathway, deregulation of the PrP gene and infrequent and transitory forming of abnormal RNA messengers and, finally, the forming of abnormal proteins and the deterioration of the serotoninergic system. The involvement of endogenous nucleic acids is supposed. The infectious agent of TSEs could be an ancestral form of retrovirus, such as a retrotransposon using the prion protein as an envelope glycoprotein. Pharmacological tests, by comparison with a rare disease of unknown etiology in cattle, bovine spastic paresis, are suggested with the amino acid precursors of neuromediators (tryptophan, tyrosine, glutamic acid, etc.) and with lithium, neuroprotector and regulator of the serotonergic system.
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13
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Mouillet-Richard S, Pietri M, Schneider B, Vidal C, Mutel V, Launay JM, Kellermann O. Modulation of serotonergic receptor signaling and cross-talk by prion protein. J Biol Chem 2004; 280:4592-601. [PMID: 15590675 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m406199200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The inducible serotonergic 1C115-HT cell line expresses a defined set of serotonergic receptors of the 5-HT2B, 5-HT1B/D, and 5-HT2A subtypes, which sustain a regulation of serotonergic associated functions through G-protein-dependent signaling. 1C115-HT cells have been instrumental to assign a signaling function to the cellular prion protein PrPC. Here, we establish that antibody-mediated ligation of PrPC concomitant to agonist stimulation of 5-HT receptors modulates the couplings of all three serotonergic receptors present on 1C115-HT cells. Specific impacts of PrP antibodies were monitored depending on the receptor and pathway considered. PrPC ligation selectively cancels the 5-HT2A-PLC response, decreases the 5-HT1B/D negative coupling to adenylate cyclase, and potentiates the 5-HT2B-PLA2 coupling. As a result, PrPC ligation disturbs the functional interactions occurring between the signaling pathways of the three receptor subtypes. In 1C115-HT cells, antagonizing cross-talks arising from 5-HT2B and 5-HT2A receptors control the 5-HT1B/D function. PrPC ligation reinforces the negative regulation exerted by 5-HT2B on 5-HT1B/D receptors. On the other hand it abrogates the blocking action of 5-HT2A on the regulatory loop linking 5-HT1B/D receptors. We propose that the ligation of PrPC affects the potency or dynamics of G-protein activation by agonist-bound serotonergic receptors. Finally, the PrPC-dependent modulation of 5-HT receptor couplings is restricted to 1C115-HT cells expressing a complete serotonergic phenotype. It critically involves a PrPC-caveolin platform implemented on the neurites of 1C115-HT cells during differentiation. Our findings define PrPC as a modulator of 5-HT receptor coupling to G-proteins and thereby as a protagonist contributing to the homeostasis of serotonergic neurons. They provide a foundation for uncovering the impact of prion infection on serotonergic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Mouillet-Richard
- Différenciation cellulaire et prions, CNRS UPR 1983 Institut André Lwoff, 7 rue Guy Môquet, BP8, 94801 Villejuif Cedex, France.
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Hayashi M, Araki S, Kohyama J, Shioda K, Fukatsu R, Tamagawa K. Brainstem and Basal Ganglia Lesions in Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group A. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2004; 63:1048-57. [PMID: 15535132 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/63.10.1048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XPA) is a hereditary disorder characterized by cutaneous symptoms and progressive neurodegeneration. Since XPA patients exhibit peripheral neuropathy, neuronal deafness, rigidity, dysphagia, and laryngeal dystonia, it is indispensable for investigation of the neurodegeneration to analyze brainstem and basal ganglia lesions clinically and pathologically; we have previously shown the role of oxidative stress in the development of basal ganglia lesions. Here we immunohistochemically examined the expression of neurotransmitters, calcium-binding proteins, and neuropeptides in the brainstem, basal ganglia, and thalamus in 5 XPA autopsy cases. In the brainstem, immunoreactivity for tyrosine hydroxylase, tryptophan hydroxylase, and calbindin-D28K was severely reduced throughout the brainstem in all the XPA cases. Nevertheless, the expressions of parvalbumin, substance P, and methionine-enkephalin in the brainstem were comparatively preserved; the exception being reduced immunoreactivity for them in the cochlear and dorsal column nuclei in 3 cases. The large cell neurons in the putamen were preferentially reduced, the immunoreactivity for tyrosine hydroxylase reflecting the dopaminergic afferent and efferent pathways was severely affected, and the expression of 3 calcium binding proteins (i.e. parvalbumin, calbindin-D28K, and calretinin) was disturbed in various ways. The expression of substance P and methionine-enkephalin, which are involved in the efferent pathways in the basal ganglia, in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra was spared. It is speculated that the selective damage to the dopamine system in the basal ganglia and the disturbed monoaminergic expression in the brainstem could be related to clinical abnormalities such as the rigidity, laryngeal dystonia, and several neurophysiological changes. Functional analysis of autopsy brains will facilitate clarification of the pathogenesis of the neurodegeneration in XPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaharu Hayashi
- Department of Clinical Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, 2-6 Musashi-dai, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8526, Japan.
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Fraser E, McDonagh AM, Head M, Bishop M, Ironside JW, Mann DMA. Neuronal and astrocytic responses involving the serotonergic system in human spongiform encephalopathies. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2003; 29:482-95. [PMID: 14507340 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2990.2003.00486.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The relationships between the degree of cortical prion protein (PrP) deposition, tissue vacuolation and astrocytosis were studied in the frontal cortex of 27 cases of human spongiform encephalopathy, encompassing 13 cases of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), four cases of familial CJD (fCJD) (one owing to E200K mutation, one owing to 144 bp insertion, one owing to P102L mutation and one owing to A117V mutation), five cases of iatrogenic CJD (iCJD) owing to growth hormone therapy and five cases of variant CJD (vCJD). The size and number of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) positive cells in the dorsal raphe were determined as an index of the function of the brain's serotonergic system. The amount of PrP deposited in frontal cortex in vCJD was significantly greater than that in both sCJD and iCJD, which did not differ significantly from each other. The extent of grey matter deposition of PrP correlated with that of white matter deposition. Deposition of PrP as plaques was greater in cases of sCJD bearing valine at codon 129 of PrP gene, especially when homozygous. However, all cases of vCJD displayed florid plaque formation yet these were homozygous for methionine at codon 129. Prion protein deposition as plaques was greater in cases of sCJD with 2A PrP isotype than those with 1 PrP isotype, similar to that seen in cases of vCJD all of which are 2B PrP isotype. There were no significant differences in the extent of astrocytosis between the different aetiological groups, in either grey or white matter, as visualized with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) or 5HT-2A receptor (5HT-2AR) immunostaining, although there was a strong correlation between the severity of 5HT-2AR and GFAP reactions within both grey and white matter. The extent of PrP deposition within the grey, but not white, matter correlated with the degree of astrocytosis for both GFAP and 5HT-2AR and the extent of tissue vacuolation in grey and white matter, although the latter did not correlate with degree of astrocytosis for either GFAP or 5HT-2AR. Astrocytes may be responding directly to the presence of PrP within the tissue, rather than the vacuolar damage to neurones. Although S100beta immunoreactivity was present in astrocytes in control cases, no S100beta staining was seen in astrocytes in either grey or white matter in most CJD cases. There were no differences in the number of TPH-positive cells between CJD and control cases, although the mean TPH-positive cell size was significantly greater, and cells were more intensely stained, in CJD compared to controls, suggesting a pathological overactivity of the brain's serotonergic system in CJD. This may result in excessive release of 5HT within the brain triggering increased 5HT-2AR expression within activated astrocytes leading to release and depletion of S100beta protein from such cells. The clinical symptoms of fluctuating attention and arousal could be mediated, at least in part, by such alterations in function of the serotonergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Fraser
- Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, University of Manchester, Greater Manchester Neurosciences Centre, Hope Hospital, Salford, UK
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Abstract
Familial fatal insomnia (FFI)--a hereditary prion disease caused by a mutation at codon 178 of the prion-protein (PrP) gene (PRNP) that leads to a D178N substitution in the protein--and its sporadic form, sporadic fatal insomnia (SFI), have similar disease phenotypes. Both disorders have clinical features of disrupted sleep (loss of sleep spindles and slow-wave sleep and enacted dreams during rapid-eye-movement sleep), autonomic hyperactivation, and motor abnormalities (myoclonus, ataxia, dysarthria, dysphagia, and pyramidal signs). PET shows pronounced thalamic and limbic hypometabolism that becomes more widespread in later stages. Neuropathological assessment reveals severe neuronal loss and astrogliosis of the anterior medial thalamus and inferior olives, with later cerebral cortical and cerebellar involvement. Accumulation of an isoform of protease-resistant PrP fragment in FFI distinct from that found in a familial form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with the same D178N mutation, shows the effect of the polymorphism at codon 129 of PRNP on phenotypic expression and the possibility of distinct prion "strains" with diverse pathological potential. Intriguing clinicopathological correlations in FFI and SFI suggest a role for the thalamolimbic system in the regulation of sleep and other circadian functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasquale Montagna
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Kovacs GG, Klöppel S, Fischer I, Dorner S, Lindeck-Pozza E, Birner P, Bötefür IC, Pilz P, Volk B, Budka H. Nucleus-specific alteration of raphe neurons in human neurodegenerative disorders. Neuroreport 2003; 14:73-6. [PMID: 12544834 DOI: 10.1097/00001756-200301200-00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases share symptoms suggested to be related to the serotonergic system. To evaluate the involvement of serotonergic raphe nuclei, we compared the percentage of neurons synthesizing serotonin in the nucleus centralis superior (NCS), raphe obscurus and pallidus (NROP) in Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and control brains. We used immunohistochemistry for tryptophan hydroxylase (TpOH), phosphorylated tau, and alpha-synuclein. We observed a significant decrease in the NCS in the NROP in AD, but a significant increase in PSP and MSA. Cytoskeletal pathology was present in the NCS and NROP to a variable degree. We conclude that there is disease- and nucleus-specific alteration of serotonin synthesis in the raphe.
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Wanschitz J, Guentchev M, Budka H. Reply. Ann Neurol 2001. [DOI: 10.1002/ana.1146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Cortelli P, Polinsky R, Montagna P, Lugaresi E. Alteration of the serotoninergic system in fatal familial insomnia. Ann Neurol 2001; 50:421-2. [PMID: 11558802 DOI: 10.1002/ana.1145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Klöppel S, Kovacs GG, Voigtländer T, Wanschitz J, Flicker H, Hainfellner JA, Guentchev M, Budka H. Serotonergic nuclei of the raphe are not affected in human ageing. Neuroreport 2001; 12:669-71. [PMID: 11277560 DOI: 10.1097/00001756-200103260-00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Sleep disorders increase with ageing. The serotonergic system has been linked with sleep regulation. In fatal familial insomnia, a prion disease with insomnia as one major clinical feature, we recently observed a disturbance in the serotonergic system as likely substrate of typical symptoms. Using immunohistochemistry for the serotonin synthesizing enzyme, tryptophan hydroxylase, we investigated the serotonergic median raphe nuclei (dorsal raphe nucleus, superior central nucleus, and raphe obscurus nucleus) in brains of an older (n = 12; age range 62-84 years) and a younger group (n = 10; age range 5-29 years). We found no significant difference between age groups in the percentage of neurons able to synthesize serotonin. Other changes might relate to sleep disturbances in the elderly.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Klöppel
- Institute of Neurology, University of Vienna, Austria
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