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Understanding the Pivotal Role of the Vagus Nerve in Health from Pandemics. Bioengineering (Basel) 2022; 9:bioengineering9080352. [PMID: 36004877 PMCID: PMC9405360 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9080352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic seems endless with the regular emergence of new variants. Is the SARS-CoV-2 virus particularly evasive to the immune system, or is it merely disrupting communication between the body and the brain, thus pre-empting homeostasis? Retrospective analysis of the COVID-19 and AIDS pandemics, as well as prion disease, emphasizes the pivotal but little-known role of the 10th cranial nerve in health. Considering neuroimmunometabolism from the point of view of the vagus nerve, non-invasive bioengineering solutions aiming at monitoring and stimulating the vagal tone are subsequently discussed as the next optimal and global preventive treatments, far beyond pandemics.
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Woerman AL, Tamgüney G. Body-first Parkinson's disease and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - similar or different? Neurobiol Dis 2022; 164:105625. [PMID: 35026401 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105625] [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: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In several neurodegenerative disorders, proteins that typically exhibit an α-helical structure misfold into an amyloid conformation rich in β-sheet content. Through a self-templating mechanism, these amyloids are able to induce additional protein misfolding, facilitating their propagation throughout the central nervous system. This disease mechanism was originally identified for the prion protein (PrP), which misfolds into PrPSc in a number of disorders, including variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). More recently, the prion mechanism of disease was expanded to include other proteins that rely on this self-templating mechanism to cause progressive degeneration, including α-synuclein misfolding in Parkinson's disease (PD). Several studies now suggest that PD patients can be subcategorized based on where in the body misfolded α-synuclein originates, either the brain or the gut, similar to patients developing sporadic CJD or vCJD. In this review, we discuss the human and animal model data indicating that α-synuclein and PrPSc misfolding originates in the gut in body-first PD and vCJD, and summarize the data identifying the role of the autonomic nervous system in the gut-brain axis of both diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L Woerman
- Institute for Applied Life Sciences and Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
| | - Gültekin Tamgüney
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Biological Information Processing, Structural Biochemistry (IBI-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
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Matsuzono K, Kim Y, Honda H, Anan Y, Hashimoto Y, Sano I, Iwaki T, Kitamoto T, Fujimoto S. Optic nerve atrophy and visual disturbance following PRNP Y162X truncation mutation. J Neurol Sci 2021; 428:117614. [PMID: 34403953 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2021.117614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kosuke Matsuzono
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
| | - Younhee Kim
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Honda
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Japan
| | - Yuhei Anan
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Yuto Hashimoto
- Department of Ophthalmology, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | - Ichiya Sano
- Department of Ophthalmology, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | - Toru Iwaki
- Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Japan
| | - Tetsuyuki Kitamoto
- Division of CJD Science and Technology, Department of Neurological Science, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
| | - Shigeru Fujimoto
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
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Abstract
Glia, the non-neuronal cells of the nervous system, were long considered secondary cells only necessary for supporting the functions of their more important neuronal neighbors. Work by many groups over the past two decades has completely overturned this notion, revealing the myriad and vital functions of glia in nervous system development, plasticity, and health. The largest population of glia outside the brain is in the enteric nervous system, a division of the autonomic nervous system that constitutes a key node of the gut-brain axis. Here, we review the latest in the understanding of these enteric glia in mammals with a focus on their putative roles in human health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry J. Rosenberg
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Meenakshi Rao
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Fujita H, Ogaki K, Shiina T, Onuma H, Sakuramoto H, Satoh K, Suzuki K. V180I genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with cardiac sympathetic nerve denervation masquerading as Parkinson's disease: A case report. Medicine (Baltimore) 2021; 100:e24294. [PMID: 33466217 PMCID: PMC7808525 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000024294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
RATIONALE Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) with a point mutation of valine to isoleucine at codon 180 of the prion protein gene (V180I) is the most frequent form of genetic CJD in Japan. However, peripheral nerve involvement, especially cardiac sympathetic denervation, has not been investigated in cases with V180I genetic CJD.We herein report a genetically confirmed case of V180I genetic CJD presenting with parkinsonism and cardiac sympathetic nerve denervation. PATIENT CONCERNS The patient was a 79-year-old Japanese woman who presented with subacute progressive gait disturbance and cognitive impairment. Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) with mild cognitive impairment was initially suspected based on parkinsonism, such as bradykinesia, rigidity and tremor, and reduced accumulation of cardiac meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy. INTERVENTIONS Based on parkinsonism and impaired cardiac MIBG findings, levodopa/decarboxylase inhibitor was administered up to 300 mg/day; however, her symptoms were not improved. OUTCOMES Her motor and cognitive function progressively deteriorated. DIAGNOSIS Although the patient had no family history of CJD, genetic CJD was diagnosed according to extensive hyperintensities in the bilateral cortices on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images, positive tau protein and 14-3-3 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid and a V180I mutation with methionine homozygosity at codon 129 by prion protein gene analysis. LESSONS We should be aware that reduced uptake of cardiac MIBG scintigraphy in patients presenting with parkinsonism cannot confirm a diagnosis of PD. CJD should be considered when patients show a rapid progressive clinical course with atypical manifestations of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Fujita
- Department of Neurology, Dokkyo Medical University, Japan
| | - Keitaro Ogaki
- Department of Neurology, Dokkyo Medical University, Japan
| | | | - Hiroki Onuma
- Department of Neurology, Dokkyo Medical University, Japan
| | | | - Katsuya Satoh
- Department of Locomotive Rehabilitation Science, Unit of Rehabilitation Sciences, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan
| | - Keisuke Suzuki
- Department of Neurology, Dokkyo Medical University, Japan
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Watson N, Brandel JP, Green A, Hermann P, Ladogana A, Lindsay T, Mackenzie J, Pocchiari M, Smith C, Zerr I, Pal S. The importance of ongoing international surveillance for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Nat Rev Neurol 2021; 17:362-379. [PMID: 33972773 PMCID: PMC8109225 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-021-00488-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly progressive, fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative disease associated with the accumulation of misfolded prion protein in the CNS. International CJD surveillance programmes have been active since the emergence, in the mid-1990s, of variant CJD (vCJD), a disease linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Control measures have now successfully contained bovine spongiform encephalopathy and the incidence of vCJD has declined, leading to questions about the requirement for ongoing surveillance. However, several lines of evidence have raised concerns that further cases of vCJD could emerge as a result of prolonged incubation and/or secondary transmission. Emerging evidence from peripheral tissue distribution studies employing high-sensitivity assays suggests that all forms of human prion disease carry a theoretical risk of iatrogenic transmission. Finally, emerging diseases, such as chronic wasting disease and camel prion disease, pose further risks to public health. In this Review, we provide an up-to-date overview of the transmission of prion diseases in human populations and argue that CJD surveillance remains vital both from a public health perspective and to support essential research into disease pathophysiology, enhanced diagnostic tests and much-needed treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Watson
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jean-Philippe Brandel
- grid.411439.a0000 0001 2150 9058Cellule Nationale de référence des MCJ, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Alison Green
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Peter Hermann
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331National Reference Centre for TSE, Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anna Ladogana
- grid.416651.10000 0000 9120 6856Registry of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Terri Lindsay
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Janet Mackenzie
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Maurizio Pocchiari
- grid.416651.10000 0000 9120 6856Registry of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Colin Smith
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Inga Zerr
- grid.411984.10000 0001 0482 5331National Reference Centre for TSE, Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Suvankar Pal
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Katsikaki G, Dagklis IE, Angelopoulos P, Ntantos D, Prevezianou A, Bostantjopoulou S. Atypical and early symptoms of sporadic Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease: case series and review of the literature. Int J Neurosci 2020; 131:927-938. [DOI: 10.1080/00207454.2020.1759594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Grammatiki Katsikaki
- 3rd Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ioannis E. Dagklis
- 3rd Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Petros Angelopoulos
- 3rd Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Ntantos
- 3rd Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Angeliki Prevezianou
- 3rd Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Sevasti Bostantjopoulou
- 3rd Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Kovacs GG. Molecular pathology of neurodegenerative diseases: principles and practice. J Clin Pathol 2019; 72:725-735. [PMID: 31395625 DOI: 10.1136/jclinpath-2019-205952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are characterised by selective dysfunction and progressive loss of synapses and neurons associated with pathologically altered proteins that deposit primarily in the human brain and spinal cord. Recent discoveries have identified a spectrum of distinct immunohistochemically and biochemically detectable proteins, which serve as a basis for protein-based disease classification. Diagnostic criteria have been updated and disease staging procedures have been proposed. These are based on novel concepts which recognise that (1) most of these proteins follow a sequential distribution pattern in the brain suggesting a seeding mechanism and cell-to-cell propagation; (2) some of the neurodegeneration-associated proteins can be detected in peripheral organs; and (3) concomitant presence of neurodegeneration-associated proteins is more the rule than the exception. These concepts, together with the fact that the clinical symptoms do not unequivocally reflect the molecular pathological background, place the neuropathological examination at the centre of requirements for an accurate diagnosis. The need for quality control in biomarker development, clinical and neuroimaging studies, and evaluation of therapy trials, as well as an increasing demand for the general public to better understand human brain disorders, underlines the importance for a renaissance of postmortem neuropathological studies at this time. This review summarises recent advances in neuropathological diagnosis and reports novel aspects of relevance for general pathological practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabor G Kovacs
- Laboratory Medicine Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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