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Do foetal transplant studies continue to be justified in Huntington's disease? Neuronal Signal 2021; 5:NS20210019. [PMID: 34956650 PMCID: PMC8674623 DOI: 10.1042/ns20210019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Early CNS transplantation studies used foetal derived cell products to provide a foundation of evidence for functional recovery in preclinical studies and early clinical trials. However, it was soon recognised that the practical limitations of foetal tissue make it unsuitable for widespread clinical use. Considerable effort has since been directed towards producing target cell phenotypes from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) instead, and there now exist several publications detailing the differentiation and characterisation of PSC-derived products relevant for transplantation in Huntington's disease (HD). In light of this progress, we ask if foetal tissue transplantation continues to be justified in HD research. We argue that (i) the extent to which accurately differentiated target cells can presently be produced from PSCs is still unclear, currently making them undesirable for studying wider CNS transplantation issues; (ii) foetal derived cells remain a valuable tool in preclinical research for advancing our understanding of which products produce functional striatal grafts and as a reference to further improve PSC-derived products; and (iii) until PSC-derived products are ready for human trials, it is important to continue using foetal cells to gather clinical evidence that transplantation is a viable option in HD and to use this opportunity to optimise practical parameters (such as trial design, clinical practices, and delivery strategies) to pave the way for future PSC-derived products.
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Wijeratne PA, Johnson EB, Gregory S, Georgiou-Karistianis N, Paulsen JS, Scahill RI, Tabrizi SJ, Alexander DC. A Multi-Study Model-Based Evaluation of the Sequence of Imaging and Clinical Biomarker Changes in Huntington's Disease. Front Big Data 2021; 4:662200. [PMID: 34423286 PMCID: PMC8374237 DOI: 10.3389/fdata.2021.662200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the order and progression of change in biomarkers of neurodegeneration is essential to detect the effects of pharmacological interventions on these biomarkers. In Huntington’s disease (HD), motor, cognitive and MRI biomarkers are currently used in clinical trials of drug efficacy. Here for the first time we use directly compare data from three large observational studies of HD (total N = 532) using a probabilistic event-based model (EBM) to characterise the order in which motor, cognitive and MRI biomarkers become abnormal. We also investigate the impact of the genetic cause of HD, cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat length, on progression through these stages. We find that EBM uncovers a broadly consistent order of events across all three studies; that EBM stage reflects clinical stage; and that EBM stage is related to age and genetic burden. Our findings indicate that measures of subcortical and white matter volume become abnormal prior to clinical and cognitive biomarkers. Importantly, CAG repeat length has a large impact on the timing of onset of each stage and progression through the stages, with a longer repeat length resulting in earlier onset and faster progression. Our results can be used to help design clinical trials of treatments for Huntington’s disease, influencing the choice of biomarkers and the recruitment of participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A Wijeratne
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Huntington's Disease Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eileanoir B Johnson
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Gregory
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
- Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, Medicine, and Health Sciences, Monash University Clayton Campus, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Jane S Paulsen
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Rachael I Scahill
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel C Alexander
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Johnson EB, Ziegler G, Penny W, Rees G, Tabrizi SJ, Scahill RI, Gregory S. Dynamics of Cortical Degeneration Over a Decade in Huntington's Disease. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:807-816. [PMID: 33500176 PMCID: PMC7986936 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Characterizing changing brain structure in neurodegeneration is fundamental to understanding long-term effects of pathology and ultimately providing therapeutic targets. It is well established that Huntington's disease (HD) gene carriers undergo progressive brain changes during the course of disease, yet the long-term trajectory of cortical atrophy is not well defined. Given that genetic therapies currently tested in HD are primarily expected to target the cortex, understanding atrophy across this region is essential. METHODS Capitalizing on a unique longitudinal dataset with a minimum of 3 and maximum of 7 brain scans from 49 HD gene carriers and 49 age-matched control subjects, we implemented a novel dynamical systems approach to infer patterns of regional neurodegeneration over 10 years. We use Bayesian hierarchical modeling to map participant- and group-level trajectories of atrophy spatially and temporally, additionally relating atrophy to the genetic marker of HD (CAG-repeat length) and motor and cognitive symptoms. RESULTS We show, for the first time, that neurodegenerative changes exhibit complex temporal dynamics with substantial regional variation around the point of clinical diagnosis. Although widespread group differences were seen across the cortex, the occipital and parietal regions undergo the greatest rate of cortical atrophy. We have established links between atrophy and genetic markers of HD while demonstrating that specific cortical changes predict decline in motor and cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS HD gene carriers display regional variability in the spatial pattern of cortical atrophy, which relates to genetic factors and motor and cognitive symptoms. Our findings indicate a complex pattern of neuronal loss, which enables greater characterization of HD progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileanoir B Johnson
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Gabriel Ziegler
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - William Penny
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Geraint Rees
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Dementia Research Institute at University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachael I Scahill
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Gregory
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Achenbach J, Saft C, Faissner S. Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effect of Tricyclic Antidepressants and Neuroleptics on the Course of Huntington's Disease-Data from a Real World Cohort. Brain Sci 2021; 11:413. [PMID: 33805940 PMCID: PMC8064332 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11040413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Reducing the progress of neurodegeneration is a key goal in Huntington´s disease (HD). A previously performed systematic screening for medications with neuroprotective features identified tricyclic antidepressants and neuroleptics as neuroprotective and mitochondrioprotective agents. Here, we analyzed the characteristics of disease manifestation, progression and potential beneficial effects in HD patients treated with afore-mentioned medications compared to un- and otherwise treated motor-manifest patients in a large real-world cohort over two years. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data of the largest cohort worldwide of motor-manifest HD patients using the ENROLL-HD database, including demographic, moleculargenetic, clinical-motoric, cognitive and functional data. Longitudinal data of up to two years were obtained to analyze potential effects on disease progression between groups with different medications used. Data were analyzed using repeated ANOVA-analyses while controlling for the co-variates age and CAG-repeat length. Results: We identified n = 7397 motor-manifest HD patients using no or different medication (HD-ctrl) and subgroups treated with clomipramine (n = 56), clozapine (n = 66), chlorpromazine (n = 17), doxepine (n = 34) and desi-, imi- or trimipramine (n = 19). Demographic parameters, disease onset and CAP-score did not differ. Total motor scores (TMS) at baseline were higher in patients treated with clozapine (p < 0.001), chlorpromazine and clomipramine (p < 0.05) compared to HD-ctrl with higher sub scores for bradykinesia (all p < 0.01) and dystonia in clozapine treated patients (p < 0.001). Functional and cognitive capacities were worse in medication groups in comparison to HD-ctrl at baseline (p < 0.001). Repeated measures analysis of variance documented no differences regarding motoric, functional and cognitive disease progressions between groups. Conclusions: We identified group differences, potentially caused by side effects or potential selection bias in terms of bradykinetic motoric symptoms, more dystonia and lower functional and cognitive performance in some treatment groups at baseline, which were not entirely explained because of underlying fundamental characteristics. Disease progression regarding clinical, functional and cognitive outcomes over two years was not affected by any of the treatment groups compared to HD-ctrl. Our data do not support our hypothesis of a potential neuroprotective effect of these drugs on disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannis Achenbach
- Huntington Center North Rhine-Westphalia, Department of Neurology, Ruhr-University Bochum, St. Josef-Hospital Bochum, Gudrunstraße 56, 44791 Bochum, Germany; (C.S.); (S.F.)
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Cheong RY, Gabery S, Petersén Å. The Role of Hypothalamic Pathology for Non-Motor Features of Huntington's Disease. J Huntingtons Dis 2020; 8:375-391. [PMID: 31594240 PMCID: PMC6839491 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-190372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal genetic neurodegenerative disorder. It has mainly been considered a movement disorder with cognitive symptoms and these features have been associated with pathology of the striatum and cerebral cortex. Importantly, individuals with the mutant huntingtin gene suffer from a spectrum of non-motor features often decades before the motor disorder manifests. These symptoms and signs include a range of psychiatric symptoms, sleep problems and metabolic changes with weight loss particularly in later stages. A higher body mass index at diagnosis is associated with slower disease progression. The common psychiatric symptom of apathy progresses with the disease. The fact that non-motor features are present early in the disease and that they show an association to disease progression suggest that unravelling the underlying neurobiological mechanisms may uncover novel targets for early disease intervention and better symptomatic treatment. The hypothalamus and the limbic system are important brain regions that regulate emotion, social cognition, sleep and metabolism. A number of studies using neuroimaging, postmortem human tissue and genetic manipulation in animal models of the disease has collectively shown that the hypothalamus and the limbic system are affected in HD. These findings include the loss of neuropeptide-expressing neurons such as orexin (hypocretin), oxytocin, vasopressin, somatostatin and VIP, and increased levels of SIRT1 in distinct nuclei of the hypothalamus. This review provides a summary of the results obtained so far and highlights the potential importance of these changes for the understanding of non-motor features in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Y Cheong
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Sanaz Gabery
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Åsa Petersén
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Ambroziak W, Fourie C, Montgomery JM. SAP97-mediated rescue of NMDA receptor surface distribution in a neuronal model of Huntington's disease. Hippocampus 2019; 28:707-723. [PMID: 30067285 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Revised: 04/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of the CAG repeat tract in the HTT gene, leading to motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. At the cellular level, NMDA-type glutamate receptors are upregulated at glutamatergic extrasynaptic sites in HD, triggering cell death signaling pathways and driving HD neurodegeneration. Extrasynaptic and synaptic glutamate receptor trafficking and surface distribution are regulated by the α and β N-terminal isoforms of SAP97, a postsynaptic density protein localized at glutamatergic synapses. Here we examined the surface distribution of NMDARs and AMPARs in a cellular model of HD, and whether the manipulation of individual SAP97 isoforms can regulate receptor distribution in diseased neurons. Using dSTORM super-resolution imaging, we reveal that mutant HTT drives the elevation of extrasynaptic NMDAR clusters located 100-500 nm from the postsynaptic density. This was accompanied by a decline in synaptic NMDAR-mediated currents while surface NMDAR-mediated currents remained unchanged. These effects were induced within 3 days of mutant HTT expression in rat hippocampal neurons in vitro, and were specific for NMDARs and not observed with AMPARs. Intriguingly, upregulation of either α- or βSAP97 expression increased synaptic and/or perisynaptic NMDAR localization and prevented the shift of NMDARs to extrasynaptic sites in mutant HTT neurons. This was accompanied by the rescue of normal synaptic NMDAR-mediated currents. Taken together, our high-resolution data reveals plasticity in surface NMDAR localization driven by mutant HTT and identifies the similar but independent roles of SAP97 N-terminal isoforms in maintaining normal synaptic function in pathological states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech Ambroziak
- Department of Physiology and Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Chantelle Fourie
- Department of Physiology and Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Johanna M Montgomery
- Department of Physiology and Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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van der Plas E, Langbehn DR, Conrad AL, Koscik TR, Tereshchenko A, Epping EA, Magnotta VA, Nopoulos PC. Abnormal brain development in child and adolescent carriers of mutant huntingtin. Neurology 2019; 93:e1021-e1030. [PMID: 31371571 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000008066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The huntingtin gene is critical for the formation and differentiation of the CNS, which raises questions about the neurodevelopmental effect of CAG expansion mutations within this gene (mHTT) that cause Huntington disease (HD). We sought to test the hypothesis that child and adolescent carriers of mHTT exhibit different brain growth compared to peers without the mutation by conducting structural MRI in youth who are at risk for HD. We also explored whether the length of CAG expansion affects brain development. METHODS Children and adolescents (age 6-18) with a parent or grandparent diagnosed with HD underwent MRI and blinded genetic testing to confirm the presence or absence of mHTT. Seventy-five individuals were gene-expanded (GE) and 97 individuals were gene-nonexpanded (GNE). The GE group was estimated to be on average 35 years from clinical onset. Following an accelerated longitudinal design, age-related changes in brain regions were estimated. RESULTS Age-related striatal volume changes differed significantly between the GE and GNE groups, with initial hypertrophy and more rapid volume decline in GE. This pattern was exaggerated with CAG expansion length for CAG > 50. A similar age-dependent group difference was observed for the globus pallidus, but not in other major regions. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that pathogenesis of HD begins with abnormal brain development. An understanding of potential neurodevelopmental features associated with mHTT may be needed for optimized implementation of preventative gene silencing therapies, such that normal aspects of neurodevelopment are preserved as neurodegeneration is forestalled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen van der Plas
- From the Department of Psychiatry (E.v.d.P., T.R.K.), University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics; and the Departments of Psychiatry (D.R.L., A.T., E.A.E., P.C.N.), Biostatistics (D.R.L., A.T.), and Radiology (V.A.M.) and Stead Family Department of Pediatrics (A.L.C.), University of Iowa, Iowa City.
| | - Douglas R Langbehn
- From the Department of Psychiatry (E.v.d.P., T.R.K.), University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics; and the Departments of Psychiatry (D.R.L., A.T., E.A.E., P.C.N.), Biostatistics (D.R.L., A.T.), and Radiology (V.A.M.) and Stead Family Department of Pediatrics (A.L.C.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
| | - Amy L Conrad
- From the Department of Psychiatry (E.v.d.P., T.R.K.), University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics; and the Departments of Psychiatry (D.R.L., A.T., E.A.E., P.C.N.), Biostatistics (D.R.L., A.T.), and Radiology (V.A.M.) and Stead Family Department of Pediatrics (A.L.C.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
| | - Timothy R Koscik
- From the Department of Psychiatry (E.v.d.P., T.R.K.), University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics; and the Departments of Psychiatry (D.R.L., A.T., E.A.E., P.C.N.), Biostatistics (D.R.L., A.T.), and Radiology (V.A.M.) and Stead Family Department of Pediatrics (A.L.C.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
| | - Alexander Tereshchenko
- From the Department of Psychiatry (E.v.d.P., T.R.K.), University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics; and the Departments of Psychiatry (D.R.L., A.T., E.A.E., P.C.N.), Biostatistics (D.R.L., A.T.), and Radiology (V.A.M.) and Stead Family Department of Pediatrics (A.L.C.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
| | - Eric A Epping
- From the Department of Psychiatry (E.v.d.P., T.R.K.), University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics; and the Departments of Psychiatry (D.R.L., A.T., E.A.E., P.C.N.), Biostatistics (D.R.L., A.T.), and Radiology (V.A.M.) and Stead Family Department of Pediatrics (A.L.C.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
| | - Vincent A Magnotta
- From the Department of Psychiatry (E.v.d.P., T.R.K.), University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics; and the Departments of Psychiatry (D.R.L., A.T., E.A.E., P.C.N.), Biostatistics (D.R.L., A.T.), and Radiology (V.A.M.) and Stead Family Department of Pediatrics (A.L.C.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
| | - Peggy C Nopoulos
- From the Department of Psychiatry (E.v.d.P., T.R.K.), University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics; and the Departments of Psychiatry (D.R.L., A.T., E.A.E., P.C.N.), Biostatistics (D.R.L., A.T.), and Radiology (V.A.M.) and Stead Family Department of Pediatrics (A.L.C.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
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Abstract
In this study we longitudinally investigated the rate of microstructural alterations in the occipital cortex in different stages of Huntington's disease (HD) by applying an automated atlas-based approach to diffusion MRI data. Twenty-two premanifest (preHD), 10 early manifest HD (early HD) and 24 healthy control subjects completed baseline and two year follow-up scans. The preHD group was stratified based on the predicted years to disease onset into a far (preHD-A) and near (preHD-B) to disease onset group. Clinical and behavioral measures were collected per assessment time point. An automated atlas-based DTI analysis approach was used to obtain the mean, axial and radial diffusivities of the occipital cortex. We found that the longitudinal rate of diffusivity change in the superior occipital gyrus (SOG), middle occipital gyrus (MOG), and inferior occipital gyrus (IOG) was significantly higher in early HD compared to both preHD and controls (all p's ≤ 0.005), which can be interpreted as an increased rate of microstructural degeneration. Furthermore, the change rate in the diffusivity of the MOG could significantly discriminate between preHD-B compared to preHD-A and the other groups (all p's ≤ 0.04). Finally, we found an inverse correlation between the Stroop Word Reading task and diffusivities in the SOG and MOG (all p's ≤ 0.01). These findings suggest that measures obtained from the occipital cortex can serve as sensitive longitudinal biomarkers for disease progression in preHD-B and early HD. These could in turn be used to assess potential effects of proposed disease modifying therapies.
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Wu D, Faria AV, Younes L, Mori S, Brown T, Johnson H, Paulsen JS, Ross CA, Miller MI. Mapping the order and pattern of brain structural MRI changes using change-point analysis in premanifest Huntington's disease. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:5035-5050. [PMID: 28657159 PMCID: PMC5766002 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder that progressively affects motor, cognitive, and emotional functions. Structural MRI studies have demonstrated brain atrophy beginning many years prior to clinical onset ("premanifest" period), but the order and pattern of brain structural changes have not been fully characterized. In this study, we investigated brain regional volumes and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements in premanifest HD, and we aim to determine (1) the extent of MRI changes in a large number of structures across the brain by atlas-based analysis, and (2) the initiation points of structural MRI changes in these brain regions. We adopted a novel multivariate linear regression model to detect the inflection points at which the MRI changes begin (namely, "change-points"), with respect to the CAG-age product (CAP, an indicator of extent of exposure to the effects of CAG repeat expansion). We used approximately 300 T1-weighted and DTI data from premanifest HD and control subjects in the PREDICT-HD study, with atlas-based whole brain segmentation and change-point analysis. The results indicated a distinct topology of structural MRI changes: the change-points of the volumetric measurements suggested a central-to-peripheral pattern of atrophy from the striatum to the deep white matter; and the change points of DTI measurements indicated the earliest changes in mean diffusivity in the deep white matter and posterior white matter. While interpretation needs to be cautious given the cross-sectional nature of the data, these findings suggest a spatial and temporal pattern of spread of structural changes within the HD brain. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5035-5050, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Wu
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological ScienceJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMaryland
| | - Andreia V. Faria
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological ScienceJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMaryland
| | - Laurent Younes
- Center for Imaging Science, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMaryland
- Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMaryland
- Department of Applied Mathematics and StatisticsJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMaryland
| | - Susumu Mori
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological ScienceJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMaryland
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger InstituteBaltimoreMaryland
| | - Timothy Brown
- Center for Imaging Science, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMaryland
| | - Hans Johnson
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of IowaIowa CityIowa
| | - Jane S. Paulsen
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Psychology and NeurosciencesUniversity of IowaIowa CityIowa
| | - Christopher A. Ross
- Division of Neurobiology, Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuroscience and Pharmacology, and Program in Cellular and Molecular MedicineJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMaryland
| | - Michael I. Miller
- Center for Imaging Science, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMaryland
- Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMaryland
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMaryland
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Risk factors for the onset and progression of Huntington disease. Neurotoxicology 2017; 61:79-99. [PMID: 28111121 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2017.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by chorea, behavioural and psychiatric manifestations, and dementia, caused by a CAG triplet repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene. Systematic review of the literature was conducted to determine the risk factors for the onset and progression of HD. Multiple databases were searched, using terms specific to Huntington disease and to studies of aetiology, risk, prevention and genetics, limited to studies on human subjects published in English or French between 1950 and 2010. Two reviewers independently screened the abstracts and identified potentially relevant articles for full-text review using predetermined inclusion criteria. Three major categories of risk factors for onset of HD were identified: CAG repeat length in the huntingtin gene, CAG instability, and genetic modifiers. Of these, CAG repeat length in the huntingtin gene is the most important risk factor. For the progression of HD: genetic, demographic, past medical/clinical and environmental risk factors have been studied. Of these factors, genetic factors appear to play the most important role in the progression of HD. Among the potential risk factors, CAG repeat length in the mutant allele was found to be a relatively consistent and significant risk factor for the progression of HD, especially in motor, cognitive, and other neurological symptom deterioration. In addition, there were many consistent results in the literature indicating that a higher number of CAG repeats was associated with shorter survival, faster institutionalization, and earlier percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy.
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Rattray I, Smith EJ, Crum WR, Walker TA, Gale R, Bates GP, Modo M. Correlations of Behavioral Deficits with Brain Pathology Assessed through Longitudinal MRI and Histopathology in the HdhQ150/Q150 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0168556. [PMID: 28099507 PMCID: PMC5242535 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A variety of mouse models have been developed that express mutant huntingtin (mHTT) leading to aggregates and inclusions that model the molecular pathology observed in Huntington's disease. Here we show that although homozygous HdhQ150 knock-in mice developed motor impairments (rotarod, locomotor activity, grip strength) by 36 weeks of age, cognitive dysfunction (swimming T maze, fear conditioning, odor discrimination, social interaction) was not evident by 94 weeks. Concomitant to behavioral assessments, T2-weighted MRI volume measurements indicated a slower striatal growth with a significant difference between wild type (WT) and HdhQ150 mice being present even at 15 weeks. Indeed, MRI indicated significant volumetric changes prior to the emergence of the "clinical horizon" of motor impairments at 36 weeks of age. A striatal decrease of 27% was observed over 94 weeks with cortex (12%) and hippocampus (21%) also indicating significant atrophy. A hypothesis-free analysis using tensor-based morphometry highlighted further regions undergoing atrophy by contrasting brain growth and regional neurodegeneration. Histology revealed the widespread presence of mHTT aggregates and cellular inclusions. However, there was little evidence of correlations between these outcome measures, potentially indicating that other factors are important in the causal cascade linking the molecular pathology to the emergence of behavioral impairments. In conclusion, the HdhQ150 mouse model replicates many aspects of the human condition, including an extended pre-manifest period prior to the emergence of motor impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Rattray
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- King’s College London School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edward J. Smith
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- King’s College London School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - William R. Crum
- King’s College London, Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas A. Walker
- King’s College London School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Gale
- King’s College London School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gillian P. Bates
- King’s College London School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michel Modo
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Radiology, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
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12
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Scahill RI, Andre R, Tabrizi SJ, Aylward EH. Structural imaging in premanifest and manifest Huntington disease. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2017; 144:247-261. [PMID: 28947121 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-801893-4.00020-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) neuropathology has a devastating effect on brain structure and consequently brain function; neuroimaging provides a means to assess these effects in gene carriers. In this chapter we first outline the unique utility of structural imaging in understanding HD and discuss some of the acquisition and analysis techniques currently available. We review the existing literature to summarize what we know so far about structural brain changes across the spectrum of disease from premanifest through to manifest disease. We then consider how these neuroimaging findings relate to patient function and nonimaging biomarkers, and can be used to predict disease onset. Finally we review the utility of imaging measures for assessment of treatment efficacy in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael I Scahill
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ralph Andre
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Elizabeth H Aylward
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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13
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Faria AV, Ratnanather JT, Tward DJ, Lee DS, van den Noort F, Wu D, Brown T, Johnson H, Paulsen JS, Ross CA, Younes L, Miller MI. Linking white matter and deep gray matter alterations in premanifest Huntington disease. Neuroimage Clin 2016; 11:450-460. [PMID: 27104139 PMCID: PMC4827723 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2016.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Revised: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which only symptomatic treatment is available. A better understanding of the pathology, and identification of biomarkers will facilitate the development of disease-modifying treatments. HD is potentially a good model of a neurodegenerative disease for development of biomarkers because it is an autosomal-dominant disease with complete penetrance, caused by a single gene mutation, in which the neurodegenerative process can be assessed many years before onset of signs and symptoms of manifest disease. Previous MRI studies have detected abnormalities in gray and white matter starting in premanifest stages. However, the understanding of how these abnormalities are related, both in time and space, is still incomplete. In this study, we combined deep gray matter shape diffeomorphometry and white matter DTI analysis in order to provide a better mapping of pathology in the deep gray matter and subcortical white matter in premanifest HD. We used 296 MRI scans from the PREDICT-HD database. Atrophy in the deep gray matter, thalamus, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens was analyzed by surface based morphometry, and while white matter abnormalities were analyzed in (i) regions of interest surrounding these structures, using (ii) tractography-based analysis, and using (iii) whole brain atlas-based analysis. We detected atrophy in the deep gray matter, particularly in putamen, from early premanifest stages. The atrophy was greater both in extent and effect size in cases with longer exposure to the effects of the CAG expansion mutation (as assessed by greater CAP-scores), and preceded detectible abnormalities in the white matter. Near the predicted onset of manifest HD, the MD increase was widespread, with highest indices in the deep and posterior white matter. This type of in-vivo macroscopic mapping of HD brain abnormalities can potentially indicate when and where therapeutics could be targeted to delay the onset or slow the disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia V Faria
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - J Tilak Ratnanather
- Center for Imaging Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for Computational Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Daniel J Tward
- Center for Imaging Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for Computational Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David Soobin Lee
- Center for Imaging Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for Computational Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Frieda van den Noort
- MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Dan Wu
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Timothy Brown
- Center for Imaging Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hans Johnson
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Jane S Paulsen
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Christopher A Ross
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, and Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Laurent Younes
- Center for Imaging Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for Computational Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael I Miller
- Center for Imaging Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for Computational Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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14
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Abstract
Movement disorders can be hypokinetic (e.g., parkinsonism), hyperkinetic, or dystonic in nature and commonly arise from altered function in nuclei of the basal ganglia or their connections. As obvious structural changes are often limited, standard imaging plays less of a role than in other neurologic disorders. However, structural imaging is indicated where clinical presentation is atypical, particularly if the disorder is abrupt in onset or remains strictly unilateral. More recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may allow for differentiation between Parkinson's disease and atypical forms of parkinsonism. Functional imaging can assess regional cerebral blood flow (functional MRI (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)), cerebral glucose metabolism (PET), neurochemical and neuroreceptor status (PET and SPECT), and pathologic processes such as inflammation or abnormal protein deposition (PET) (Table 49.1). Cerebral blood flow can be assessed at rest, during the performance of motor or cognitive tasks, or in response to a variety of stimuli. In appropriate situations, the correct imaging modality and/or combination of modalities can be used to detect early disease or even preclinical disease, and to monitor disease progression and the effects of disease-modifying interventions. Various approaches are reviewed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Jon Stoessl
- Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre and Division of Neurology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Martin J Mckeown
- Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre and Division of Neurology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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15
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Abnormal cerebellar volume and corticocerebellar dysfunction in early manifest Huntington’s disease. J Neurol 2015; 262:859-69. [DOI: 10.1007/s00415-015-7642-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2014] [Revised: 01/08/2015] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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16
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Aylward EH. Magnetic resonance imaging striatal volumes: a biomarker for clinical trials in Huntington's disease. Mov Disord 2014; 29:1429-33. [PMID: 25164586 DOI: 10.1002/mds.26013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 08/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
An abundance of research shows that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) striatal volumes decrease long before diagnosis of Huntington's disease (HD) and closely track disease progression. Additional research indicates that these volumetric measures meet important criteria for a biomarker that can be used in clinical trials: They are 1) objectively measureable; 2) able to predict known endpoints; and 3) associated with known mechanisms of pathology of the disease. Researchers should consider formal application to regulatory agencies for biomarker status of volumetric MRI striatal measures, because these measures are anticipated to contribute significantly in the assessment of treatment effectiveness in HD.
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Ross CA, Aylward EH, Wild EJ, Langbehn DR, Long JD, Warner JH, Scahill RI, Leavitt BR, Stout JC, Paulsen JS, Reilmann R, Unschuld PG, Wexler A, Margolis RL, Tabrizi SJ. Huntington disease: natural history, biomarkers and prospects for therapeutics. Nat Rev Neurol 2014; 10:204-16. [PMID: 24614516 DOI: 10.1038/nrneurol.2014.24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 678] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) can be seen as a model neurodegenerative disorder, in that it is caused by a single genetic mutation and is amenable to predictive genetic testing, with estimation of years to predicted onset, enabling the entire range of disease natural history to be studied. Structural neuroimaging biomarkers show that progressive regional brain atrophy begins many years before the emergence of diagnosable signs and symptoms of HD, and continues steadily during the symptomatic or 'manifest' period. The continued development of functional, neurochemical and other biomarkers raises hopes that these biomarkers might be useful for future trials of disease-modifying therapeutics to delay the onset and slow the progression of HD. Such advances could herald a new era of personalized preventive therapeutics. We describe the natural history of HD, including the timing of emergence of motor, cognitive and emotional impairments, and the techniques that are used to assess these features. Building on this information, we review recent progress in the development of biomarkers for HD, and potential future roles of these biomarkers in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Ross
- Division of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Russell L Margolis
- Division of Neurobiology, Johns Hopkins University, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
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18
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Lauterbach EC. Neuroprotective effects of psychotropic drugs in Huntington's disease. Int J Mol Sci 2013; 14:22558-603. [PMID: 24248060 PMCID: PMC3856079 DOI: 10.3390/ijms141122558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2013] [Revised: 10/16/2013] [Accepted: 10/16/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychotropics (antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, antidepressants, anxiolytics, etc.) are commonly prescribed to treat Huntington’s disease (HD). In HD preclinical models, while no psychotropic has convincingly affected huntingtin gene, HD modifying gene, or huntingtin protein expression, psychotropic neuroprotective effects include upregulated huntingtin autophagy (lithium), histone acetylation (lithium, valproate, lamotrigine), miR-222 (lithium-plus-valproate), mitochondrial protection (haloperidol, trifluoperazine, imipramine, desipramine, nortriptyline, maprotiline, trazodone, sertraline, venlafaxine, melatonin), neurogenesis (lithium, valproate, fluoxetine, sertraline), and BDNF (lithium, valproate, sertraline) and downregulated AP-1 DNA binding (lithium), p53 (lithium), huntingtin aggregation (antipsychotics, lithium), and apoptosis (trifluoperazine, loxapine, lithium, desipramine, nortriptyline, maprotiline, cyproheptadine, melatonin). In HD live mouse models, delayed disease onset (nortriptyline, melatonin), striatal preservation (haloperidol, tetrabenazine, lithium, sertraline), memory preservation (imipramine, trazodone, fluoxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine), motor improvement (tetrabenazine, lithium, valproate, imipramine, nortriptyline, trazodone, sertraline, venlafaxine), and extended survival (lithium, valproate, sertraline, melatonin) have been documented. Upregulated CREB binding protein (CBP; valproate, dextromethorphan) and downregulated histone deacetylase (HDAC; valproate) await demonstration in HD models. Most preclinical findings await replication and their limitations are reviewed. The most promising findings involve replicated striatal neuroprotection and phenotypic disease modification in transgenic mice for tetrabenazine and for sertraline. Clinical data consist of an uncontrolled lithium case series (n = 3) suggesting non-progression and a primarily negative double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of lamotrigine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward C Lauterbach
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Mercer University School of Medicine, 655 First Street, Macon, GA 31201, USA.
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19
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Paulsen JS, Nance M, Kim JI, Carlozzi NE, Panegyres PK, Erwin C, Goh A, McCusker E, Williams JK. A review of quality of life after predictive testing for and earlier identification of neurodegenerative diseases. Prog Neurobiol 2013; 110:2-28. [PMID: 24036231 PMCID: PMC3833259 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2013.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2013] [Revised: 08/26/2013] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed an explosion of evidence suggesting that many neurodegenerative diseases can be detected years, if not decades, earlier than previously thought. To date, these scientific advances have not provoked any parallel translational or clinical improvements. There is an urgency to capitalize on this momentum so earlier detection of disease can be more readily translated into improved health-related quality of life for families at risk for, or suffering with, neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we discuss health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measurement in neurodegenerative diseases and the importance of these "patient reported outcomes" for all clinical research. Next, we address HRQOL following early identification or predictive genetic testing in some neurodegenerative diseases: Huntington disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, prion diseases, hereditary ataxias, Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy and Wilson's disease. After a brief report of available direct-to-consumer genetic tests, we address the juxtaposition of earlier disease identification with assumed reluctance toward predictive genetic testing. Forty-one studies examining health-related outcomes following predictive genetic testing for neurodegenerative disease suggested that (a) extreme or catastrophic outcomes are rare; (b) consequences commonly include transiently increased anxiety and/or depression; (c) most participants report no regret; (d) many persons report extensive benefits to receiving genetic information; and (e) stigmatization and discrimination for genetic diseases are poorly understood and policy and laws are needed. Caution is appropriate for earlier identification of neurodegenerative diseases but findings suggest further progress is safe, feasible and likely to advance clinical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane S Paulsen
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
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20
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Loss of corticostriatal and thalamostriatal synaptic terminals precedes striatal projection neuron pathology in heterozygous Q140 Huntington's disease mice. Neurobiol Dis 2013; 60:89-107. [PMID: 23969239 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2013.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2013] [Revised: 07/22/2013] [Accepted: 08/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor slowing, forebrain white matter loss, and striatal shrinkage have been reported in premanifest Huntington's disease (HD) prior to overt striatal neuron loss. We carried out detailed LM and EM studies in a genetically precise HD mimic, heterozygous Q140 HD knock-in mice, to examine the possibility that loss of corticostriatal and thalamostriatal terminals prior to striatal neuron loss underlies these premanifest HD abnormalities. In our studies, we used VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 immunolabeling to detect corticostriatal and thalamostriatal (respectively) terminals in dorsolateral (motor) striatum over the first year of life, prior to striatal projection neuron pathology. VGLUT1+ axospinous corticostriatal terminals represented about 55% of all excitatory terminals in striatum, and VGLUT2+ axospinous thalamostriatal terminals represented about 35%, with VGLUT1+ and VGLUT2+ axodendritic terminals accounting for the remainder. In Q140 mice, a significant 40% shortfall in VGLUT2+ axodendritic thalamostriatal terminals and a 20% shortfall in axospinous thalamostriatal terminals were already observed at 1 month of age, but VGLUT1+ terminals were normal in abundance. The 20% deficiency in VGLUT2+ thalamostriatal axospinous terminals persisted at 4 and 12 months in Q140 mice, and an additional 30% loss of VGLUT1+ corticostriatal terminals was observed at 12 months. The early and persistent deficiency in thalamostriatal axospinous terminals in Q140 mice may reflect a development defect, and the impoverishment of this excitatory drive to striatum may help explain early motor defects in Q140 mice and in premanifest HD. The loss of corticostriatal terminals at 1 year in Q140 mice is consistent with prior evidence from other mouse models of corticostriatal disconnection early during progression, and can explain both the measurable bradykinesia and striatal white matter loss in late premanifest HD.
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21
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Wolf RC, Klöppel S. Clinical significance of frontal cortex abnormalities in Huntington's disease. Exp Neurol 2013; 247:39-44. [PMID: 23562669 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2013.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Revised: 03/03/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Christian Wolf
- Center of Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Germany
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22
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Automated differentiation of pre-diagnosis Huntington's disease from healthy control individuals based on quadratic discriminant analysis of the basal ganglia: The IMAGE-HD study. Neurobiol Dis 2013; 51:82-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2012.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2012] [Revised: 08/31/2012] [Accepted: 10/03/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
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Georgiou-Karistianis N, Scahill R, Tabrizi SJ, Squitieri F, Aylward E. Structural MRI in Huntington's disease and recommendations for its potential use in clinical trials. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:480-90. [PMID: 23376047 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2012] [Revised: 01/02/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) results in progressive impairment of motor and cognitive function and neuropsychiatric disturbance. There are no disease-modifying treatments available, but HD research is entering a critical phase where promising disease-specific therapies are on the horizon. Thus, a pressing need exists for biomarkers capable of monitoring progression and ultimately determining drug efficacy. Neuroimaging provides a powerful tool for assessing disease progression. However, in order to be accepted as biomarkers for clinical trials, imaging measures must be reproducible, robust to scanner differences, sensitive to disease-related change and demonstrate a relationship to clinically meaningful measures. We provide a review of the current structural imaging literature in HD and highlight inconsistencies between studies. We make recommendations for the standardisation of reporting for future studies, such as appropriate cohort characterisation and documentation of methodologies to facilitate comparisons and inform trial design. We also argue for an intensified effort to consider issues highlighted here so that we have the best chance of assessing the efficacy of the therapeutic benefit in forestalling this devastating disease.
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24
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Increased brain tissue sodium concentration in Huntington's Disease — A sodium imaging study at 4T. Neuroimage 2012; 63:517-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2012] [Revised: 07/05/2012] [Accepted: 07/06/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
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25
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Lambrecq V, Langbour N, Guehl D, Bioulac B, Burbaud P, Rotge JY. Evolution of brain gray matter loss in Huntington's disease: a meta-analysis. Eur J Neurol 2012; 20:315-21. [PMID: 22925174 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2012.03854.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2012] [Accepted: 07/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease is characterized by neuronal loss throughout the disease course. Voxel-based morphometry studies have reported reductions in gray matter concentration (GMC) in many brain regions in patients with Huntington. The description of the time course of gray matter loss may help to identify some evolution markers. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies of Huntington's disease to describe the evolution of brain gray matter loss. METHODS A systematic search led to the inclusion of 11 articles on Huntington's disease (297 patients and 205 controls). We extracted data from patients with preclinical Huntington, patients with clinical Huntington, and controls. Finally, anatomical likelihood estimation analyses were conducted to identify GMC changes between preclinical patients and controls, between clinical patients and controls, and between preclinical and clinical patients. RESULTS Preclinical patients exhibited gray matter loss in the left basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex. Clinical patients had bilateral gray matter loss in the basal ganglia, the prefrontal cortex, and the insula. The left striatum was smaller in clinical patients than in preclinical patients. CONCLUSIONS Neurodegenerative processes associated with Huntington's disease, as assessed by GMC reduction, begin in the left hemisphere and extend to the contralateral hemisphere throughout the inexorable course of the disease. Changes in gray matter, especially the volumetric side ratio of the striatum, could represent a relevant biomarker for characterizing the different progression stages of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Lambrecq
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 5293, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France
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26
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Dogan I, Eickhoff SB, Schulz JB, Shah NJ, Laird AR, Fox PT, Reetz K. Consistent neurodegeneration and its association with clinical progression in Huntington's disease: a coordinate-based meta-analysis. NEURODEGENER DIS 2012; 12:23-35. [PMID: 22922585 DOI: 10.1159/000339528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2012] [Accepted: 05/10/2012] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The neuropathological hallmark of Huntington's disease (HD) is progressive striatal loss starting several years prior to clinical onset. In the past decade, whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have provided accumulating evidence for widely distributed cortical and subcortical atrophy in the early course of the disease. OBJECTIVE In order to synthesize current morphometric MRI findings and to investigate the impact of clinical and genetic features on structural changes, we performed a coordinate-based meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies in HD. METHODS Twenty HD samples derived from 17 studies were integrated in the analysis comparing a total of 685 HD mutation carriers [345 presymptomatic (pre-HD) and 340 symptomatic (symp-HD) subjects] and 507 controls. Convergent findings across studies were delineated using the anatomical likelihood estimation approach. Effects of genetic and clinical parameters on the likelihood of observing VBM findings were calculated by means of correlation analyses. RESULTS Pre-HD studies featured convergent evidence for neurodegeneration in the basal ganglia, amygdala, thalamus, insula and occipital regions. In symp-HD, cerebral atrophy was more pronounced and spread to cortical regions (i.e., inferior frontal, premotor, sensorimotor, midcingulate, frontoparietal and temporoparietal cortices). Higher cytosine-adenosine-guanosine repeats were associated with striatal degeneration, while parameters of disease progression and motor impairment additionally correlated with cortical atrophy, especially in sensorimotor areas. CONCLUSION This first quantitative meta-analysis in HD demonstrates the extent of striatal atrophy and further consistent extrastriatal degeneration before clinical conversion. Sensorimotor areas seem to be core regions affected in symp-HD and, along with widespread cortical atrophy, may account for the clinical heterogeneity in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imis Dogan
- Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Jülich GmbH, Jülich.,Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, Jülich
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Jülich GmbH, Jülich.,Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf , Germany
| | - Jörg B Schulz
- Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen.,Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, Jülich
| | - N Jon Shah
- Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Jülich GmbH, Jülich.,Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, Jülich
| | - Angela R Laird
- Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, Tex. , USA
| | - Peter T Fox
- Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, Tex. , USA
| | - Kathrin Reetz
- Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Jülich GmbH, Jülich.,Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, Jülich
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27
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Wolf RC, Thomann PA, Thomann AK, Vasic N, Wolf ND, Landwehrmeyer GB, Orth M. Brain structure in preclinical Huntington's disease: a multi-method approach. NEURODEGENER DIS 2012; 12:13-22. [PMID: 22906775 DOI: 10.1159/000338635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2011] [Accepted: 04/04/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain could be a powerful tool for discovering early biomarkers in clinically presymptomatic carriers of the Huntington's disease gene mutation (preHD). So far, structural changes have been found mainly in preHD approaching the estimated motor onset of the disease (i.e., less than 15 years from onset), whereas structural findings in preHD far from the estimated motor onset have been inconclusive. OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to investigate the sensitivity of different methodological approaches to structural data in far-from-onset preHD (mean estimated time to motor onset = 21.4 years) and to explore the relationship between brain structure, clinical variables and cognition. METHODS High-resolution MRI data at 3 T were obtained from 20 preHD individuals and 20 healthy participants and subsequently analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), cortical surface modeling and subcortical segmentation analysis techniques. RESULTS VBM analyses did not reveal significant between-group differences, whereas cortical surface modeling and subcortical segmentation analyses showed significant regional cortical thinning and striatal changes in preHD compared to controls. Significant correlations were found between striatal structure, estimated time to motor onset and executive performance, whereas cortical changes were not significantly correlated with these parameters. CONCLUSION These data suggest that a combined methodological approach to structural MRI data could increase the sensitivity for detecting subtle neurobiological changes in early preHD. As consistently shown across different methods, the association between striatal structure and clinical measures supports the notion that changes in striatal volume could represent a more robust marker of disease progression than cortical changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Christian Wolf
- Center of Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Wolf RC, Sambataro F, Vasic N, Wolf ND, Thomann PA, Saft C, Landwehrmeyer GB, Orth M. Default-mode network changes in preclinical Huntington's disease. Exp Neurol 2012; 237:191-8. [PMID: 22742947 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2012.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Accepted: 06/16/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The default-mode network (DMN) refers to as a set of brain regions which are active when the brain does not engage in a cognitive task and which are deactivated with task-related cognitive effort. Altered function of the DMN has been associated with a decline of cognition in several neurodegenerative diseases and related at-risk conditions. In Huntington's disease, an autosomal dominant inherited neurodegenerative disorder, several studies so far have shown abnormal task-related brain activation patterns even in preclinical carriers of the Huntington's disease gene mutation (preHD). To date, however, the functional integrity of the DMN has not been addressed in this population. The aim of this study was to study the functional connectivity of the DMN in 18 preHD and 18 healthy controls who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during an attention task. A group independent component analysis identified spatiotemporally distinct patterns of two DMN subsystems. The spatial distribution of these components in preHD was similar to controls. However, preHD showed lower subsystem-specific connectivity in the anterior medial prefrontal cortex, the left inferior parietal and the posterior cingulate cortex (p<0.05, cluster-corrected). Connectivity between the two DMN subsystems was increased in preHD compared to controls. In preHD individuals lower functional connectivity of the left inferior parietal cortex was associated with shorter reaction times in the attention task. This suggests that some functionally critical regions of the DMN may have to remain active to maintain or optimise cognitive performance in preHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Christian Wolf
- Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
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Nemeth D, Dye CD, Sefcsik T, Janacsek K, Turi Z, Londe Z, Klivenyi P, Kincses ZT, Szabó N, Vecsei L, Ullman MT. Language deficits in pre-symptomatic Huntington's disease: evidence from Hungarian. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2012; 121:248-253. [PMID: 22538085 PMCID: PMC3350800 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2012.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2010] [Revised: 03/15/2012] [Accepted: 04/02/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
A limited number of studies have investigated language in Huntington's disease (HD). These have generally reported abnormalities in rule-governed (grammatical) aspects of language, in both syntax and morphology. Several studies of verbal inflectional morphology in English and French have reported evidence of over-active rule processing, such as over-suffixation errors (e.g., walkeded) and over-regularizations (e.g., digged). Here we extend the investigation to noun inflection in Hungarian, a Finno-Ugric agglutinative language with complex morphology, and to genetically proven pre-symptomatic Huntington's disease (pre-HD). Although individuals with pre-HD have no clinical, motor or cognitive symptoms, the underlying pathology may already have begun, and thus sensitive behavioral measures might reveal already-present impairments. Indeed, in a Hungarian morphology production task, pre-HD patients made both over-suffixation and over-regularization errors. The findings suggest the generality of over-active rule processing in both HD and pre-HD, across languages from different families with different morphological systems, and for both verbal and noun inflection. Because the neuropathology in pre-HD appears to be largely restricted to the caudate nucleus and related structures, the findings further implicate these structures in language, and in rule-processing in particular. Finally, the need for effective treatments in HD, which will likely depend in part on the ability to sensitively measure early changes in the disease, suggests the possibility that inflectional morphology, and perhaps other language measures, may provide useful diagnostic, tracking, and therapeutic tools for assessing and treating early degeneration in pre-HD and HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dezso Nemeth
- Institute of Psychology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
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30
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Fonteijn HM, Modat M, Clarkson MJ, Barnes J, Lehmann M, Hobbs NZ, Scahill RI, Tabrizi SJ, Ourselin S, Fox NC, Alexander DC. An event-based model for disease progression and its application in familial Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease. Neuroimage 2012; 60:1880-9. [PMID: 22281676 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.01.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2011] [Revised: 12/23/2011] [Accepted: 01/08/2012] [Indexed: 10/14/2022] Open
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Ille R, Holl AK, Kapfhammer HP, Reisinger K, Schäfer A, Schienle A. Emotion recognition and experience in Huntington's disease: is there a differential impairment? Psychiatry Res 2011; 188:377-82. [PMID: 21550669 PMCID: PMC3155018 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2011.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2010] [Revised: 04/07/2011] [Accepted: 04/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Findings on affective processing deficits in Huntington's disease (HD) have been inconsistent. It is still not clear whether HD patients are afflicted by specific deficits in emotion recognition and experience. We tested 28 symptomatic HD patients and presented them with pictures depicting facial expressions of emotions (Karolinska-Set) and with affective scenes (International Affective Picture System; IAPS). The faces were judged according to the displayed intensity of six basic emotions, whereas the scenes received intensity ratings for the elicited emotions in the viewer. Patients' responses were compared with those of 28 healthy controls. HD patients gave lower intensity ratings for facial expressions of anger, disgust and surprise than controls. Patients' recognition deficits were associated with reduced functional capacity, such as problems with social interactions. Moreover, their classification accuracy was reduced for angry, disgusted, sad and surprised faces. When judging affective scenes for the elicitation of happiness, disgust and fear, HD patients had a tendency to estimate them as more intense than controls. This finding points to a differential impairment in emotion recognition and emotion experience in HD. We found no significant correlations between emotion experience/recognition ratings and CAG repeats, symptom duration and UHDRS Motor Assessment in the patient group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rottraut Ille
- Institute of Psychology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Austria.
| | | | | | - Karin Reisinger
- University Hospital of Psychiatry, Medical University Graz, Austria
| | - Axel Schäfer
- Institute of Psychology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Austria
| | - Anne Schienle
- Institute of Psychology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Austria
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Wolf RC, Sambataro F, Vasic N, Wolf ND, Thomann PA, Landwehrmeyer GB, Orth M. Longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging of cognition in preclinical Huntington's disease. Exp Neurol 2011; 231:214-22. [PMID: 21726553 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2011.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2011] [Revised: 06/09/2011] [Accepted: 06/18/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Neuropsychological and functional neuroimaging studies have revealed early changes of cognition and brain function in individuals with the Huntington's disease (HD) gene mutation who are presymptomatic for the motor symptoms of the disease (preHD). However, little is known about whether changes of neural function progress over time. In this study, we used neuropsychological tests of attention, working memory and executive function, functional magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based analyses of high-resolution structural data to explore the temporal dynamics of potential cognitive, functional and structural biomarkers in far from onset preHD (n=13, mean time to the estimated motor symptom onset=19.5 years) and healthy controls (n=13) followed over a 2-year period. Behavioral measures were similar in preHD individuals and controls at baseline and remained normal 2 years later. At both time points, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was less active in preHD than in controls during working memory performance. The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex did not exhibit further loss of activity over time. Regions showing less gray matter volume in preHD at baseline did not show further volume loss over time. These data indicate that the activity in brain regions contributing to working memory processing differs consistently in HD expansion mutation carriers while cognitive performance remains normal. However, the present data do not support the notion of a progressive decline of left prefrontal cortex activity in far from onset preHD followed over a 2-year period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Christian Wolf
- Center of Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
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Rosas HD, Reuter M, Doros G, Lee SY, Triggs T, Malarick K, Fischl B, Salat DH, Hersch SM. A tale of two factors: what determines the rate of progression in Huntington's disease? A longitudinal MRI study. Mov Disord 2011; 26:1691-7. [PMID: 21611979 DOI: 10.1002/mds.23762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2010] [Revised: 02/22/2011] [Accepted: 03/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past several years, increased attention has been devoted to understanding regionally selective brain changes that occur in Huntington's disease and their relationships to phenotypic variability. Clinical progression is also heterogeneous, and although CAG repeat length influences age of onset, its role, if any, in progression has been less clear. We evaluated progression in Huntington's disease using a novel longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging analysis. Our hypothesis was that the rate of brain atrophy is influenced by the age of onset of Huntington's disease. We scanned 22 patients with Huntington's disease at approximately 1-year intervals; individuals were divided into 1 of 3 groups, determined by the relative age of onset. We found significant differences in the rates of atrophy of cortex, white matter, and subcortical structures; patients who developed symptoms earlier demonstrated the most rapid rates of atrophy compared with those who developed symptoms during middle age or more advanced age. Rates of cortical atrophy were topologically variable, with the most rapid changes occurring in sensorimotor, posterior frontal, and portions of the parietal cortex. There were no significant differences in the rates of atrophy in basal ganglia structures. Although both CAG repeat length and age influenced the rate of change in some regions, there was no significant correlation in many regions. Rates of regional brain atrophy seem to be influenced by the age of onset of Huntington's disease symptoms and are only partially explained by CAG repeat length. These findings suggest that other genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors play important roles in neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Diana Rosas
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.
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Hobbs NZ, Pedrick AV, Say MJ, Frost C, Dar Santos R, Coleman A, Sturrock A, Craufurd D, Stout JC, Leavitt BR, Barnes J, Tabrizi SJ, Scahill RI. The structural involvement of the cingulate cortex in premanifest and early Huntington's disease. Mov Disord 2011; 26:1684-90. [DOI: 10.1002/mds.23747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2010] [Revised: 01/11/2011] [Accepted: 03/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
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35
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Panegyres PK, Goh JG. The neurology and natural history of patients with indeterminate CAG repeat length mutations of the Huntington disease gene. J Neurol Sci 2011; 301:14-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2010.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2010] [Revised: 11/14/2010] [Accepted: 11/15/2010] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder that usually presents in adulthood with characteristic motor and cognitive features and with variable and diverse psychiatric disturbances. Following the discovery of the causative defect in the HTT gene in 1993, great advances in understanding the pathogenesis of HD have been made, yet no effective disease-modifying therapy has been identified. In this new era of HD research, we have seen the emergence of a number of large clinical trials, the systematic search for novel biomarkers and the recent initiation of the first pre-manifest HD clinical studies. In this review, we seek to provide an overview of the clinical and genetic features of HD together with a summary of clinical research at this time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Sturrock
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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Esmaeilzadeh M, Ciarmiello A, Squitieri F. Seeking brain biomarkers for preventive therapy in Huntington disease. CNS Neurosci Ther 2010; 17:368-86. [PMID: 20553306 DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-5949.2010.00157.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a severe incurable nervous system disease that generally has an onset age of around 35-50, and is caused by a dominantly transmitted expansion mutation. A genetic test allows persons at risk, i.e., offspring or siblings of affected individuals, to discover their genetic status. Unaffected mutation-positive subjects will manifest HD sometime during life. Despite major advances in research on pathogenic mechanisms, no studies have yet fully validated preventive therapy or biomarkers for use before the symptoms become clinically manifest. Seeking brain and peripheral biomarkers is a requisite to develop a cure for HD. Changes in the brain can be observed in vivo using methods such as structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), functional MRI (fMRI), and positron emission tomography (PET), detecting volumetric changes, microstructural and connectivity alterations, abnormalities in brain activity in response to specific tasks, and abnormalities in metabolism and receptor distribution. Although all these imaging techniques can detect early markers in asymptomatic HD gene carriers for premanifest screening and pharmacological responses to therapeutic interventions no single modality has yet provided and validated an optimal marker probably because this task requires an integrative multimodal imaging approach. In this article, we review the findings from imaging procedures in the attempt to identify potential brain markers, so-called dry biomarkers, for possible application to further, yet unavailable, neuroprotective preventive therapies for HD manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mouna Esmaeilzadeh
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Stockholm Brain Institute, Karolinska Institutet, PET Centre, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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Wild EJ, Henley SM, Hobbs NZ, Frost C, MacManus DG, Barker RA, Fox NC, Tabrizi SJ. Rate and acceleration of whole-brain atrophy in premanifest and early Huntington's disease. Mov Disord 2010; 25:888-95. [DOI: 10.1002/mds.22969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
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Henley SMD, Ridgway GR, Scahill RI, Klöppel S, Tabrizi SJ, Fox NC, Kassubek J. Pitfalls in the use of voxel-based morphometry as a biomarker: examples from huntington disease. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2009; 31:711-9. [PMID: 20037137 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a1939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE VBM is increasingly used in the study of neurodegeneration, and recently there has been interest in its potential as a biomarker. However, although it is largely "automated," VBM is rarely implemented consistently across studies, and changing user-specified options can alter the results in a way similar to the very biologic differences under investigation. MATERIALS AND METHODS This work uses data from patients with HD to demonstrate the effects of several user-specified VBM parameters and analyses: type and level of statistical correction, modulation, smoothing kernel size, adjustment for brain size, subgroup analysis, and software version. RESULTS The results demonstrate that changing these options can alter results in a way similar to the biologic differences under investigation. CONCLUSIONS If VBM is to be useful clinically or considered for use as a biomarker, there is a need for greater recognition of these issues and more uniformity in its application for the method to be both reproducible and valid.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M D Henley
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Institute of Neurology, University College London, United Kingdom
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Sturrock A, Leavitt BR. Murine models of Huntington disease. FUTURE NEUROLOGY 2009. [DOI: 10.2217/fnl.09.34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder associated with inexorable progression. To date, no therapy has proved effective in modifying the disease course or improving survival. We present here an evaluation of our most valuable asset in the development of a cure – the mouse model. In particular, we will reflect on the relative strengths and weaknesses of current models in reprising Huntington disease pathology, evaluate their role in the development of novel therapeutic agents through preclinical trials and consider their future impact on Huntington disease research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Sturrock
- Department of Medical Genetics, UBC, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2B5
| | - Blair R Leavitt
- Department of Medical Genetics, UBC, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2B5
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