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Barry RL, Babu S, Anteraper SA, Triantafyllou C, Keil B, Rowe OE, Rangaprakash D, Paganoni S, Lawson R, Dheel C, Cernasov PM, Rosen BR, Ratai EM, Atassi N. Ultra-high field (7T) functional magnetic resonance imaging in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a pilot study. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 30:102648. [PMID: 33872993 PMCID: PMC8060594 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Participants with ALS exhibited impaired function between the cortex and cerebellum. The cerebellum is associated with complex motor and cognitive processing tasks. These findings add to the growing number of ALS reports implicating the cerebellum.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that results in a progressive loss of motor function and ultimately death. It is critical, yet also challenging, to develop non-invasive biomarkers to identify, localize, measure and/or track biological mechanisms implicated in ALS. Such biomarkers may also provide clues to identify potential molecular targets for future therapeutic trials. Herein we report on a pilot study involving twelve participants with ALS and nine age-matched healthy controls who underwent high-resolution resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging at an ultra-high field of 7 Tesla. A group-level whole-brain analysis revealed a disruption in long-range functional connectivity between the superior sensorimotor cortex (in the precentral gyrus) and bilateral cerebellar lobule VI. Post hoc analyses using atlas-derived left and right cerebellar lobule VI revealed decreased functional connectivity in ALS participants that predominantly mapped to bilateral postcentral and precentral gyri. Cerebellar lobule VI is a transition zone between anterior motor networks and posterior non-motor networks in the cerebellum, and is associated with a wide range of key functions including complex motor and cognitive processing tasks. Our observation of the involvement of cerebellar lobule VI adds to the growing number of studies implicating the cerebellum in ALS. Future avenues of scientific investigation should consider how high-resolution imaging at 7T may be leveraged to visualize differences in functional connectivity disturbances in various genotypes and phenotypes of ALS along the ALS-frontotemporal dementia spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L Barry
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Sciences & Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Suma Babu
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurology, Neurological Clinical Research Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Sheeba Arnold Anteraper
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Christina Triantafyllou
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Boris Keil
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, Department of Life Science Engineering, Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Giessen, Germany
| | - Olivia E Rowe
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - D Rangaprakash
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sabrina Paganoni
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurology, Neurological Clinical Research Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert Lawson
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurology, Neurological Clinical Research Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christina Dheel
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurology, Neurological Clinical Research Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul M Cernasov
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurology, Neurological Clinical Research Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bruce R Rosen
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Sciences & Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Eva-Maria Ratai
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Neuroradiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nazem Atassi
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurology, Neurological Clinical Research Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Sanofi Genzyme, Cambridge, MA, USA
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2
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Ma X, Lu F, Chen H, Hu C, Wang J, Zhang S, Zhang S, Yang G, Zhang J. Static and dynamic alterations in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10052. [PMID: 33194375 PMCID: PMC7643554 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Static changes in local brain activity in patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been studied. However, the dynamic characteristics of local brain activity are poorly understood. Whether dynamic alterations could differentiate patients with ALS from healthy controls (HCs) remains unclear. Methods A total of 54 patients with ALS (mean age = 48.71 years, male/female = 36/18) and 54 (mean age = 48.30 years, male/female = 36/18) HCs underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans. To depict static alterations in cortical activity, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) which measures the total power of regional activity was computed. Dynamic ALFF (d-ALFF) from all subjects was calculated using a sliding-window approach. Statistical differences in ALFF and d-ALFF between both groups were used as features to explore whether they could differentiate ALS from HC through support vector machine method. Results In contrast with HCs, patients with ALS displayed increased ALFF in the right inferior temporal gyrus and bilateral frontal gyrus and decreased ALFF in the left middle occipital gyrus and left precentral gyrus. Furthermore, patients with ALS demonstrated lower d-ALFF in widespread regions, including the right lingual gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, bilateral precentral gyrus, and left paracentral lobule by comparison with HCs. In addition, the ALFF in the left superior orbitofrontal gyrus had a tendency of correlation with ALSFRS-R score and disease progression rate. The classification performance in distinguishing ALS was higher with both features of ALFF and d-ALFF than that with a single approach. Conclusions Decreased dynamic brain activity in the precentral gyrus, paracentral gyrus, lingual gyrus, and temporal regions was found in the ALS group. The combined ALFF and d-ALFF could distinguish ALS from HCs with a higher accuracy than ALFF and d-ALFF alone. These findings may provide important evidence for understanding the neuropathology underlying ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xujing Ma
- Department of Medical Technology, Cangzhou Medical College, Cangzhou, China
| | - Fengmei Lu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Chengdu, China.,MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Heng Chen
- School of Medicine, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Caihong Hu
- Department of Medical Technology, Cangzhou Medical College, Cangzhou, China
| | - Jiao Wang
- Department of Medical Technology, Cangzhou Medical College, Cangzhou, China
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Department of Medical Technology, Cangzhou Medical College, Cangzhou, China
| | - Shuqin Zhang
- Department of Medical Technology, Cangzhou Medical College, Cangzhou, China
| | - Guiran Yang
- Department of Medical Technology, Cangzhou Medical College, Cangzhou, China
| | - Jiuquan Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory for Biorheological Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Cancer Institute, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China
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3
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Serra A, Galdi P, Pesce E, Fratello M, Trojsi F, Tedeschi G, Tagliaferri R, Esposito F. Strong-Weak Pruning for Brain Network Identification in Connectome-Wide Neuroimaging: Application to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Disease Stage Characterization. Int J Neural Syst 2019; 29:1950007. [PMID: 30929575 DOI: 10.1142/s0129065719500072] [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] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging allows acquiring functional and structural connectivity data from which high-density whole-brain networks can be derived to carry out connectome-wide analyses in normal and clinical populations. Graph theory has been widely applied to investigate the modular structure of brain connections by using centrality measures to identify the "hub" of human connectomes, and community detection methods to delineate subnetworks associated with diverse cognitive and sensorimotor functions. These analyses typically rely on a preprocessing step (pruning) to reduce computational complexity and remove the weakest edges that are most likely affected by experimental noise. However, weak links may contain relevant information about brain connectivity, therefore, the identification of the optimal trade-off between retained and discarded edges is a subject of active research. We introduce a pruning algorithm to identify edges that carry the highest information content. The algorithm selects both strong edges (i.e. edges belonging to shortest paths) and weak edges that are topologically relevant in weakly connected subnetworks. The newly developed "strong-weak" pruning (SWP) algorithm was validated on simulated networks that mimic the structure of human brain networks. It was then applied for the analysis of a real dataset of subjects affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), both at the early (ALS2) and late (ALS3) stage of the disease, and of healthy control subjects. SWP preprocessing allowed identifying statistically significant differences in the path length of networks between patients and healthy subjects. ALS patients showed a decrease of connectivity between frontal cortex to temporal cortex and parietal cortex and between temporal and occipital cortex. Moreover, degree of centrality measures revealed significantly different hub and centrality scores between patient subgroups. These findings suggest a widespread alteration of network topology in ALS associated with disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Serra
- *NeuRoNeLab, Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, Fisciano (Sa), 84084, Italy.,†Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Paola Galdi
- *NeuRoNeLab, Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, Fisciano (Sa), 84084, Italy.,‡MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ Edinburgh, UK
| | - Emanuele Pesce
- *NeuRoNeLab, Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, Fisciano (Sa), 84084, Italy.,§International Digital Laboratory, WMG, University of Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Michele Fratello
- ¶Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Ageing Sciences, Università Degli Studi Della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Napoli, 80138, Italy
| | - Francesca Trojsi
- ¶Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Ageing Sciences, Università Degli Studi Della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Napoli, 80138, Italy
| | - Gioacchino Tedeschi
- ¶Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Ageing Sciences, Università Degli Studi Della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Napoli, 80138, Italy
| | - Roberto Tagliaferri
- *NeuRoNeLab, Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, Fisciano (Sa), 84084, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- ∥Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Baronissi (Sa), 84081, Italy
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Christidi F, Karavasilis E, Riederer F, Zalonis I, Ferentinos P, Velonakis G, Xirou S, Rentzos M, Argiropoulos G, Zouvelou V, Zambelis T, Athanasakos A, Toulas P, Vadikolias K, Efstathopoulos E, Kollias S, Karandreas N, Kelekis N, Evdokimidis I. Gray matter and white matter changes in non-demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients with or without cognitive impairment: A combined voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics whole-brain analysis. Brain Imaging Behav 2019; 12:547-563. [PMID: 28425061 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-017-9722-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The phenotypic heterogeneity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) implies that patients show structural changes within but also beyond the motor cortex and corticospinal tract and furthermore outside the frontal lobes, even if frank dementia is not detected. The aim of the present study was to investigate both gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) changes in non-demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with or without cognitive impairment (ALS-motor and ALS-plus, respectively). Nineteen ALS-motor, 31 ALS-plus and 25 healthy controls (HC) underwent 3D-T1-weighted and 30-directional diffusion-weighted imaging on a 3 T MRI scanner. Voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial-statistics analysis were performed to examine GM volume (GMV) changes and WM differences in fractional anisotropy (FA), axial and radial diffusivity (AD, RD, respectively). Compared to HC, ALS-motor patients showed decreased GMV in frontal and cerebellar areas and increased GMV in right supplementary motor area, while ALS-plus patients showed diffuse GMV reduction in primary motor cortex bilaterally, frontotemporal areas, cerebellum and basal ganglia. ALS-motor patients had increased GMV in left precuneus compared to ALS-plus patients. We also found decreased FA and increased RD in the corticospinal tract bilaterally, the corpus callosum and extra-motor tracts in ALS-motor patients, and decreased FA and increased AD and RD in motor and several WM tracts in ALS-plus patients, compared to HC. Multimodal neuroimaging confirms motor and extra-motor GM and WM abnormalities in non-demented cognitively-impaired ALS patients (ALS-plus) and identifies early extra-motor brain pathology in ALS patients without cognitive impairment (ALS-motor).
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Affiliation(s)
- Foteini Christidi
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece.
| | - Efstratios Karavasilis
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Franz Riederer
- Neurological Center Rosenhuegel and Karl Landsteiner Institute for Epilepsy Research and Cognitive Neurology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ioannis Zalonis
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Ferentinos
- Second Department of Psychiatry, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Georgios Velonakis
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Sophia Xirou
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Michalis Rentzos
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Georgios Argiropoulos
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Vasiliki Zouvelou
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Thomas Zambelis
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Athanasios Athanasakos
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Toulas
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Efstathios Efstathopoulos
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Spyros Kollias
- Clinic of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nikolaos Karandreas
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Kelekis
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Ioannis Evdokimidis
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
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5
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Cheong I, Deelchand DK, Eberly LE, Marjańska M, Manousakis G, Guliani G, Walk D, Öz G. Neurochemical correlates of functional decline in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2019; 90:294-301. [PMID: 30467209 PMCID: PMC6467050 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2018-318795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine whether proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) can detect neurochemical changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) associated with heterogeneous functional decline. METHODS Nineteen participants with early-stage ALS and 18 age-matched and sex ratio-matched controls underwent ultra-high field 1H-MRS scans of the upper limb motor cortex and pons, ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R total, upper limb and bulbar) and upper motor neuron burden assessments in a longitudinal observational study design with follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months. Slopes of neurochemical levels over time were compared between patient subgroups classified by the rate of upper limb or bulbar functional decline. 1H-MRS and clinical ratings at baseline were assessed for ability to predict study withdrawal due to disease progression. RESULTS Motor cortex total N-acetylaspartate to myo-inositol ratio (tNAA:mIns) significantly declined in patients who worsened in upper limb function over the follow-up period (n=9, p=0.002). Pons glutamate + glutamine significantly increased in patients who worsened in bulbar function (n=6, p<0.0001). Neurochemical levels did not change in patients with stable function (n=5-6) or in healthy controls (n=14-16) over time. Motor cortex tNAA:mIns and ALSFRS-R at baseline were significantly lower in patients who withdrew from follow-up due to disease progression (n=6) compared with patients who completed the 12-month scan (n=10) (p<0.001 for tNAA:mIns; p<0.01 for ALSFRS-R), with a substantially larger overlap in ALSFRS-R between groups. CONCLUSION Neurochemical changes in motor areas of the brain are associated with functional decline in corresponding body regions. 1H-MRS was a better predictor of study withdrawal due to ALS progression than ALSFRS-R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Cheong
- Department of Radiology, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Dinesh K Deelchand
- Department of Radiology, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Lynn E Eberly
- Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Małgorzata Marjańska
- Department of Radiology, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | | | - Gaurav Guliani
- Hennepin County Medical Center and HealthPartners Neuroscience Center, Minneapolis, USA
| | - David Walk
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Gülin Öz
- Department of Radiology, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
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6
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Galdi P, Fratello M, Trojsi F, Russo A, Tedeschi G, Tagliaferri R, Esposito F. Stochastic Rank Aggregation for the Identification of Functional Neuromarkers. Neuroinformatics 2019; 17:479-496. [PMID: 30604083 DOI: 10.1007/s12021-018-9412-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The main challenge in analysing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from extended samples of subject (N > 100) is to extract as much relevant information as possible from big amounts of noisy data. When studying neurodegenerative diseases with resting-state fMRI, one of the objectives is to determine regions with abnormal background activity with respect to a healthy brain and this is often attained with comparative statistical models applied to single voxels or brain parcels within one or several functional networks. In this work, we propose a novel approach based on clustering and stochastic rank aggregation to identify parcels that exhibit a coherent behaviour in groups of subjects affected by the same disorder and apply it to default-mode network independent component maps from resting-state fMRI data sets. Brain voxels are partitioned into parcels through k-means clustering, then solutions are enhanced by means of consensus techniques. For each subject, clusters are ranked according to their median value and a stochastic rank aggregation method, TopKLists, is applied to combine the individual rankings within each class of subjects. For comparison, the same approach was tested on an anatomical parcellation. We found parcels for which the rankings were different among control subjects and subjects affected by Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and found evidence in literature for the relevance of top ranked regions in default-mode brain activity. The proposed framework represents a valid method for the identification of functional neuromarkers from resting-state fMRI data, and it might therefore constitute a step forward in the development of fully automated data-driven techniques to support early diagnoses of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Galdi
- NeuRoNe Lab, Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Michele Fratello
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Francesca Trojsi
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Russo
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Gioacchino Tedeschi
- Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Roberto Tagliaferri
- NeuRoNe Lab, Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Via S. Allende, 84081, Baronissi, Salerno, Italy.
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7
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Barritt AW, Gabel MC, Cercignani M, Leigh PN. Emerging Magnetic Resonance Imaging Techniques and Analysis Methods in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front Neurol 2018; 9:1065. [PMID: 30564192 PMCID: PMC6288229 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.01065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective markers of disease sensitive to the clinical activity, symptomatic progression, and underlying substrates of neurodegeneration are highly coveted in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in order to more eloquently stratify the highly heterogeneous phenotype and facilitate the discovery of effective disease modifying treatments for patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising, non-invasive biomarker candidate whose acquisition techniques and analysis methods are undergoing constant evolution in the pursuit of parameters which more closely represent biologically-applicable tissue changes. Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI; a form of diffusion imaging), and quantitative Magnetization Transfer Imaging (qMTi) are two such emerging modalities which have each broadened the understanding of other neurological disorders and have the potential to provide new insights into structural alterations initiated by the disease process in ALS. Furthermore, novel neuroimaging data analysis approaches such as Event-Based Modeling (EBM) may be able to circumvent the requirement for longitudinal scanning as a means to comprehend the dynamic stages of neurodegeneration in vivo. Combining these and other innovative imaging protocols with more sophisticated techniques to analyse ever-increasing datasets holds the exciting prospect of transforming understanding of the biological processes and temporal evolution of the ALS syndrome, and can only benefit from multicentre collaboration across the entire ALS research community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W Barritt
- Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, United Kingdom.,Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre Haywards Heath, West Sussex, United Kingdom
| | - Matt C Gabel
- Department of Neuroscience, Trafford Centre for Biomedical Research Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, United Kingdom
| | - Mara Cercignani
- Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, United Kingdom
| | - P Nigel Leigh
- Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre Haywards Heath, West Sussex, United Kingdom.,Department of Neuroscience, Trafford Centre for Biomedical Research Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, United Kingdom
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8
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Mazón M, Vázquez Costa JF, Ten-Esteve A, Martí-Bonmatí L. Imaging Biomarkers for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases. The Example of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:784. [PMID: 30410433 PMCID: PMC6209630 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The term amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) comprises a heterogeneous group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders of largely unknown etiology characterized by the upper motor neurons (UMN) and/or lower motor neurons (LMN) degeneration. The development of brain imaging biomarkers is essential to advance in the diagnosis, stratification and monitoring of ALS, both in the clinical practice and clinical trials. In this review, the characteristics of an optimal imaging biomarker and common pitfalls in biomarkers evaluation will be discussed. Moreover, the development and application of the most promising brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging biomarkers will be reviewed. Finally, the integration of both qualitative and quantitative multimodal brain MR biomarkers in a structured report will be proposed as a support tool for ALS diagnosis and stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Mazón
- Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research Group (GIBI230), La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital and La Fe Health Research Institute, Valencia, Spain
| | - Juan Francisco Vázquez Costa
- Neuromuscular Research Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria la Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain
- ALS Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Valencia, Spain
| | - Amadeo Ten-Esteve
- Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research Group (GIBI230), La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital and La Fe Health Research Institute, Valencia, Spain
| | - Luis Martí-Bonmatí
- Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research Group (GIBI230), La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital and La Fe Health Research Institute, Valencia, Spain
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Weerasekera A, Sima DM, Dresselaers T, Van Huffel S, Van Damme P, Himmelreich U. Non-invasive assessment of disease progression and neuroprotective effects of dietary coconut oil supplementation in the ALS SOD1 G93A mouse model: A 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopic study. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 20:1092-1105. [PMID: 30368196 PMCID: PMC6202692 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease primarily characterized by progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the motor cortex, brainstem and spinal cord. Due to relatively fast progression of ALS, early diagnosis is essential for possible therapeutic intervention and disease management. To identify potential diagnostic markers, we investigated age-dependent effects of disease onset and progression on regional neurochemistry in the SOD1G93A ALS mouse model using localized in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). We focused mainly on the brainstem region since brainstem motor nuclei are the primarily affected regions in SOD1G93A mice and ALS patients. In addition, metabolite profiles of the motor cortex were also assessed. In the brainstem, a gradual decrease in creatine levels were detected starting from the pre-symptomatic age of 70 days postpartum. During the early symptomatic phase (day 90), a significant increase in the levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ- aminobutyric acid (GABA) was measured. At later time points, alterations in the form of decreased NAA, glutamate, glutamine and increased myo-inositol were observed. Also, decreased glutamate, NAA and increased taurine levels were seen at late stages in the motor cortex. A proof-of-concept (PoC) study was conducted to assess the effects of coconut oil supplementation in SODG93A mice. The PoC revealed that the coconut oil supplementation together with the regular diet delayed disease symptoms, enhanced motor performance, and prolonged survival in the SOD1G93A mouse model. Furthermore, MRS data showed stable metabolic profile at day 120 in the coconut oil diet group compared to the group receiving a standard diet without coconut oil supplementation. In addition, a positive correlation between survival and the neuronal marker NAA was found. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reports metabolic changes in the brainstem using in vivo MRS and effects of coconut oil supplementation as a prophylactic treatment in SOD1G93A mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Weerasekera
- Biomedical MRI Unit/MoSAIC, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - D M Sima
- Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), STADIUS Center for Dynamical Systems, Signal Processing and Data Analytics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; icometrix, R&D department, Leuven, Belgium
| | - T Dresselaers
- Radiology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - S Van Huffel
- Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), STADIUS Center for Dynamical Systems, Signal Processing and Data Analytics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - P Van Damme
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Center for Brain & Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - U Himmelreich
- Biomedical MRI Unit/MoSAIC, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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10
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Wirth AM, Khomenko A, Baldaranov D, Kobor I, Hsam O, Grimm T, Johannesen S, Bruun TH, Schulte-Mattler W, Greenlee MW, Bogdahn U. Combinatory Biomarker Use of Cortical Thickness, MUNIX, and ALSFRS-R at Baseline and in Longitudinal Courses of Individual Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front Neurol 2018; 9:614. [PMID: 30104996 PMCID: PMC6077217 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative process affecting upper and lower motor neurons as well as non-motor systems. In this study, precentral and postcentral cortical thinning detected by structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were combined with clinical (ALS-specific functional rating scale revised, ALSFRS-R) and neurophysiological (motor unit number index, MUNIX) biomarkers in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Methods: The unicenter sample included 20 limb-onset classical ALS patients compared to 30 age-related healthy controls. ALS patients were treated with standard Riluzole and additional long-term G-CSF (Filgrastim) on a named patient basis after written informed consent. Combinatory biomarker use included cortical thickness of atlas-based dorsal and ventral subdivisions of the precentral and postcentral cortex, ALSFRS-R, and MUNIX for the musculus abductor digiti minimi (ADM) bilaterally. Individual cross-sectional analysis investigated individual cortical thinning in ALS patients compared to age-related healthy controls in the context of state of disease at initial MRI scan. Beyond correlation analysis of biomarkers at cross-sectional group level (n = 20), longitudinal monitoring in a subset of slow progressive ALS patients (n = 4) explored within-subject temporal dynamics of repeatedly assessed biomarkers in time courses over at least 18 months. Results: Cross-sectional analysis demonstrated individually variable states of cortical thinning, which was most pronounced in the ventral section of the precentral cortex. Correlations of ALSFRS-R with cortical thickness and MUNIX were detected. Individual longitudinal biomarker monitoring in four slow progressive ALS patients revealed evident differences in individual disease courses and temporal dynamics of the biomarkers. Conclusion: A combinatory use of structural MRI, neurophysiological and clinical biomarkers allows for an appropriate and detailed assessment of clinical state and course of disease of ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Wirth
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Andrei Khomenko
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Dobri Baldaranov
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ines Kobor
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ohnmar Hsam
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Grimm
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Siw Johannesen
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tim-Henrik Bruun
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Mark W Greenlee
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Bogdahn
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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11
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Fraschini M, Lai M, Demuru M, Puligheddu M, Floris G, Borghero G, Marrosu F. Functional brain connectivity analysis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: an EEG source-space study. Biomed Phys Eng Express 2018. [DOI: 10.1088/2057-1976/aa9c64] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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12
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Dharmadasa T, Huynh W, Tsugawa J, Shimatani Y, Ma Y, Kiernan MC. Implications of structural and functional brain changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Expert Rev Neurother 2018; 18:407-419. [PMID: 29667443 DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2018.1464912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and disability, eventually leading to death. Heterogeneity of disease has become a major barrier to understanding key clinical questions such as prognosis and disease spread, and has disadvantaged clinical trials in search of therapeutic intervention. Patterns of disease have been explored through recent advances in neuroimaging, elucidating structural, molecular and functional changes. Unique brain signatures have emerged that have lent a greater understanding of critical disease mechanisms, offering opportunities to improve diagnosis, guide prognosis, and establish candidate biomarkers to direct future therapeutic strategies. Areas covered: This review explores patterns of cortical and subcortical change in ALS through advanced neuroimaging techniques and discusses the implications of these findings. Expert commentary: Cortical and subcortical signatures and patterns of atrophy are now consistently recognised, providing important pathophysiological insight into this heterogenous disease. The spread of cortical change, particularly involving frontotemporal networks, correlates with cognitive impairment and poorer prognosis. Cortical differences are also evident between ALS phenotypes and genotypes, which may partly explain the heterogeneity of prognosis. Ultimately, multimodal approaches with larger cohorts will be needed to provide sensitive biomarkers of disease spread at the level of the individual patient.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - William Huynh
- a Brain and Mind Centre , The University of Sydney , Sydney , Australia
| | - Jun Tsugawa
- c Department of Neurology , Fukuoka University Hospital , Fukuoka city , Japan
| | - Yoshimitsu Shimatani
- d Department of Neurology , Tokushima Prefectural Hospital , Tokushima city , Japan
| | - Yan Ma
- a Brain and Mind Centre , The University of Sydney , Sydney , Australia
| | - Matthew C Kiernan
- a Brain and Mind Centre , The University of Sydney , Sydney , Australia.,b Department of Neurology , Royal Prince Alfred Hospital , Sydney , Australia
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13
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Rocha AJD, Chieia MA. Revealing the microstructural brain damage in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: the relentless pursuit to approach an imaging biomarker. ARQUIVOS DE NEURO-PSIQUIATRIA 2017; 75:265-266. [PMID: 28591383 DOI: 10.1590/0004-282x20170055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antônio José da Rocha
- Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, Serviço de Diagnóstico por Imagem, São Paulo SP, Brasil
| | - Marco Antonio Chieia
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, São Paulo SP, Brasil
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14
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Fraschini M, Demuru M, Hillebrand A, Cuccu L, Porcu S, Di Stefano F, Puligheddu M, Floris G, Borghero G, Marrosu F. EEG functional network topology is associated with disability in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38653. [PMID: 27924954 PMCID: PMC5141491 DOI: 10.1038/srep38653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is one of the most severe neurodegenerative diseases, which is known to affect upper and lower motor neurons. In contrast to the classical tenet that ALS represents the outcome of extensive and progressive impairment of a fixed set of motor connections, recent neuroimaging findings suggest that the disease spreads along vast non-motor connections. Here, we hypothesised that functional network topology is perturbed in ALS, and that this reorganization is associated with disability. We tested this hypothesis in 21 patients affected by ALS at several stages of impairment using resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) and compared the results to 16 age-matched healthy controls. We estimated functional connectivity using the Phase Lag Index (PLI), and characterized the network topology using the minimum spanning tree (MST). We found a significant difference between groups in terms of MST dissimilarity and MST leaf fraction in the beta band. Moreover, some MST parameters (leaf, hierarchy and kappa) significantly correlated with disability. These findings suggest that the topology of resting-state functional networks in ALS is affected by the disease in relation to disability. EEG network analysis may be of help in monitoring and evaluating the clinical status of ALS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Fraschini
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Piazza D’armi, Cagliari, 09123, Italy
| | - Matteo Demuru
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology and MEG Center, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Arjan Hillebrand
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology and MEG Center, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lorenza Cuccu
- Biomedical Engineering Course, University of Cagliari, Piazza D’armi, Cagliari, 09123, Italy
| | - Silvia Porcu
- Department of Neurology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Monica Puligheddu
- Department of Neurology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gianluca Floris
- Department of Neurology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Borghero
- Department of Neurology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesco Marrosu
- Department of Neurology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
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15
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Traub R, Mitsumoto H. Recent advances and opportunities for improving diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Expert Opin Orphan Drugs 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/21678707.2016.1213164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Traub
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hiroshi Mitsumoto
- Department of Neurology, The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS, Research Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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16
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Assessment of the upper motor neuron in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Clin Neurophysiol 2016; 127:2643-60. [PMID: 27291884 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2016.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2015] [Revised: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Clinical signs of upper motor neuron (UMN) involvement are an important component in supporting the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but are often not easily appreciated in a limb that is concurrently affected by muscle wasting and lower motor neuron degeneration, particularly in the early symptomatic stages of ALS. Whilst recent criteria have been proposed to facilitate improved detection of lower motor neuron impairment through electrophysiological features that have improved diagnostic sensitivity, assessment of upper motor neuron involvement remains essentially clinical. As a result, there is often a significant diagnostic delay that in turn may impact institution of disease-modifying therapy and access to other optimal patient management. Biomarkers of pathological UMN involvement are also required to ensure patients with suspected ALS have timely access to appropriate therapeutic trials. The present review provides an analysis of current and recently developed assessment techniques, including novel imaging and electrophysiological approaches used to study corticomotoneuronal pathology in ALS.
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17
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Sakowski SA, Feldman EL. The Spectrum of Motor Neuron Diseases: From Childhood Spinal Muscular Atrophy to Adult Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neurotherapeutics 2015; 12:287-9. [PMID: 25794940 PMCID: PMC4404463 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-015-0349-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stacey A. Sakowski
- />A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | - Eva L. Feldman
- />A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
- />Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, 5017 AAT-BSRB, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
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