1
|
Yin JH, Liu YO, Li HL, Burgunder JM, Huang Y. White Matter Microstructure Changes Revealed by Diffusion Kurtosis and Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Mutant Huntingtin Gene Carriers. J Huntingtons Dis 2024:JHD240018. [PMID: 38905054 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-240018] [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: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Background Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) has revealed microstructural changes in white matter (WM) in Huntington's disease (HD). Objective To compare the validities of different dMRI, i.e., diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in HD. Methods 22 mutant huntingtin (mHTT) carriers and 14 controls were enrolled. Clinical assessments and dMRI were conducted. Based on CAG-Age Product (CAP) score, mHTT carriers were categorized into high CAP (hCAP) and medium and low CAP (m& lCAP) groups. Spearman analyses were used to explore correlations between imaging parameters in brain regions and clinical assessments. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to distinguish mHTT carriers from control, and define the HD patients at advanced stage. Results Compared to controls, mHTT carriers exhibited WM changes in DKI and DTI. There were 22 more regions showing significant differences in HD detected by MK than FA. Only MK in five brain regions showed significantly difference between any two group, and negatively correlated with the disease burden (r = -0.80 to -0.71). ROC analysis revealed that MK was more sensitive and FA was more specific, while Youden index showed that the integration of FA and MK gave rise to higher authenticities, in distinguishing m& lCAP from controls (Youden Index = 0.786), and discerning different phase of HD (Youden Index = 0.804). Conclusions Microstructural changes in WM occur at early stage of HD and deteriorate over the disease progression. Integrating DKI and DTI would provide the best accuracies for differentiating early HD from control and identifying advanced HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Hui Yin
- Human Brain & Tissue Bank, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ya-Ou Liu
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Hong-Liang Li
- Department of Neurology, Aviation General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jean Marc Burgunder
- Department of Neurology, Swiss Huntington's Disease Centre, Siloah, and Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Gümligen (Muri bei Bern), Switzerland
| | - Yue Huang
- Human Brain & Tissue Bank, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Pharmacology Department, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wilton DK, Mastro K, Heller MD, Gergits FW, Willing CR, Fahey JB, Frouin A, Daggett A, Gu X, Kim YA, Faull RLM, Jayadev S, Yednock T, Yang XW, Stevens B. Microglia and complement mediate early corticostriatal synapse loss and cognitive dysfunction in Huntington's disease. Nat Med 2023; 29:2866-2884. [PMID: 37814059 PMCID: PMC10667107 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02566-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating monogenic neurodegenerative disease characterized by early, selective pathology in the basal ganglia despite the ubiquitous expression of mutant huntingtin. The molecular mechanisms underlying this region-specific neuronal degeneration and how these relate to the development of early cognitive phenotypes are poorly understood. Here we show that there is selective loss of synaptic connections between the cortex and striatum in postmortem tissue from patients with HD that is associated with the increased activation and localization of complement proteins, innate immune molecules, to these synaptic elements. We also found that levels of these secreted innate immune molecules are elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of premanifest HD patients and correlate with established measures of disease burden.In preclinical genetic models of HD, we show that complement proteins mediate the selective elimination of corticostriatal synapses at an early stage in disease pathogenesis, marking them for removal by microglia, the brain's resident macrophage population. This process requires mutant huntingtin to be expressed in both cortical and striatal neurons. Inhibition of this complement-dependent elimination mechanism through administration of a therapeutically relevant C1q function-blocking antibody or genetic ablation of a complement receptor on microglia prevented synapse loss, increased excitatory input to the striatum and rescued the early development of visual discrimination learning and cognitive flexibility deficits in these models. Together, our findings implicate microglia and the complement cascade in the selective, early degeneration of corticostriatal synapses and the development of cognitive deficits in presymptomatic HD; they also provide new preclinical data to support complement as a therapeutic target for early intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel K Wilton
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US.
| | - Kevin Mastro
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Molly D Heller
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Frederick W Gergits
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Carly Rose Willing
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Jaclyn B Fahey
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Arnaud Frouin
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Anthony Daggett
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Xiaofeng Gu
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yejin A Kim
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Richard L M Faull
- Department of Anatomy with Radiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Suman Jayadev
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ted Yednock
- Annexon Biosciences, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - X William Yang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Beth Stevens
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US.
- Stanley Center, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Oi Y, Hirose M, Togo H, Yoshinaga K, Akasaka T, Okada T, Aso T, Takahashi R, Glasser MF, Hayashi T, Hanakawa T. Identifying and reverting the adverse effects of white matter hyperintensities on cortical surface analyses. Neuroimage 2023; 281:120377. [PMID: 37714391 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The Human Connectome Project (HCP)-style surface-based brain MRI analysis is a powerful technique that allows precise mapping of the cerebral cortex. However, the strength of its surface-based analysis has not yet been tested in the older population that often presents with white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on T2-weighted (T2w) MRI (hypointensities on T1w MRI). We investigated T1-weighted (T1w) and T2w structural MRI in 43 healthy middle-aged to old participants. Juxtacortical WMHs were often misclassified by the default HCP pipeline as parts of the gray matter in T1w MRI, leading to incorrect estimation of the cortical surfaces and cortical metrics. To revert the adverse effects of juxtacortical WMHs, we incorporated the Brain Intensity AbNormality Classification Algorithm into the HCP pipeline (proposed pipeline). Blinded radiologists performed stereological quality control (QC) and found a decrease in the estimation errors in the proposed pipeline. The superior performance of the proposed pipeline was confirmed using an originally-developed automated surface QC based on a large database. Here we showed the detrimental effects of juxtacortical WMHs for estimating cortical surfaces and related metrics and proposed a possible solution for this problem. The present knowledge and methodology should help researchers identify adequate cortical surface biomarkers for aging and age-related neuropsychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Oi
- Department of Integrated Neuroanatomy and Neuroimaging, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan; Department of Neurology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan; Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Kobe, Japan
| | - Masakazu Hirose
- Department of Integrated Neuroanatomy and Neuroimaging, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan; Department of Neurology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hiroki Togo
- Department of Integrated Neuroanatomy and Neuroimaging, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan; Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Kobe, Japan; Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Kenji Yoshinaga
- Department of Integrated Neuroanatomy and Neuroimaging, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Thai Akasaka
- Human Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tomohisa Okada
- Human Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Aso
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Kobe, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Takahashi
- Department of Neurology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Matthew F Glasser
- Departments of Radiology and Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Takuya Hayashi
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Kobe, Japan; Department of Brain Connectomics, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takashi Hanakawa
- Department of Integrated Neuroanatomy and Neuroimaging, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan; Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, RIKEN, Kobe, Japan; Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan; Human Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
van Eimeren T, Giehl K, Reetz K, Sampaio C, Mestre TA. Neuroimaging biomarkers in Huntington's disease: Preparing for a new era of therapeutic development. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2023; 114:105488. [PMID: 37407343 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2023.105488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A critical challenge for Huntington's disease (HD) clinical trials in disease modification is the definition of endpoints that can capture change when clinical signs are subtle/non-existent. Reliable biomarkers are therefore urgently needed to facilitate drug development by allowing the enrichment of clinical trial populations and providing measures of benefit that can support the establishment of efficacy. METHODS By systematically examining the published literature on HD neuroimaging biomarker studies, we sought to advance knowledge to guide the validation of neuroimaging biomarkers. We started by reviewing both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies and then conducted an in-depth review to make quantitative comparisons between biomarkers using data only from longitudinal studies with samples sizes larger than ten participants in PET studies or 30 participants in MRI studies. RESULTS From a total of 2202 publications initially identified, we included 32 studies, 19 of which underwent in-depth comparative review. The majority of included studies used various MRI-based methods (manual to automatic) to longitudinally assess either the volume of the putamen or the caudate, which have been shown to undergo significant structural change during HD natural history. CONCLUSION Despite the impressively large number of neuroimaging biomarker studies, only a small number of adequately designed studies met our criteria. Among these various biomarkers, MRI-based volumetric analyses of the caudate and putamen are currently the best validated for use in the disease phase before clinical motor diagnosis. A biomarker that can be used to demonstrate a disease-modifying effect is still missing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thilo van Eimeren
- University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cologne, Germany; University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Kathrin Giehl
- University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cologne, Germany; Research Center Jülich, Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2), Jülich, Germany
| | - Kathrin Reetz
- University of Aachen, Department of Neurology, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Tiago A Mestre
- University of Ottawa, Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hu B, Younes L, Bu X, Liu CF, Ratnanather JT, Paulsen J, Georgiou-Karistianis N, Miller MI, Ross C, Faria AV. Mixed longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses of deep gray matter and white matter using diffusion weighted images in premanifest and manifest Huntington's disease. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 39:103493. [PMID: 37582307 PMCID: PMC10448214 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
Changes in the brain of patients with Huntington's disease (HD) begin years before clinical onset, so it remains critical to identify biomarkers to track these early changes. Metrics derived from tensor modeling of diffusion-weighted MRIs (DTI), that indicate the microscopic brain structure, can add important information to regional volumetric measurements. This study uses two large-scale longitudinal, multicenter datasets, PREDICT-HD and IMAGE-HD, to trace changes in DTI of HD participants with a broad range of CAP scores (a product of CAG repeat expansion and age), including those with pre-manifest disease (i.e., prior to clinical onset). Utilizing a fully automated data-driven approach to study the whole brain divided in regions of interest, we traced changes in DTI metrics (diffusivity and fractional anisotropy) versus CAP scores, using sigmoidal and linear regression models. We identified points of inflection in the sigmoidal regression using change-point analysis. The deep gray matter showed more evident and earlier changes in DTI metrics over CAP scores, compared to the deep white matter. In the deep white matter, these changes were more evident and occurred earlier in superior and posterior areas, compared to anterior and inferior areas. The curves of mean diffusivity vs. age of HD participants within a fixed CAP score were different from those of controls, indicating that the disease has an additional effect to age on the microscopic brain structure. These results show the regional and temporal vulnerability of the white matter and deep gray matter in HD, with potential implications for experimental therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Beini Hu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Laurent Younes
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Xuan Bu
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Chin-Fu Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - J Tilak Ratnanather
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jane Paulsen
- Department of Psychiatry, Neurology, Psychological Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, USA; Department Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
| | - Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
- School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute of Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Australia
| | - Michael I Miller
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christopher Ross
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andreia V Faria
- Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Cvetanovic M, Gray M. Contribution of Glial Cells to Polyglutamine Diseases: Observations from Patients and Mouse Models. Neurotherapeutics 2023; 20:48-66. [PMID: 37020152 PMCID: PMC10119372 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-023-01357-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are broadly characterized neuropathologically by the degeneration of vulnerable neuronal cell types in a specific brain region. The degeneration of specific cell types has informed on the various phenotypes/clinical presentations in someone suffering from these diseases. Prominent neurodegeneration of specific neurons is seen in polyglutamine expansion diseases including Huntington's disease (HD) and spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA). The clinical manifestations observed in these diseases could be as varied as the abnormalities in motor function observed in those who have Huntington's disease (HD) as demonstrated by a chorea with substantial degeneration of striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) or those with various forms of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) with an ataxic motor presentation primarily due to degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje cells. Due to the very significant nature of the degeneration of MSNs in HD and Purkinje cells in SCAs, much of the research has centered around understanding the cell autonomous mechanisms dysregulated in these neuronal cell types. However, an increasing number of studies have revealed that dysfunction in non-neuronal glial cell types contributes to the pathogenesis of these diseases. Here we explore these non-neuronal glial cell types with a focus on how each may contribute to the pathogenesis of HD and SCA and the tools used to evaluate glial cells in the context of these diseases. Understanding the regulation of supportive and harmful phenotypes of glia in disease could lead to development of novel glia-focused neurotherapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marija Cvetanovic
- Department of Neuroscience, Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Michelle Gray
- Department of Neurology, Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Pérot JB, Célestine M, Palombo M, Dhenain M, Humbert S, Brouillet E, Flament J. Longitudinal multimodal MRI characterization of a knock-in mouse model of Huntington's disease reveals early gray and white matter alterations. Hum Mol Genet 2022; 31:3581-3596. [PMID: 35147158 PMCID: PMC9616570 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenesis of the inherited neurodegenerative disorder Huntington's disease (HD) is progressive with a long presymptomatic phase in which subtle changes occur up to 15 years before the onset of symptoms. Thus, there is a need for early, functional biomarker to better understand disease progression and to evaluate treatment efficacy far from onset. Recent studies have shown that white matter may be affected early in mutant HTT gene carriers. A previous study performed on 12 months old Ki140CAG mice showed reduced glutamate level measured by Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer of glutamate (gluCEST), especially in the corpus callosum. In this study, we scanned longitudinally Ki140CAG mice with structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, gluCEST and magnetization transfer imaging, in order to assess white matter integrity over the life of this mouse model characterized by slow progression of symptoms. Our results show early defects of diffusion properties in the anterior part of the corpus callosum at 5 months of age, preceding gluCEST defects in the same region at 8 and 12 months that spread to adjacent regions. At 12 months, frontal and piriform cortices showed reduced gluCEST, as well as the pallidum. MT imaging showed reduced signal in the septum at 12 months. Cortical and striatal atrophy then appear at 18 months. Vulnerability of the striatum and motor cortex, combined with alterations of anterior corpus callosum, seems to point out the potential role of white matter in the brain dysfunction that characterizes HD and the pertinence of gluCEST and DTI as biomarkers in HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Baptiste Pérot
- Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), Université Paris-Saclay, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Fontenay -aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Marina Célestine
- Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), Université Paris-Saclay, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Fontenay -aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Marco Palombo
- Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Marc Dhenain
- Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), Université Paris-Saclay, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Fontenay -aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Sandrine Humbert
- Université Grenoble Alpes, INSERM, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble 38000 , France
| | - Emmanuel Brouillet
- Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), Université Paris-Saclay, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Fontenay -aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Julien Flament
- Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), Université Paris-Saclay, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Fontenay -aux-Roses 92260, France
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lopes C, Ferreira IL, Maranga C, Beatriz M, Mota SI, Sereno J, Castelhano J, Abrunhosa A, Oliveira F, De Rosa M, Hayden M, Laço MN, Januário C, Castelo Branco M, Rego AC. Mitochondrial and redox modifications in early stages of Huntington's disease. Redox Biol 2022; 56:102424. [PMID: 35988447 PMCID: PMC9420526 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Deficits in mitochondrial function and redox deregulation have been attributed to Huntington's disease (HD), a genetic neurodegenerative disorder largely affecting the striatum. However, whether these changes occur in early stages of the disease and can be detected in vivo is still unclear. In the present study, we analysed changes in mitochondrial function and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at early stages and with disease progression. Studies were performed in vivo in human brain by PET using [64Cu]-ATSM and ex vivo in human skin fibroblasts of premanifest and prodromal (Pre-M) and manifest HD carriers. In vivo brain [64Cu]-ATSM PET in YAC128 transgenic mouse and striatal and cortical isolated mitochondria were assessed at presymptomatic (3 month-old, mo) and symptomatic (6–12 mo) stages. Pre-M HD carriers exhibited enhanced whole-brain (with exception of caudate) [64Cu]-ATSM labelling, correlating with CAG repeat number. Fibroblasts from Pre-M showed enhanced basal and maximal respiration, proton leak and increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels, later progressing in manifest HD. Mitochondria from fibroblasts of Pre-M HD carriers also showed reduced circularity, while higher number of mitochondrial DNA copies correlated with maximal respiratory capacity. In vivo animal PET analysis showed increased accumulation of [64Cu]-ATSM in YAC128 mouse striatum. YAC128 mouse (at 3 months) striatal isolated mitochondria exhibited a rise in basal and maximal mitochondrial respiration and in ATP production, and increased complex II and III activities. YAC128 mouse striatal mitochondria also showed enhanced mitochondrial H2O2 levels and circularity, revealed by brain ultrastructure analysis, and defects in Ca2+ handling, supporting increased striatal susceptibility. Data demonstrate both human and mouse mitochondrial overactivity and altered morphology at early HD stages, facilitating redox unbalance, the latter progressing with manifest disease. Pre-manifest HD carriers and presymptomatic YAC128 mice show increased brain [64Cu]-ATSM labelling. Increased [64Cu]-ATSM brain retention correlates with raised ROS levels in human and mouse samples. Increased [64Cu]-ATSM correlates with enhanced mitochondrial activity and mtDNA copy number. Presymptomatic YAC128 mouse striatal mitochondria show altered morphology and Ca2+ handling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carla Lopes
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; IIIUC-Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - I Luísa Ferreira
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; IIIUC-Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Carina Maranga
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Margarida Beatriz
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Sandra I Mota
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; IIIUC-Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - José Sereno
- ICNAS-Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - João Castelhano
- ICNAS-Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Antero Abrunhosa
- ICNAS-Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Francisco Oliveira
- ICNAS-Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Maura De Rosa
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Michael Hayden
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
| | - Mário N Laço
- FMUC-Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Medical Genetics Unit, Pediatric Hospital of Coimbra, Coimbra University Hospital (CHUC), Coimbra, Portugal.
| | | | - Miguel Castelo Branco
- ICNAS-Institute of Nuclear Science Applied to Health, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Coimbra, Portugal; FMUC-Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - A Cristina Rego
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; FMUC-Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
DeLuca V, Voits T. Bilingual experience affects white matter integrity across the lifespan. Neuropsychologia 2022; 169:108191. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
|
10
|
Classification of Huntington's Disease Stage with Features Derived from Structural and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12050704. [PMID: 35629126 PMCID: PMC9143912 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12050704] [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: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to classify Huntington’s disease (HD) stage using support vector machines and measures derived from T1- and diffusion-weighted imaging. The effects of feature selection approach and combination of imaging modalities are assessed. Fourteen premanifest-HD individuals (Pre-HD; on average > 20 years from estimated disease onset), eleven early-manifest HD (Early-HD) patients, and eighteen healthy controls (HC) participated in the study. We compared three feature selection approaches: (i) whole-brain segmented grey matter (GM; voxel-based measure) or fractional anisotropy (FA) values; (ii) GM or FA values from subcortical regions-of-interest (caudate, putamen, pallidum); and (iii) automated selection of GM or FA values with the algorithm Relief-F. We assessed single- and multi-kernel approaches to classify combined GM and FA measures. Significant classifications were achieved between Early-HD and Pre-HD or HC individuals (accuracy: generally, 85% to 95%), and between Pre-HD and controls for the feature FA of the caudate ROI (74% accuracy). The combination of GM and FA measures did not result in higher performances. We demonstrate evidence on the high sensitivity of FA for the classification of the earliest Pre-HD stages, and successful distinction between HD stages.
Collapse
|
11
|
Gabery S, Kwa JE, Cheong RY, Baldo B, Ferrari Bardile C, Tan B, McLean C, Georgiou-Karistianis N, Poudel GR, Halliday G, Pouladi MA, Petersén Å. Early white matter pathology in the fornix of the limbic system in Huntington disease. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 142:791-806. [PMID: 34448021 PMCID: PMC8500909 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02362-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. The typical motor symptoms have been associated with basal ganglia pathology. However, psychiatric and cognitive symptoms often precede the motor component and may be due to changes in the limbic system. Recent work has indicated pathology in the hypothalamus in HD but other parts of the limbic system have not been extensively studied. Emerging evidence suggests that changes in HD also include white matter pathology. Here we investigated if the main white matter tract of the limbic system, the fornix, is affected in HD. We demonstrate that the fornix is 34% smaller already in prodromal HD and 41% smaller in manifest HD compared to controls using volumetric analyses of MRI of the IMAGE-HD study. In post-mortem fornix tissue from HD cases, we confirm the smaller fornix volume in HD which is accompanied by signs of myelin breakdown and reduced levels of the transcription factor myelin regulating factor but detect no loss of oligodendrocytes. Further analyses using RNA-sequencing demonstrate downregulation of oligodendrocyte identity markers in the fornix of HD cases. Analysis of differentially expressed genes based on transcription-factor/target-gene interactions also revealed enrichment for binding sites of SUZ12 and EZH2, components of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2, as well as RE1 Regulation Transcription Factor. Taken together, our data show that there is early white matter pathology of the fornix in the limbic system in HD likely due to a combination of reduction in oligodendrocyte genes and myelin break down.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sanaz Gabery
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, BMC D11, 22184, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jing Eugene Kwa
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine (TLGM), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Rachel Y Cheong
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, BMC D11, 22184, Lund, Sweden
| | - Barbara Baldo
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, BMC D11, 22184, Lund, Sweden
- Evotec SE, HD Research and Translational Sciences, 22419, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Costanza Ferrari Bardile
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine (TLGM), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138648, Singapore
- Department of Medical Genetics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Brendan Tan
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3180, Australia
| | - Catriona McLean
- Department of Pathology, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Govinda R Poudel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3180, Australia
| | - Glenda Halliday
- The Brain and Mind Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mahmoud A Pouladi
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine (TLGM), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138648, Singapore
- Department of Medical Genetics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Åsa Petersén
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, BMC D11, 22184, Lund, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Oh SL, Chen CM, Wu YR, Valdes Hernandez M, Tsai CC, Cheng JS, Chen YL, Wu YM, Lin YC, Wang JJ. Fixel-Based Analysis Effectively Identifies White Matter Tract Degeneration in Huntington's Disease. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:711651. [PMID: 34588947 PMCID: PMC8473742 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.711651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microstructure damage in white matter might be linked to regional and global atrophy in Huntington's Disease (HD). We hypothesize that degeneration of subcortical regions, including the basal ganglia, is associated with damage of white matter tracts linking these affected regions. We aim to use fixel-based analysis to identify microstructural changes in the white matter tracts. To further assess the associated gray matter damage, diffusion tensor-derived indices were measured from regions of interest located in the basal ganglia. Diffusion weighted images were acquired from 12 patients with HD and 12 healthy unrelated controls using a 3 Tesla scanner. Reductions in fixel-derived metrics occurs in major white matter tracts, noticeably in corpus callosum, internal capsule, and the corticospinal tract, which were closely co-localized with the regions of increased diffusivity in basal ganglia. These changes in diffusion can be attributed to potential axonal degeneration. Fixel-based analysis is effective in studying white matter tractography and fiber changes in HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sher Li Oh
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chiung-Mei Chen
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yih-Ru Wu
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Maria Valdes Hernandez
- Row Fogo Centre for Research into Ageing and the Brain, Department of Neuroimaging Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Chih-Chien Tsai
- Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Jur-Shan Cheng
- Clinical Informatics and Medical Statistics Research Center, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Yao-Liang Chen
- Department of Medical Imaging and Intervention, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ming Wu
- Department of Medical Imaging and Intervention, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chun Lin
- Department of Medical Imaging and Intervention, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Jiun-Jie Wang
- Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Medical Imaging Research Center, Institute for Radiological Research, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Gyori NG, Clark CA, Alexander DC, Kaden E. On the potential for mapping apparent neural soma density via a clinically viable diffusion MRI protocol. Neuroimage 2021; 239:118303. [PMID: 34174390 PMCID: PMC8363942 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
B-tensor encoding enables estimation of spherical cellular structures in the brain. Spherical compartments may provide markers for apparent neural soma density. Model parameters can be estimated in a fast and robust way using deep learning. Practical acquisition times are achievable on widely available clinical scanners.
Diffusion MRI is a valuable tool for probing tissue microstructure in the brain noninvasively. Today, model-based techniques are widely available and used for white matter characterisation where their development is relatively mature. Conversely, tissue modelling in grey matter is more challenging, and no generally accepted models exist. With advances in measurement technology and modelling efforts, a clinically viable technique that reveals salient features of grey matter microstructure, such as the density of quasi-spherical cell bodies and quasi-cylindrical cell projections, is an exciting prospect. As a step towards capturing the microscopic architecture of grey matter in clinically feasible settings, this work uses a biophysical model that is designed to disentangle the diffusion signatures of spherical and cylindrical structures in the presence of orientation heterogeneity, and takes advantage of B-tensor encoding measurements, which provide additional sensitivity compared to standard single diffusion encoding sequences. For the fast and robust estimation of microstructural parameters, we leverage recent advances in machine learning and replace conventional fitting techniques with an artificial neural network that fits complex biophysical models within seconds. Our results demonstrate apparent markers of spherical and cylindrical geometries in healthy human subjects, and in particular an increased volume fraction of spherical compartments in grey matter compared to white matter. We evaluate the extent to which spherical and cylindrical geometries may be interpreted as correlates of neural soma and neural projections, respectively, and quantify parameter estimation errors in the presence of various departures from the modelling assumptions. While further work is necessary to translate the ideas presented in this work to the clinic, we suggest that biomarkers focussing on quasi-spherical cellular geometries may be valuable for the enhanced assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noemi G Gyori
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Christopher A Clark
- Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel C Alexander
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Enrico Kaden
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Park HJ, Jeon J, Choi J, Kim JY, Kim HS, Huh JY, Goldman SA, Song J. Human iPSC-derived neural precursor cells differentiate into multiple cell types to delay disease progression following transplantation into YAC128 Huntington's disease mouse model. Cell Prolif 2021; 54:e13082. [PMID: 34152047 PMCID: PMC8349664 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate whether human HLA-homozygous induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural precursor cells (iPSC-NPCs) can provide functional benefits in Huntington's disease (HD), we transplanted them into the YAC128 transgenic HD mouse model. MATERIALS AND METHODS CHAi001-A, an HLA-homozygous iPSC line (A*33:03-B*44:03-DRB1*13:02), was differentiated into neural precursor cells, and then, they were transplanted into 6 months-old YAC128 mice. Various behavioural and histological analyses were performed for five months after transplantation. RESULTS Motor and cognitive functions were significantly improved in transplanted animals. Cells transplanted in the striatum showed multipotential differentiation. Five months after transplantation, the donor cells had differentiated into neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. Transplantation restored DARPP-32 expression, synaptophysin density, myelin basic protein expression in the corpus callosum and astrocyte function. CONCLUSION Altogether, these results strongly suggest that iPSC-NPCs transplantation induces neuroprotection and functional recovery in a mouse model of HD and should be taken forward for clinical trials in HD patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Jung Park
- Department of Biomedical Science, CHA Stem Cell Institute, CHA University, Seongnam-si, Korea
| | - Juhyun Jeon
- Department of Biomedical Science, CHA Stem Cell Institute, CHA University, Seongnam-si, Korea
| | - Jiwoo Choi
- Department of Biomedical Science, CHA Stem Cell Institute, CHA University, Seongnam-si, Korea
| | - Ji Yeon Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science, CHA Stem Cell Institute, CHA University, Seongnam-si, Korea
| | - Hyun Sook Kim
- Department of Neurology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam-si, Korea
| | - Ji Young Huh
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam-si, Korea
| | - Steven A Goldman
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.,Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health and Medical Science, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Jihwan Song
- Department of Biomedical Science, CHA Stem Cell Institute, CHA University, Seongnam-si, Korea.,iPS Bio, Inc., 3F, 16 Daewangpangyo-ro 712 Beon-gil, Seongnam-si, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Gatto RG, Weissmann C. Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Preclinical and Human Studies of Huntington's Disease: What Have we Learned so Far? Curr Med Imaging 2020; 15:521-542. [PMID: 32008561 DOI: 10.2174/1573405614666181115113400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Revised: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's Disease is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive deterioration of specific brain nerve cells. The current evaluation of cellular and physiological events in patients with HD relies on the development of transgenic animal models. To explore such events in vivo, diffusion tensor imaging has been developed to examine the early macro and microstructural changes in brain tissue. However, the gap in diffusion tensor imaging findings between animal models and clinical studies and the lack of microstructural confirmation by histological methods has questioned the validity of this method. OBJECTIVE This review explores white and grey matter ultrastructural changes associated to diffusion tensor imaging, as well as similarities and differences between preclinical and clinical Huntington's Disease studies. METHODS A comprehensive review of the literature using online-resources was performed (Pub- Med search). RESULTS Similar changes in fractional anisotropy as well as axial, radial and mean diffusivities were observed in white matter tracts across clinical and animal studies. However, comparative diffusion alterations in different grey matter structures were inconsistent between clinical and animal studies. CONCLUSION Diffusion tensor imaging can be related to specific structural anomalies in specific cellular populations. However, some differences between animal and clinical studies could derive from the contrasting neuroanatomy or connectivity across species. Such differences should be considered before generalizing preclinical results into the clinical practice. Moreover, current limitations of this technique to accurately represent complex multicellular events at the single micro scale are real. Future work applying complex diffusion models should be considered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo Gabriel Gatto
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, United States
| | - Carina Weissmann
- Insituto de Fisiología Biologia Molecular y Neurociencias-IFIBYNE-CONICET, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Estevez-Fraga C, Scahill R, Rees G, Tabrizi SJ, Gregory S. Diffusion imaging in Huntington's disease: comprehensive review. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2020; 92:jnnp-2020-324377. [PMID: 33033167 PMCID: PMC7803908 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2020-324377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a monogenic disorder with 100% penetrance. With the advent of genetic testing in adults, disease-related, structural brain changes can be investigated from the earliest, premorbid stages of HD. While examining macrostructural change characterises global neuronal damage, investigating microstructural alterations provides information regarding brain organisation and its underlying biological properties. Diffusion MRI can be used to track the progression of microstructural anomalies in HD decades prior to clinical disease onset, providing a greater understanding of neurodegeneration. Multiple approaches, including voxelwise, region of interest and tractography, have been used in HD cohorts, showing a centrifugal pattern of white matter (WM) degeneration starting from deep brain areas, which is consistent with neuropathological studies. The corpus callosum, longer WM tracts and areas that are more densely connected, in particular the sensorimotor network, also tend to be affected early during premanifest stages. Recent evidence supports the routine inclusion of diffusion analyses within clinical trials principally as an additional measure to improve understanding of treatment effects, while the advent of novel techniques such as multitissue compartment models and connectomics can help characterise the underpinnings of progressive functional decline in HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Estevez-Fraga
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rachael Scahill
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Geraint Rees
- Wellcome Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah Gregory
- Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Wilton DK, Stevens B. The contribution of glial cells to Huntington's disease pathogenesis. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 143:104963. [PMID: 32593752 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Glial cells play critical roles in the normal development and function of neural circuits, but in many neurodegenerative diseases, they become dysregulated and may contribute to the development of brain pathology. In Huntington's disease (HD), glial cells both lose normal functions and gain neuropathic phenotypes. In addition, cell-autonomous dysfunction elicited by mutant huntingtin (mHTT) expression in specific glial cell types is sufficient to induce both pathology and Huntington's disease-related impairments in motor and cognitive performance, suggesting that these cells may drive the development of certain aspects of Huntington's disease pathogenesis. In support of this imaging studies in pre-symptomatic HD patients and work on mouse models have suggested that glial cell dysfunction occurs at a very early stage of the disease, prior to the onset of motor and cognitive deficits. Furthermore, selectively ablating mHTT from specific glial cells or correcting for HD-induced changes in their transcriptional profile rescues some HD-related phenotypes, demonstrating the potential of targeting these cells for therapeutic intervention. Here we review emerging research focused on understanding the involvement of different glial cell types in specific aspects of HD pathogenesis. This work is providing new insight into how HD impacts biological functions of glial cells in the healthy brain as well as how HD induced dysfunction in these cells might change the way they integrate into biological circuits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel K Wilton
- Department of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Beth Stevens
- Department of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Gregory S, Johnson E, Byrne LM, Rodrigues FB, Henderson A, Moss J, Thomas D, Zhang H, De Vita E, Tabrizi SJ, Rees G, Scahill RI, Wild EJ. Characterizing White Matter in Huntington's Disease. Mov Disord Clin Pract 2020; 7:52-60. [PMID: 31970212 PMCID: PMC6962665 DOI: 10.1002/mdc3.12866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Investigating early white matter (WM) change in Huntington's disease (HD) can improve our understanding of the way in which disease spreads from the striatum. OBJECTIVES We provide a detailed characterization of pathology-related WM change in HD. We first examined WM microstructure using diffusion-weighted imaging and then investigated both underlying biological properties of WM and products of WM damage including iron, myelin plus neurofilament light, a biofluid marker of axonal degeneration-in parallel with the mutant huntingtin protein. METHODS We examined WM change in HD gene carriers from the HD-CSFcohort, baseline visit. We used standard-diffusion magnetic resonance imaging to measure metrics including fractional anisotropy, a marker of WM integrity, and diffusivity; a novel diffusion model (neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging) to measure axonal density and organization; T1-weighted and T2-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging images to derive proxy iron content and myelin-contrast measures; and biofluid concentrations of neurofilament light (in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma) and mutant huntingtin protein (in CSF). RESULTS HD gene carriers displayed reduced fractional anisotropy and increased diffusivity when compared with controls, both of which were also associated with disease progression, CSF, and mutant huntingtin protein levels. HD gene carriers also displayed proxy measures of reduced myelin contrast and iron in the striatum. CONCLUSION Collectively, these findings present a more complete characterization of HD-related microstructural brain changes. The correlation between reduced fractional anisotropy, increased axonal orientation, and biofluid markers suggest that axonal breakdown is associated with increased WM degeneration, whereas higher quantitative T2 signal and lower myelin-contrast may indicate a process of demyelination limited to the striatum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gregory
- University College London Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUniversity College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Eileanoir Johnson
- University College London Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUniversity College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Lauren M. Byrne
- University College London Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUniversity College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Filipe B. Rodrigues
- University College London Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUniversity College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Alexandra Henderson
- University College London Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUniversity College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - John Moss
- University College London Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUniversity College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - David Thomas
- Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, University College London Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonUnited Kingdom
- Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre, University College London Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Computer Science and Centre for Medical Image ComputingUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Enrico De Vita
- Lysholm Department of NeuroradiologyNational Hospital for Neurology and NeurosurgeryLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging SciencesKing's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Sarah J. Tabrizi
- University College London Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUniversity College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Geraint Rees
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Rachael I. Scahill
- University College London Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUniversity College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Edward J. Wild
- University College London Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUniversity College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Rangel-Barajas C, Rebec GV. Overview of Huntington's Disease Models: Neuropathological, Molecular, and Behavioral Differences. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 83:e47. [PMID: 30040221 DOI: 10.1002/cpns.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Transgenic mouse models of Huntington's disease (HD), a neurodegenerative condition caused by a single gene mutation, have been transformative in their ability to reveal the molecular processes and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the HD behavioral phenotype. Three model categories have been generated depending on the genetic context in which the mutation is expressed: truncated, full-length, and knock-in. No single model, however, broadly replicates the behavioral symptoms and massive neuronal loss that occur in human patients. The disparity between model and patient requires careful consideration of what each model has to offer when testing potential treatments. Although the translation of animal data to the clinic has been limited, each model can make unique contributions toward an improved understanding of the neurobehavioral underpinnings of HD. Thus, conclusions based on data obtained from more than one model are likely to have the most success in the search for new treatment targets. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Rangel-Barajas
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - George V Rebec
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Teo RTY, Ferrari Bardile C, Tay YL, Yusof NABM, Kreidy CA, Tan LJ, Pouladi MA. Impaired Remyelination in a Mouse Model of Huntington Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:6873-6882. [PMID: 30937636 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-1579-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
White matter (WM) abnormalities are a well-established feature of Huntington disease (HD), although their nature is not fully understood. Here, we asked whether remyelination as a measure of WM plasticity is impaired in a model of HD. Using the cuprizone assay, we examined demyelination and remyelination responses in YAC128 HD mice. Treatment with 0.2% cuprizone (CPZ) for 6 weeks resulted in significant reduction in mature (GSTπ-positive) oligodendrocyte counts and FluoroMyelin staining in the corpus callosum, leading to similar demyelination states in YAC128 and wild-type (WT) mice. Six weeks following cessation of CPZ, we observed robust remyelination in WT mice as indicated by an increase in mature oligodendrocyte counts and FluoroMyelin staining. In contrast, YAC128 mice exhibited an impaired remyelination response. The increase in mature oligodendrocyte counts in YAC128 HD mice following CPZ cessation was lower than that of WT. Furthermore, there was no increase in FluoroMyelin staining compared to the demyelinated state in YAC128 mice. We confirmed these findings using electron microscopy where the CPZ-induced reduction in myelinated axons was reversed following CPZ cessation in WT but not YAC128 mice. Our findings demonstrate that remyelination is impaired in YAC128 mice and suggest that WM plasticity may be compromised in HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roy Tang Yi Teo
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos, Level 5, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Costanza Ferrari Bardile
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos, Level 5, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Yi Lin Tay
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos, Level 5, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Nur Amirah Binte Mohammad Yusof
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos, Level 5, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Charbel A Kreidy
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos, Level 5, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Liang Juin Tan
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos, Level 5, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Mahmoud A Pouladi
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos, Level 5, Singapore, 138648, Singapore.
- Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore.
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Baumeister TR, Kim JL, Zhu M, McKeown MJ. White matter myelin profiles linked to clinical subtypes of Parkinson's disease. J Magn Reson Imaging 2018; 50:164-174. [DOI: 10.1002/jmri.26543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jowon L. Kim
- Medical Undergraduate ProgramUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver Canada
| | - Maria Zhu
- Graduate Program in NeuroscienceUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver Canada
| | - Martin J. McKeown
- Division of NeurologyUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver Canada
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Huntington's Disease. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2018; 142:335-380. [PMID: 30409258 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2018.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder, caused by expansion of the CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene. HD is characterized clinically by progressive motor, cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms. There are currently no disease modifying treatments available for HD, and there is a great need for biomarkers to monitor disease progression and identify new targets for therapeutic intervention. Neuroimaging techniques provide a powerful tool for assessing disease pathology and progression in premanifest stages, before the onset of overt motor symptoms. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is non-invasive imaging techniques which have been employed to study structural and microstructural changes in premanifest and manifest HD gene carriers. This chapter described structural imaging techniques and analysis methods employed across HD MRI studies. Current evidence for structural MRI abnormalities in HD, and associations between atrophy, structural white matter changes, iron deposition and clinical performance are discussed; together with the use of structural MRI measures as a diagnostic tool, to assess longitudinal changes, and as potential biomarkers and endpoints for clinical trials.
Collapse
|
23
|
Abstract
Arguably the most important goal of prion research is the discovery of a safe and effective treatment for the human diseases. The final stages of the pathway to develop a treatment require clinical trials. Choices about how a trial is designed and conducted have a large impact on the chances of success. The gold-standard large randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, which minimizes sources of bias and has been incredibly successful in other diseases, has been hard to achieve in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease principally because of the rarity and rapidity of the clinical syndrome. To date, clinical trials have been restricted to repurposed compounds, doxycycline, quinacrine, pentosan polysulfate (PPS), and flupertine. In most cases, these trials have used survival as an endpoint, which, whilst clearcut, has limitations. Biomarkers have played a strong role in diagnosis and entry criteria, but only a limited role as secondary outcome measures. Recent developments suggest some possible improvements in trial design by use of new outcome measures that have more favorable properties, and biomarkers of neuronal damage and/or prion seeding activity. Alternative patient populations, including those at risk of genetic forms of prion disease, warrant more consideration. In the future, improved trial designs will be employed to test compounds designed specifically to treat prion diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Mead
- National Prion Clinic, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and MRC Prion Unit at University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom.
| | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Hunter M, Demarais NJ, Faull RLM, Grey AC, Curtis MA. Subventricular zone lipidomic architecture loss in Huntington's disease. J Neurochem 2018; 146:613-630. [PMID: 29804301 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The human subventricular zone (SVZ) has a defined cytological and neurochemical architecture, with four constituent laminae that act in concert to support its neurogenic activity. Lipidomic specialisation has previously been demonstrated in the neurologically normal human SVZ, with enrichment of functionally important lipid classes in each lamina. The SVZ is also responsive to neurodegenerative disorders, where thickening of the niche and enhanced proliferation of resident cells were observed in Huntington's disease (HD) brains. In this study, we hypothesised lipidomic changes in the HD SVZ. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry, this analysis shows differences in the lipidomic architecture in the post-mortem Vonsattel grade III cases. Relative to matched, neurologically normal specimens (N = 4), the lipidomic signature of the HD SVZ (N = 4) was characterized by loss of sulfatides and triglycerides in the myelin layer, with an ectopic and focal accumulation of sphingomyelins and ceramide-1-phosphate observed in this lamina. A striking loss of lipidomic patterning was also observed in the ependymal layer, where the local abundance of phosphatidylinositols was significantly reduced in HD. This comprehensive spatially resolved lipidomic analysis of the human HD SVZ identifies alterations in lipid architecture that may shed light on the mechanisms of SVZ responses to neurodegeneration in HD. Open Science: This manuscript was awarded with the Open Materials Badge. For more information see: https://cos.io/our-services/open-science-badges/.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mandana Hunter
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Nicholas J Demarais
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Richard L M Faull
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Angus C Grey
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Department of Physiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Maurice A Curtis
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Podvin S, Reardon HT, Yin K, Mosier C, Hook V. Multiple clinical features of Huntington's disease correlate with mutant HTT gene CAG repeat lengths and neurodegeneration. J Neurol 2018; 266:551-564. [PMID: 29956026 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-018-8940-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by mutant HTT gene expansions of CAG triplet repeat numbers that are inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. HD patients display multiple clinical features that are correlated with HTT CAG repeat numbers that include age of disease onset, motor dysfunction, cognitive deficits, compromised daily living capacity, and brain neurodegeneration. It is important to understand the significant relationships of the multiple HD clinical deficits correlated with the number of mutant HTT CAG expansions that are the genetic basis for HD disabilities. Therefore, this review highlights the significant correlations of the HD clinical features of age of onset, motor and cognitive disabilities, decline in living capabilities, weight loss, risk of death, and brain neurodegeneration with respect to their associations with CAG repeat lengths of the HTT gene. Quantitative HTT gene expression patterns analyzed in normal adult human brain regions demonstrated its distribution in areas known to undergo neurodegeneration in HD, as well as in other brain regions. Future investigation of the relationships of the spectrum of clinical HD features with mutant HTT molecular mechanisms will be important to gain understanding of how mutant CAG expansions of the HTT gene result in the devastating disabilities of HD patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Podvin
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC0719, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093-0719, USA
| | - Holly T Reardon
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC0719, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093-0719, USA
| | - Katrina Yin
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC0719, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093-0719, USA
| | - Charles Mosier
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC0719, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093-0719, USA
| | - Vivian Hook
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC0719, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093-0719, USA.
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC0719, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093-0719, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC0719, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093-0719, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Alpaugh M, Galleguillos D, Forero J, Morales LC, Lackey SW, Kar P, Di Pardo A, Holt A, Kerr BJ, Todd KG, Baker GB, Fouad K, Sipione S. Disease-modifying effects of ganglioside GM1 in Huntington's disease models. EMBO Mol Med 2018; 9:1537-1557. [PMID: 28993428 PMCID: PMC5666311 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201707763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor, cognitive and psychiatric problems. Previous studies indicated that levels of brain gangliosides are lower than normal in HD models and that administration of exogenous ganglioside GM1 corrects motor dysfunction in the YAC128 mouse model of HD In this study, we provide evidence that intraventricular administration of GM1 has profound disease-modifying effects across HD mouse models with different genetic background. GM1 administration results in decreased levels of mutant huntingtin, the protein that causes HD, and in a wide array of beneficial effects that include changes in levels of DARPP32, ferritin, Iba1 and GFAP, modulation of dopamine and serotonin metabolism, and restoration of normal levels of glutamate, GABA, L-Ser and D-Ser. Treatment with GM1 slows down neurodegeneration, white matter atrophy and body weight loss in R6/2 mice. Motor functions are significantly improved in R6/2 mice and restored to normal in Q140 mice, including gait abnormalities that are often resistant to treatments. Psychiatric-like and cognitive dysfunctions are also ameliorated by GM1 administration in Q140 and YAC128 mice. The widespread benefits of GM1 administration, at molecular, cellular and behavioural levels, indicate that this ganglioside has strong therapeutic and disease-modifying potential in HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Alpaugh
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Danny Galleguillos
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Juan Forero
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | | | - Preeti Kar
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Alba Di Pardo
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Andrew Holt
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Bradley J Kerr
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Kathryn G Todd
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Glen B Baker
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Karim Fouad
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Simonetta Sipione
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada .,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Gregory S, Crawford H, Seunarine K, Leavitt B, Durr A, Roos RAC, Scahill RI, Tabrizi SJ, Rees G, Langbehn D, Orth M. Natural biological variation of white matter microstructure is accentuated in Huntington's disease. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:3516-3527. [PMID: 29682858 PMCID: PMC6099203 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a monogenic neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG‐repeat expansion in the Huntingtin gene. Presence of this expansion signifies certainty of disease onset, but only partly explains age at which onset occurs. Genome‐wide association studies have shown that naturally occurring genetic variability influences HD pathogenesis and disease onset. Investigating the influence of biological traits in the normal population, such as variability in white matter properties, on HD pathogenesis could provide a complementary approach to understanding disease modification. We have previously shown that while white matter diffusivity patterns in the left sensorimotor network were similar in controls and HD gene‐carriers, they were more extreme in the HD group. We hypothesized that the influence of natural variation in diffusivity on effects of HD pathogenesis on white matter is not limited to the sensorimotor network but extends to cognitive, limbic, and visual networks. Using tractography, we investigated 32 bilateral pathways within HD‐related networks, including motor, cognitive, and limbic, and examined diffusivity metrics using principal components analysis. We identified three independent patterns of diffusivity common to controls and HD gene‐carriers that predicted HD status. The first pattern involved almost all tracts, the second was limited to sensorimotor tracts, and the third encompassed cognitive network tracts. Each diffusivity pattern was associated with network specific performance. The consistency in diffusivity patterns across both groups coupled with their association with disease status and task performance indicates that naturally‐occurring patterns of diffusivity can become accentuated in the presence of the HD gene mutation to influence clinical brain function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gregory
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helen Crawford
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kiran Seunarine
- Developmental Imaging and Biophysics Section, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, WC1N 1EH, United Kingdom
| | - Blair Leavitt
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Alexandra Durr
- APHP Department of Genetics, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, and Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle, INSERM U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Université Paris VI UMR_S1127, Paris, France
| | - Raymund A C Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, 2300RC, The Netherlands
| | - Rachael I Scahill
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Geraint Rees
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas Langbehn
- Departments of Psychiatry and Biostatistics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Michael Orth
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Gibbard CR, Ren J, Skuse DH, Clayden JD, Clark CA. Structural connectivity of the amygdala in young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:1270-1282. [PMID: 29265723 PMCID: PMC5838552 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Revised: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social cognition, a function associated with the amygdala. Subdivisions of the amygdala have been identified which show specificity of structure, connectivity, and function. Little is known about amygdala connectivity in ASD. The aim of this study was to investigate the microstructural properties of amygdala-cortical connections and their association with ASD behaviours, and whether connectivity of specific amygdala subregions is associated with particular ASD traits. The brains of 51 high-functioning young adults (25 with ASD; 26 controls) were scanned using MRI. Amygdala volume was measured, and amygdala-cortical connectivity estimated using probabilistic tractography. An iterative 'winner takes all' algorithm was used to parcellate the amygdala based on its primary cortical connections. Measures of amygdala connectivity were correlated with clinical scores. In comparison with controls, amygdala volume was greater in ASD (F(1,94) = 4.19; p = .04). In white matter (WM) tracts connecting the right amygdala to the right cortex, ASD subjects showed increased mean diffusivity (t = 2.35; p = .05), which correlated with the severity of emotion recognition deficits (rho = -0.53; p = .01). Following amygdala parcellation, in ASD subjects reduced fractional anisotropy in WM connecting the left amygdala to the temporal cortex was associated with with greater attention switching impairment (rho = -0.61; p = .02). This study demonstrates that both amygdala volume and the microstructure of connections between the amygdala and the cortex are altered in ASD. Findings indicate that the microstructure of right amygdala WM tracts are associated with overall ASD severity, but that investigation of amygdala subregions can identify more specific associations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clare R. Gibbard
- Developmental Imaging and Biophysics Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford StreetLondonWC1N 1EHUnited Kingdom
| | - Juejing Ren
- Behavioural Sciences UnitUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford StreetLondonWC1N 1EHUnited Kingdom
| | - David H. Skuse
- Behavioural Sciences UnitUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford StreetLondonWC1N 1EHUnited Kingdom
| | - Jonathan D. Clayden
- Developmental Imaging and Biophysics Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford StreetLondonWC1N 1EHUnited Kingdom
| | - Chris A. Clark
- Developmental Imaging and Biophysics Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford StreetLondonWC1N 1EHUnited Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive technique used routinely to image the body in both clinical and research settings. Through the manipulation of radio waves and static field gradients, MRI uses the principle of nuclear magnetic resonance to produce images with high spatial resolution, appropriate for the investigation of brain structure and function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gregory
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
| | - Rachael I Scahill
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Geraint Rees
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Sarah Tabrizi
- Huntington's Disease Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Saba RA, Yared JH, Doring TM, Phys M, Borges V, Ferraz HB. Diffusion tensor imaging of brain white matter in Huntington gene mutation individuals. ARQUIVOS DE NEURO-PSIQUIATRIA 2017; 75:503-508. [PMID: 28813079 DOI: 10.1590/0004-282x20170085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Accepted: 04/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the role of the involvement of white matter tracts in huntingtin gene mutation patients as a potential biomarker of the progression of the disease. Methods We evaluated 34 participants (11 symptomatic huntingtin gene mutation, 12 presymptomatic huntingtin gene mutation, and 11 controls). We performed brain magnetic resonance imaging to assess white matter integrity using diffusion tensor imaging, with measurement of fractional anisotropy. Results We observed a significant decrease of fractional anisotropy in the cortical spinal tracts, corona radiate, corpus callosum, external capsule, thalamic radiations, superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and inferior frontal-occipital fasciculus in the Huntington disease group compared to the control and presymptomatic groups. Reduction of fractional anisotropy is indicative of a degenerative process and axonal loss. There was no statistically significant difference between the presymptomatic and control groups. Conclusion White matter integrity is affected in huntingtin gene mutation symptomatic individuals, but other studies with larger samples are required to assess its usefulness in the progression of the neurodegenerative process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Arb Saba
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Disciplina de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brasil
| | - James H Yared
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Disciplina de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brasil
| | | | - Med Phys
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Disciplina de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brasil
| | - Vanderci Borges
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Disciplina de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brasil
| | - Henrique Ballalai Ferraz
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Disciplina de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brasil
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
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.
Collapse
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
| | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Wiest R, Burgunder JM, Kiefer C. Model-Based Magnetization Transfer Imaging Markers to Characterize Patients and Asymptomatic Gene Carriers in Huntington's Disease. Front Neurol 2017; 8:465. [PMID: 28932207 PMCID: PMC5592228 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Huntington's disease (HD) is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a long presymptomatic period that opens a window for potential therapies aimed at neuroprotection. Neuroimaging offers the potential to monitor disease-related progression of the disease burden (DB) using model-based magnetization transfer imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS We have conducted a cross-sectional study to stratify healthy age-matched controls, premanifest and symptomatic HD patients (n = 30) according to their macromolecular depositions in the caudate nucleus. We employed a binary spin-bath magnetization transfer (MT) method for a quantitative description of macromolecule deposits and interactions with their adjacent environment. RESULTS A region-of-interest based fuzzy clustering analysis identified representative clusters for several stages of the disease course related to its progression: one cluster represented subjects with a high DB <268 that encompassed all symptomatic HD patients and one presymptomatic gene carrier. The next cluster represented the presymptomatic gene carriers with a very low DB >230 and healthy controls. Three further clusters represented transition zones between both DB levels (230-268) consisting of presymptomatic carriers with DB values increasing with decreasing distance from the cluster that indicated low DB and healthy age-matched controls. CONCLUSION The proposed binary spin-bath MT method offers the potential to monitor DB and progression in HD. The method may augment qualitative MT techniques since it depicts tissue changes related to interactions between macromolecules and protons in disease specific brain regions that follow the neurodegenerative process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roland Wiest
- Support Center of Advanced Neuroimaging (SCAN), Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University of Bern, Inselspital, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Marc Burgunder
- Neurology, University of Bern, Inselspital, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.,Sichuan University, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Sun Yat Sen University, Chengdu, China
| | - Claus Kiefer
- Support Center of Advanced Neuroimaging (SCAN), Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University of Bern, Inselspital, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Myelin Breakdown in Human Huntington's Disease: Multi-Modal Evidence from Diffusion MRI and Quantitative Magnetization Transfer. Neuroscience 2017; 403:79-92. [PMID: 28579146 PMCID: PMC6458992 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.05.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Revised: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The macromolecular proton fraction (MMPF), an MRI marker of myelin, was reduced in Huntington’s disease (HD). MMPF reductions in white matter suggest myelin breakdown. HD was associated with reductions in basal ganglia volume. HD was associated with poor executive functioning but preserved working memory capacity. Axial and radial diffusivities as unspecific metrics of white matter changes correlated with clinical markers of disease.
Huntington’s disease (HD) leads to white matter (WM) degeneration that may be due to an early breakdown in axon myelination but in vivo imaging correlates of demyelination remain relatively unexplored in HD compared to other neurodegenerative diseases. This study investigated HD-related effects on a putative marker of myelin, the macromolecular proton fraction (MMPF) from quantitative magnetization transfer and on fractional anisotropy, axial and radial diffusivity from diffusion tensor MR-imaging. Microstructural differences were studied in WM pathways of the basal ganglia and motor systems known to be impaired in HD: the corpus callosum, the cortico-spinal tract, the anterior thalamic radiation, fibers between prefrontal cortex and caudate and between supplementary motor area and putamen. Principal component analysis was employed for dimensionality reduction. Patients showed reductions in a component with high loadings on MMPF in all WM pathways and a trend for increases in a component loading on axial and radial diffusivities but no differences in a component loading on fractional anisotropy. While patients’ performance in executive functioning was impaired, their working memory span was preserved. Inter-individual differences in the diffusivity component correlated with patients’ performance in clinical measures of the United Huntington Disease Rating Scale. In summary, HD-related reductions in MMPF suggest that myelin breakdown contributes to WM impairment in human HD and emphasize the potential of quantitative MRI metrics to inform about disease pathogenesis. Disease severity in manifest HD, however, was best captured by non-specific diffusivity metrics sensitive to multiple disease and age-related changes.
Collapse
|
34
|
Huang H, Nguyen PT, Schwab NA, Tanner JJ, Price CC, Ding M. Mapping Dorsal and Ventral Caudate in Older Adults: Method and Validation. Front Aging Neurosci 2017; 9:91. [PMID: 28420985 PMCID: PMC5378713 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The caudate nucleus plays important roles in cognition and affect. Depending on associated connectivity and function, the caudate can be further divided into dorsal and ventral aspects. Dorsal caudate, highly connected to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), is implicated in executive function and working memory; ventral caudate, more interconnected with the limbic system, is implicated in affective functions such as pain processing. Clinically, certain brain disorders are known to differentially impact dorsal and ventral caudate. Thus, precise parcellation of caudate has both basic and clinical neuroscience significance. In young adults, past work has combined resting-state fMRI functional connectivity with clustering algorithms to define dorsal and ventral caudate. Whether the same approach is effective in older adults and how to validate the parcellation results have not been considered. We addressed these problems by obtaining resting-state fMRI data from 56 older non-demented adults (age: 69.07 ± 5.92 years and MOCA: 25.71 ± 2.46) along with a battery of cognitive and clinical assessments. Connectivity from each voxel of caudate to the rest of the brain was computed using cross correlation. Applying the K-means clustering algorithm to the connectivity patterns with K = 2 yielded two substructures within caudate, which agree well with previously reported dorsal and ventral divisions of caudate. Furthermore, dorsal-caudate-seeded functional connectivity was shown to be more strongly associated with working memory and fluid reasoning composite scores, whereas ventral-caudate-seeded functional connectivity more strongly associated with pain and fatigue severity. These results demonstrate that dorsal and ventral caudate can be reliably identified by combining resting-state fMRI and clustering algorithms in older adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haiqing Huang
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of FloridaGainesville, FL, USA
| | - Peter T Nguyen
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of FloridaGainesville, FL, USA
| | - Nadine A Schwab
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of FloridaGainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jared J Tanner
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of FloridaGainesville, FL, USA
| | - Catherine C Price
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of FloridaGainesville, FL, USA
| | - Mingzhou Ding
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of FloridaGainesville, FL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Meng Y, Jiang J, Bachevalier J, Zhang X, Chan AWS. Developmental Whole Brain White Matter Alterations in Transgenic Huntington's Disease Monkey. Sci Rep 2017; 7:379. [PMID: 28336929 PMCID: PMC5428287 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00381-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Transgenic Huntington’s disease monkey (HD monkey) model provides great opportunity for studying disease progression that could lead to new insight for developing biomarker, early intervention and novel therapeutics. Whole brain white matter integrity of HD-monkeys was examined longitudinally from 6 to 48 months using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Progressive developmental white matter alterations in HD monkeys were widespread and were observed not only in fiber bundles connecting cortical areas to the striatum (e.g. striatal bundle and external capsule), but also in long association fiber pathways, commissural fibers, and subcortical fiber bundle. In all fiber tracts, the data indicate an arrest in white matter development around 23 months followed by slight decline until adulthood in HD monkeys. The microstructural changes parallel the progressive motor, memory and cognitive decline previously reported as HD monkeys aged. The findings revealed the widespread progressive temporal-spatial microstructural changes in HD monkey brains from infancy to adulthood, suggesting differentiated degenerations across different brain areas during brain development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuguang Meng
- Yerkes Imaging Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jie Jiang
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jocelyne Bachevalier
- Department of Psychology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. .,Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Yerkes Imaging Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. .,Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
| | - Anthony W S Chan
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. .,Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Aging of cerebral white matter. Ageing Res Rev 2017; 34:64-76. [PMID: 27865980 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2016.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Revised: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
White matter (WM) occupies a large volume of the human cerebrum and is mainly composed of myelinated axons and myelin-producing glial cells. The myelinated axons within WM are the structural foundation for efficient neurotransmission between cortical and subcortical areas. Similar to neuron-enriched gray matter areas, WM undergoes a series of changes during the process of aging. WM malfunction can induce serious neurobehavioral and cognitive impairments. Thus, age-related changes in WM may contribute to the functional decline observed in the elderly. In addition, aged WM becomes more susceptible to neurological disorders, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and neurodegeneration. In this review, we summarize the structural and functional alterations of WM in natural aging and speculate on the underlying mechanisms. We also discuss how age-related WM changes influence the progression of various brain disorders, including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, TBI, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Although the physiology of WM is still poorly understood relative to gray matter, WM is a rational therapeutic target for a number of neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Collapse
|
37
|
The Complexity of Clinical Huntington's Disease: Developments in Molecular Genetics, Neuropathology and Neuroimaging Biomarkers. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2017; 15:129-161. [PMID: 28674980 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-57193-5_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterised by extensive neuronal loss in the striatum and cerebral cortex, and a triad of clinical symptoms affecting motor, cognitive/behavioural and mood functioning. The mutation causing HD is an expansion of a CAG tract in exon 1 of the HTT gene. This chapter provides a multifaceted overview of the clinical complexity of HD. We explore recent directions in molecular genetics including the identification of loci that are genetic modifiers of HD that could potentially reveal therapeutic targets beyond the HTT gene transcript and protein. The variability of clinical symptomatology in HD is considered alongside recent findings of variability in cellular and neurochemical changes in the striatum and cerebral cortex in human brain. We review evidence from structural neuroimaging methods of progressive changes of striatum, cerebral cortex and white matter in pre-symptomatic and symptomatic HD, with a particular focus on the potential identification of neuroimaging biomarkers that could be used to test promising disease-specific and modifying treatments. Finally we provide an overview of completed clinical trials in HD and future therapeutic developments.
Collapse
|
38
|
Teo RTY, Hong X, Yu-Taeger L, Huang Y, Tan LJ, Xie Y, To XV, Guo L, Rajendran R, Novati A, Calaminus C, Riess O, Hayden MR, Nguyen HP, Chuang KH, Pouladi MA. Structural and molecular myelination deficits occur prior to neuronal loss in the YAC128 and BACHD models of Huntington disease. Hum Mol Genet 2016; 25:2621-2632. [PMID: 27126634 PMCID: PMC5181633 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2015] [Revised: 04/10/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
White matter (WM) atrophy is a significant feature of Huntington disease (HD), although its aetiology and early pathological manifestations remain poorly defined. In this study, we aimed to characterize WM-related features in the transgenic YAC128 and BACHD models of HD. Using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI), we demonstrate that microstructural WM abnormalities occur from an early age in YAC128 mice. Similarly, electron microscopy analysis of myelinated fibres of the corpus callosum indicated that myelin sheaths are thinner in YAC128 mice as early as 1.5 months of age, well before any neuronal loss can be detected. Transcript levels of myelin-related genes in striatal and cortical tissues were significantly lower in YAC128 mice from 2 weeks of age, and these findings were replicated in differentiated primary oligodendrocytes from YAC128 mice, suggesting a possible mechanistic explanation for the observed structural deficits. Concordant with these observations, we demonstrate reduced expression of myelin-related genes at 3 months of age and WM microstructural abnormalities using DT-MRI at 12 months of age in the BACHD rats. These findings indicate that WM deficits in HD are an early phenotype associated with cell-intrinsic effects of mutant huntingtin on myelin-related transcripts in oligodendrocytes, and raise the possibility that WM abnormalities may be an early contributing factor to the pathogenesis of HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roy Tang Yi Teo
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), Singapore 138648, Singapore
| | - Xin Hong
- Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Singapore
| | - Libo Yu-Taeger
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Centre for Rare Diseases, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Yihui Huang
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), Singapore 138648, Singapore
| | - Liang Juin Tan
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), Singapore 138648, Singapore
| | - Yuanyun Xie
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Xuan Vinh To
- Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Singapore
| | - Ling Guo
- Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Singapore
| | - Reshmi Rajendran
- Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Singapore
| | - Arianna Novati
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Centre for Rare Diseases, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Carsten Calaminus
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department of Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Olaf Riess
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Centre for Rare Diseases, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Michael R Hayden
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), Singapore 138648, Singapore
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
| | - Huu P Nguyen
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Kai-Hsiang Chuang
- Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Singapore
| | - Mahmoud A Pouladi
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR), Singapore 138648, Singapore
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Phillips OR, Joshi SH, Squitieri F, Sanchez-Castaneda C, Narr K, Shattuck DW, Caltagirone C, Sabatini U, Di Paola M. Major Superficial White Matter Abnormalities in Huntington's Disease. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:197. [PMID: 27242403 PMCID: PMC4876130 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The late myelinating superficial white matter at the juncture of the cortical gray and white matter comprising the intracortical myelin and short-range association fibers has not received attention in Huntington's disease. It is an area of the brain that is late myelinating and is sensitive to both normal aging and neurodegenerative disease effects. Therefore, it may be sensitive to Huntington's disease processes. METHODS Structural MRI data from 25 Pre-symptomatic subjects, 24 Huntington's disease patients and 49 healthy controls was run through a cortical pattern-matching program. The surface corresponding to the white matter directly below the cortical gray matter was then extracted. Individual subject's Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) data was aligned to their structural MRI data. Diffusivity values along the white matter surface were then sampled at each vertex point. DTI measures with high spatial resolution across the superficial white matter surface were then analyzed with the General Linear Model to test for the effects of disease. RESULTS There was an overall increase in the axial and radial diffusivity across much of the superficial white matter (p < 0.001) in Pre-symptomatic subjects compared to controls. In Huntington's disease patients increased diffusivity covered essentially the whole brain (p < 0.001). Changes are correlated with genotype (CAG repeat number) and disease burden (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study showed broad abnormalities in superficial white matter even before symptoms are present in Huntington's disease. Since, the superficial white matter has a unique microstructure and function these abnormalities suggest it plays an important role in the disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Owen R. Phillips
- Morphology and Morphometry for NeuroImaging Lab, Clinical and Behavioural Neurology Department, IRCCS Fondazione Santa LuciaRome, Italy
- Neuroscience Department, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”Rome, Italy
| | - Shantanu H. Joshi
- Ahmanson Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Neurology, University of California Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ferdinando Squitieri
- IRCCS Casa Sollievo della SofferenzaSan Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
- CSS-MendelRome, Italy
- Lega Italiana Ricerca Huntington FoundationRome, Italy
| | - Cristina Sanchez-Castaneda
- Radiology Department, IRCCS Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy
- Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPSBarcelona, Spain
| | - Katherine Narr
- Ahmanson Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Neurology, University of California Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA, USA
| | - David W. Shattuck
- Ahmanson Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Neurology, University of California Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carlo Caltagirone
- Neuroscience Department, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”Rome, Italy
- Clinical and Behavioural Neurology Department, IRCCS Fondazione Santa LuciaRome, Italy
| | - Umberto Sabatini
- Radiology Department, IRCCS Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy
- Neuroradiology, University of Magna GraeciaCatanzaro, Italy
| | - Margherita Di Paola
- Morphology and Morphometry for NeuroImaging Lab, Clinical and Behavioural Neurology Department, IRCCS Fondazione Santa LuciaRome, Italy
- Human Studies Department, Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta (LUMSA)Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Minkova L, Eickhoff SB, Abdulkadir A, Kaller CP, Peter J, Scheller E, Lahr J, Roos RA, Durr A, Leavitt BR, Tabrizi SJ, Klöppel S. Large-scale brain network abnormalities in Huntington's disease revealed by structural covariance. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:67-80. [PMID: 26453902 PMCID: PMC6867397 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Revised: 08/10/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that can be diagnosed with certainty decades before symptom onset. Studies using structural MRI have identified grey matter (GM) loss predominantly in the striatum, but also involving various cortical areas. So far, voxel-based morphometric studies have examined each brain region in isolation and are thus unable to assess the changes in the interrelation of brain regions. Here, we examined the structural covariance in GM volumes in pre-specified motor, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and social-affective networks in 99 patients with manifest HD (mHD), 106 presymptomatic gene mutation carriers (pre-HD), and 108 healthy controls (HC). After correction for global differences in brain volume, we found that increased GM volume in one region was associated with increased GM volume in another. When statistically comparing the groups, no differences between HC and pre-HD were observed, but increased positive correlations were evident for mHD, relative to pre-HD and HC. These findings could be explained by a HD-related neuronal loss heterogeneously affecting the examined network at the pre-HD stage, which starts to dominate structural covariance globally at the manifest stage. Follow-up analyses identified structural connections between frontoparietal motor regions to be linearly modified by disease burden score (DBS). Moderator effects of disease load burden became significant at a DBS level typically associated with the onset of unequivocal HD motor signs. Together with existing findings from functional connectivity analyses, our data indicates a critical role of these frontoparietal regions for the onset of HD motor signs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lora Minkova
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Freiburg Brain Imaging CenterUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Department of PsychologyLaboratory for Biological and Personality Psychology, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Simon B. Eickhoff
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical PsychiatryHeinrich‐Heine UniversityDüsseldorfGermany
- Research Center Jülich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM‐1), Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University HospitalJülichGermany
| | - Ahmed Abdulkadir
- Freiburg Brain Imaging CenterUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Department of Computer ScienceUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Christoph P. Kaller
- Freiburg Brain Imaging CenterUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- BrainLinks‐BrainTools Cluster of Excellence, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Jessica Peter
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Freiburg Brain Imaging CenterUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Elisa Scheller
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Freiburg Brain Imaging CenterUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Jacob Lahr
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Freiburg Brain Imaging CenterUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Raymund A. Roos
- Department of NeurologyLeiden University Medical CentreLeidenNetherlands
| | - Alexandra Durr
- Department of Genetics and CytogeneticsPitié‐ Salpêtrière University HospitalParisFrance
| | - Blair R. Leavitt
- Department of Medical GeneticsCentre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British ColumbiaVancouverCanada
| | - Sarah J. Tabrizi
- Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUniversity College London, Institute of NeurologyLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Stefan Klöppel
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Freiburg Brain Imaging CenterUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Medical Center FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Gregory S, Cole JH, Farmer RE, Rees EM, Roos RA, Sprengelmeyer R, Durr A, Landwehrmeyer B, Zhang H, Scahill RI, Tabrizi SJ, Frost C, Hobbs NZ. Longitudinal Diffusion Tensor Imaging Shows Progressive Changes in White Matter in Huntington’s Disease. J Huntingtons Dis 2015; 4:333-46. [DOI: 10.3233/jhd-150173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gregory
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - James H. Cole
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK
- Computational, Cognitive & Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Ruth E. Farmer
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine London, UK
| | - Elin M. Rees
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK
| | - Raymund A.C. Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2300RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Alexandra Durr
- Department of Genetics and Cytogenetics, INSERM UMR S679, APHP Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | | | - Hui Zhang
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, UK
| | | | | | - Chris Frost
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine London, UK
| | - Nicola Z. Hobbs
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK
- IXICO Plc., London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Catani
- NatBrainLab, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Minkova L, Scheller E, Peter J, Abdulkadir A, Kaller CP, Roos RA, Durr A, Leavitt BR, Tabrizi SJ, Klöppel S. Detection of Motor Changes in Huntington's Disease Using Dynamic Causal Modeling. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:634. [PMID: 26635585 PMCID: PMC4658414 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Deficits in motor functioning are one of the hallmarks of Huntington's disease (HD), a genetically caused neurodegenerative disorder. We applied functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to assess changes that occur with disease progression in the neural circuitry of key areas associated with executive and cognitive aspects of motor control. Seventy-seven healthy controls, 62 pre-symptomatic HD gene carriers (preHD), and 16 patients with manifest HD symptoms (earlyHD) performed a motor finger-tapping fMRI task with systematically varying speed and complexity. DCM was used to assess the causal interactions among seven pre-defined regions of interest, comprising primary motor cortex, supplementary motor area (SMA), dorsal premotor cortex, and superior parietal cortex. To capture heterogeneity among HD gene carriers, DCM parameters were entered into a hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward's method and squared Euclidian distance as a measure of similarity. After applying Bonferroni correction for the number of tests, DCM analysis revealed a group difference that was not present in the conventional fMRI analysis. We found an inhibitory effect of complexity on the connection from parietal to premotor areas in preHD, which became excitatory in earlyHD and correlated with putamen atrophy. While speed of finger movements did not modulate the connection from caudal to pre-SMA in controls and preHD, this connection became strongly negative in earlyHD. This second effect did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. Hierarchical clustering separated the gene mutation carriers into three clusters that also differed significantly between these two connections and thereby confirmed their relevance. DCM proved useful in identifying group differences that would have remained undetected by standard analyses and may aid in the investigation of between-subject heterogeneity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lora Minkova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany ; Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany ; Laboratory for Biological and Personality Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg Freiburg, Germany
| | - Elisa Scheller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany ; Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jessica Peter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany ; Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ahmed Abdulkadir
- Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany ; Department of Computer Science, University of Freiburg Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christoph P Kaller
- Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany ; Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany ; BrainLinks-BrainTools Cluster of Excellence, University of Freiburg Freiburg, Germany
| | - Raymund A Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Alexandra Durr
- Department of Genetics and Cytogenetics, Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital Paris, France
| | - Blair R Leavitt
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Institute of Neurology, University College London London, UK
| | - Stefan Klöppel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany ; Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany ; Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Freiburg Freiburg, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Goveas J, O'Dwyer L, Mascalchi M, Cosottini M, Diciotti S, De Santis S, Passamonti L, Tessa C, Toschi N, Giannelli M. Diffusion-MRI in neurodegenerative disorders. Magn Reson Imaging 2015; 33:853-76. [PMID: 25917917 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2015.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2014] [Revised: 04/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The ability to image the whole brain through ever more subtle and specific methods/contrasts has come to play a key role in understanding the basis of brain abnormalities in several diseases. In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), "diffusion" (i.e. the random, thermally-induced displacements of water molecules over time) represents an extraordinarily sensitive contrast mechanism, and the exquisite structural detail it affords has proven useful in a vast number of clinical as well as research applications. Since diffusion-MRI is a truly quantitative imaging technique, the indices it provides can serve as potential imaging biomarkers which could allow early detection of pathological alterations as well as tracking and possibly predicting subtle changes in follow-up examinations and clinical trials. Accordingly, diffusion-MRI has proven useful in obtaining information to better understand the microstructural changes and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying various neurodegenerative disorders. In this review article, we summarize and explore the main applications, findings, perspectives as well as challenges and future research of diffusion-MRI in various neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease and degenerative ataxias.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Goveas
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, and Institute for Health and Society, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Laurence O'Dwyer
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Mario Mascalchi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; Quantitative and Functional Neuroradiology Research Program at Meyer Children and Careggi Hospitals of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Mirco Cosottini
- Department of Translational Research and New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Unit of Neuroradiology, Pisa University Hospital "Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana", Pisa, Italy
| | - Stefano Diciotti
- Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering "Guglielmo Marconi", University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy
| | - Silvia De Santis
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Luca Passamonti
- Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council, Catanzaro, Italy; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Carlo Tessa
- Division of Radiology, "Versilia" Hospital, AUSL 12 Viareggio, Lido di Camaiore, Italy
| | - Nicola Toschi
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Medical Physics Section, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy; Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marco Giannelli
- Unit of Medical Physics, Pisa University Hospital "Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana", Pisa, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Jin J, Peng Q, Hou Z, Jiang M, Wang X, Langseth AJ, Tao M, Barker PB, Mori S, Bergles DE, Ross CA, Detloff PJ, Zhang J, Duan W. Early white matter abnormalities, progressive brain pathology and motor deficits in a novel knock-in mouse model of Huntington's disease. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 24:2508-27. [PMID: 25609071 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
White matter abnormalities have been reported in premanifest Huntington's disease (HD) subjects before overt striatal neuronal loss, but whether the white matter changes represent a necessary step towards further pathology and the underlying mechanism of these changes remains unknown. Here, we characterized a novel knock-in mouse model that expresses mouse HD gene homolog (Hdh) with extended CAG repeat- HdhQ250, which was derived from the selective breeding of HdhQ150 mice. HdhQ250 mice manifest an accelerated and robust phenotype compared with its parent line. HdhQ250 mice exhibit progressive motor deficits, reduction in striatal and cortical volume, accumulation of mutant huntingtin aggregation, decreased levels of DARPP32 and BDNF and altered striatal metabolites. The abnormalities detected in this mouse model are reminiscent of several aspects of human HD. In addition, disturbed myelination was evident in postnatal Day 14 HdhQ250 mouse brain, including reduced levels of myelin regulatory factor and myelin basic protein, and decreased numbers of myelinated axons in the corpus callosum. Thinner myelin sheaths, indicated by increased G-ratio of myelin, were also detected in the corpus callosum of adult HdhQ250 mice. Moreover, proliferation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells is altered by mutant huntingtin both in vitro and in vivo. Our data indicate that this model is suitable for understanding comprehensive pathogenesis of HD in white matter and gray matter as well as developing therapeutics for HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Jin
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Qi Peng
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | | | - Mali Jiang
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | - Michael Tao
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | | | | | | | - Christopher A Ross
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Department of Neurology and Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences and
| | - Peter J Detloff
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35242, USA
| | | | - Wenzhen Duan
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA, Department of Neuroscience,
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Gregory S, Scahill RI, Seunarine KK, Stopford C, Zhang H, Zhang J, Orth M, Durr A, Roos RA, Langbehn DR, Long JD, Johnson H, Rees G, Tabrizi SJ, Craufurd D. Neuropsychiatry and White Matter Microstructure in Huntington's Disease. J Huntingtons Dis 2015; 4:239-49. [PMID: 26443926 PMCID: PMC4684097 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-150160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuropsychiatric symptoms in Huntington's disease (HD) are often evident prior to clinical diagnosis. Apathy is highly correlated with disease progression, while depression and irritability occur at different stages of the disease, both before and after clinical onset. Little is understood about the neural bases of these neuropsychiatric symptoms and to what extent those neural bases are analogous to neuropsychiatric disorders in the general population. OBJECTIVE We used Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) to investigate structural connectivity between brain regions and any putative microstructural changes associated with depression, apathy and irritability in HD. METHODS DTI data were collected from 39 premanifest and 45 early-HD participants in the Track-HD study and analysed using whole-brain Tract-Based Spatial Statistics. We used regression analyses to identify white matter tracts whose structural integrity (as measured by fractional anisotropy, FA) was correlated with HADS-depression, PBA-apathy or PBA-irritability scores in gene-carriers and related to cumulative probability to onset (CPO). RESULTS For those with the highest CPO, we found significant correlations between depression scores and reduced FA in the splenium of the corpus callosum. In contrast, those with lowest CPO demonstrated significant correlations between irritability scores and widespread FA reductions. There was no significant relationship between apathy and FA throughout the whole brain. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that white matter changes associated with both depression and irritability in HD occur at different stages of disease progression concomitant with their clinical presentation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gregory
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK
| | - Rachael I. Scahill
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Kiran K. Seunarine
- Developmental Imaging and Biophysics Section, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Cheryl Stopford
- Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Computer Science and Centre for Medical Image Computing, UCL, London, UK
| | - Jiaying Zhang
- Department of Computer Science and Centre for Medical Image Computing, UCL, London, UK
| | - Michael Orth
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Alexandra Durr
- APHP Department of Genetics, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, and Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle, INSERM U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Sorbonne Universités – UPMC Université Paris VI UMR_S1127, Paris, France
| | - Raymund A.C. Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Douglas R. Langbehn
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Jeffrey D. Long
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Hans Johnson
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Geraint Rees
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK
| | - Sarah J. Tabrizi
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - David Craufurd
- Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Phillips O, Squitieri F, Sanchez-Castaneda C, Elifani F, Caltagirone C, Sabatini U, Di Paola M. Deep white matter in Huntington's disease. PLoS One 2014; 9:e109676. [PMID: 25340651 PMCID: PMC4207674 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
White matter (WM) abnormalities have already been shown in presymptomatic (Pre-HD) and symptomatic HD subjects using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). In the present study, we examined the microstructure of the long-range large deep WM tracts by applying two different MRI approaches: Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) -based tractography, and T2*weighted (iron sensitive) imaging. We collected Pre-HD subjects (n = 25), HD patients (n = 25) and healthy control subjects (n = 50). Results revealed increased axial (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) and iron levels in Pre-HD subjects compared to controls. Fractional anisotropy decreased between the Pre-HD and HD phase and AD/RD increased and although impairment was pervasive in HD, degeneration occurred in a pattern in Pre-HD. Furthermore, iron levels dropped for HD patients. As increased iron levels are associated with remyelination, the data suggests that Pre-HD subjects attempt to repair damaged deep WM years before symptoms occur but this process fails with disease progression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Owen Phillips
- Clinical and Behavioural Neurology Dept, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Carlo Caltagirone
- Clinical and Behavioural Neurology Dept, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Neuroscience Dept, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Margherita Di Paola
- Clinical and Behavioural Neurology Dept, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
|
49
|
Abstract
Background Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are autosomal-dominant neurodegenerative diseases that are clinically and genetically heterogeneous. SCAs are characterized by a range of neurological symptoms. SCA12 is an autosomal-dominant (AD) ataxia caused by a CAG repeat expansion mutation in a presumed promoter region of the gene PPP2R2B in a non-coding region on chromosome 5q32. This study sought to determine changes in different positions in a single Uyghur SCA12 pedigree by measuring the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA). Material/Methods A single Uyghur pedigree was collected and was confirmed to possess SCA12 by genetic diagnosis, among which 13 cases were patients and 54 cases were “healthy” individuals. Five patients were presymptomatic and 15 individuals selected as a control group were examination in the same time. DTI was performed on a 1.5T scanner, with b=1000 s/mm2 and 15 directions. ADC and FA were measured by regions of interest positioned in the corticospinal tract at the level of the pons (pons), superior peduncle (SCP), middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP), cerebellar cortex (CeC), cerebral cortex (CC), and cerebellar vermis (CV) white matter. Results Compared with the controls, the ADC was significantly elevated in the CeC, SCP, CC, and CV regions in SCA12 patients. The FA significantly decreased in the CC region in SCA12 patients and the CC and CV regions in SCA12 presymptomatic patients. The course of the disease, SARA score, and ADC values in CV showed highly positive correlations. Conclusions SCA12 pedigree patients exhibited microstructural damage in the brain white matter. The damage in white matter fiber may first occur in the CC and CV regions in SCA12 presymptomatic patients. The ADC values in the CV region could reflect disease severity in SCA12 patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haitao Li
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumuqi, China (mainland)
| | - Jingjing Ma
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumuqi, China (mainland)
| | - Xiaoning Zhang
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumuqi, China (mainland)
| |
Collapse
|