The retina as a window to the basal ganglia: Systematic review of the potential link between retinopathy and hyperkinetic disorders in diabetes

Diabetic striatopathy and other acute onset de novo movement disorders in hyperglycemia

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Acute onset de novo movement disorder is an increasingly recognized, yet undereported complication of diabetes. Hyperglycemia can give rise to a range of different movement disorders, hemichorea-hemiballism being the commonest. This article delves into the current knowledge about this condition, its diverse presentations, ongoing debates regarding its underlying mechanisms, disparities between clinical and radiological findings, and challenges related to its management.

METHODS

PubMed and Google Scholar were searched with the following key terms- "diabetes", "striatopathy", "hyperglycemia", "striatum", "basal ganglia", "movement disorder", "involuntary movement". Case reports, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, and narrative reviews published in English literature related to the topic of interest from January 1, 1950, to October 20, 2023, were retrieved. The references cited in the chosen articles were also examined, and those considered relevant were included in the review.

RESULTS

Diabetic striatopathy is the prototype of movement disorders associated with hyperglycemia with its characteristic neuroimaging feature (contralateral striatal hyperdensitity on computed tomography or hyperintensity on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging). Risk factors for diabetic striatopathy includes Asian ethnicity, female gender, prolonged poor glycemic control, and concurrent retinopathy. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the pathophysiology of movement disorders induced by hyperglycemia. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive; instead, they represent interconnected pathways contributing to the development of this unique condition. While the most prominent clinical feature of diabetic striatopathy is a movement disorder, its phenotypic expression has been found to extend to other manifestations, including stroke, seizures, and cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Fortunately, the prognosis for diabetic striatopathy is generally excellent, with complete resolution achievable through the use of anti-hyperglycemic therapy alone or in combination with neuroleptic medications.

CONCLUSION

Hyperglycemia is the commonest cause of acute onset de novo movement disorders presenting to a range of medical specialists. So, it is of utmost importance that the physicians irrespective of their speciality remain aware of this clinical entity and check blood glucose at presentation before ordering any other investigations. Prompt clinical diagnosis of this condition and implementation of intensive glycemic control can yield significant benefits for patients.

Chorea hyperglycemia basal ganglia syndrome: A case report from Nepal

A rare case of chorea hyperglycemic basal ganglia syndrome in a 56-year-old woman who presented with left-sided hemichorea in the setting of uncontrolled, non-ketotic, type II diabetes mellitus is reported. Early blood glucose control could lead to complete resolution of symptoms. Despite an excellent prognosis, delayed recognition and management can lead to prolong disability due to movement disorder.

Clinical and imaging features of diabetic striatopathy: report of 6 cases and literature review

Objective

To explore the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and pathogenesis of diabetic striatopathy (DS) to improve the understanding of the disease and avoid misdiagnosis or underdiagnosis.

Methods

The clinical, laboratory, and imaging data of 6 patients (5 Asian females and 1 Asian male) with diabetic striatum were analyzed retrospectively, and the related literature was reviewed.

Results

All 6 patients showed hyperglycemia, 5 patients presented with involuntary movement of unilateral limbs, and 1 with unilateral limb numbness. Besides, 5 patients (except case 3) underwent MRI examinations that showed hyperintensity in unilateral caudate and lentiform nucleus on T1-weighted images. And all 6 patients who underwent brain CT examinations showed hyperdensity or isodensity in unilateral caudate and lentiform nucleus. None had a family history of similar abnormal movements. After blood glucose control and symptomatic support treatment, the symptoms of all patients improved to various degrees, and reexaminations showed that the lesions gradually disappeared.

Conclusion

Diabetic striatal disease is a rare complication of diabetes mellitus, the result of a combination of different pathogenesis. It is characterized by hyperglycemia, hemichorea, and contralateral striatal T1WI hyperintensity or CT hyperdensity. Both ketosis and nonketotic hyperglycemic hemichorea have typical imaging manifestations. The prognosis is excellent when this disease is detected early, and the lesions can be gradually absorbed and dissipated with glycemic control.

Delayed Presentation of Hemichorea in Diabetic Striatopathy

Diabetic striatopathy is a rare condition associated with poorly controlled diabetes that can present as hyperkinetic movements. A 70-year-old Asian female was newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated by diabetic ketoacidosis when she presented with lethargy and confusion. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain performed for the patient showed incidental isolated radiological features of diabetic striatopathy, even though she did not have any hyperkinetic movements. After intensive glycemic control, the patient paradoxically developed a delayed presentation of hemichorea two weeks later. Pathological findings in diabetic striatopathy suggest the contributing role of vascular microangiopathy, similar to the changes seen in proliferative diabetic retinopathy. In order to avoid precipitating hyperkinetic movements, a less intensive diabetic control could be considered for asymptomatic patients with isolated radiological features of diabetic striatopathy. This is especially important in patients at higher risk of the condition.

The dopamine system: insights between kidney and brain

BACKGROUND

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common diseases in adult age and it is typical of older adults. Recent data suggest that almost half of the elders have CKD. It is now clear that CKD is accompanied, in the early stages, by cognitive impairment, together with depression and subtle abnormalities in motor control (such as gait and balance alterations).

SUMMARY

Several data suggest a link between brain dopamine and kidney diseases. Metabolic syndrome and diabetes can affect dopamine neuron survival (leading to Parkinson's Disease). Several uremic toxins in CKD (uric acid, indoxyl sulphate) and trace elements accumulating in CKD (aluminium, manganese) can also modify the dopaminergic system. Hormones produced by the kidney such as vitamin D are neuroprotective for dopamine neurons. Dopaminergic drugs are useful for the treatment of a common sleep disorder in CKD, the restless legs syndrome. However, experiments on animal models of CKD show conflicting results regarding a modification of dopamine neurons.

KEY MESSAGES

Several observations suggest a limited relevance of the dopaminergic system in CKD-related cognitive impairment. However, a common sleep disturbance in CKD, the restless leg syndrome, improves with dopaminergic drugs. Therefore, it remains to be established the role of the dopamine system in subtle motor dysfunction observed in CKD, such as tremors, gait alterations, and central sleep apnea.

Associations Between Diabetic Retinopathy and Parkinson's Disease: Results From the Catalonian Primary Care Cohort Study

The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of occurrence of Parkinson's disease (PD) among subjects with type 2 diabetes and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in our large primary health care database from Catalonia (Spain). A retrospective cohort study with pseudo-anonymized routinely collected health data from SIDIAP was conducted from 2008 to 2016. We calculated the number of events, time to event, cumulative incidence, and incidence rates of PD for subjects with and without DR and for different stages of DR. The proportional hazards regression analysis was done to assess the probability of occurrence between DR and PD. In total, 26,453 type 2 diabetic subjects with DR were identified in the database, and 216,250 subjects without DR at inclusion. During the follow-up period, 1,748 PD events occurred. PD incidence rate and cumulative incidence were higher among subjects with DR (16.95 per 10,000 person-years and 0.83%, respectively). In the unadjusted analysis, subjects with DR were at 1.25 times higher risk (hazard ratio: 1.22, 95% confidence interval: 1.06; 1.41) of developing PD during the study period. However, we did not find any statistically significant HR for DR in any models after adjusting for different risk factors (age, sex, duration of diabetes, smoking, body mass index, glycosylated hemoglobin, comorbidities). In conclusion, in our primary health care population database, DR was not associated with an increased risk of PD after adjusting for different risk factors. In our retrospective cohort study, age, male sex, and diabetes duration were independent risk factors for developing PD.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Cerebral Vascular Permeability in Type 2 Diabetes-Related Cerebral Microangiopathy

AIMS

Diabetes-related cerebral microangiopathy can manifest as cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and exhibit cognitive decline. To find the early change of function in advance, this study examined the spatiotemporal dynamics of cerebral vascular permeability (Ktrans) in the progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

Ktrans was cross-sectionally measured in T2DM and non-diabetes groups with or without CSVD using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI).

RESULTS

In all patients with T2DM, the Ktrans of white matter (WM) was increased, whereas the Ktrans of gray matter (GM) was increased only in T2DM with CSVD. The involvement of WM was earlier than GM and was before the CSVD features could be visualized on MRI. Among the commonly available four CSVD items of MRI, microbleeds were the most sensitive, indicating the increased permeability in all patients. Increased Ktrans in T2DM was more associated with moderate WM hyperintensity but less with the presence of lacunae or multiple perivascular spaces, in contrast to patients without diabetes. The differential correlation suggested distinct mechanisms underlying diabetes-related CSVD and other CSVDs.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the early development of cerebral microangiopathy with increased BBB leakage in T2DM, before the CSVD features can be visualized on MRI. The results may increase the proactivity of clinicians in recognizing the subsequent neurological comorbidities.