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Lin CP, Frigerio I, Bol JGJM, Bouwman MMA, Wesseling AJ, Dahl MJ, Rozemuller AJM, van der Werf YD, Pouwels PJW, van de Berg WDJ, Jonkman LE. Microstructural integrity of the locus coeruleus and its tracts reflect noradrenergic degeneration in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Transl Neurodegener 2024; 13:9. [PMID: 38336865 PMCID: PMC10854137 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-024-00400-5] [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: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Degeneration of the locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic system contributes to clinical symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to evaluate the integrity of the LC noradrenergic system. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the diffusion MRI-measured integrity of the LC and its tracts are sensitive to noradrenergic degeneration in AD and PD. METHODS Post-mortem in situ T1-weighted and multi-shell diffusion MRI was performed for 9 AD, 14 PD, and 8 control brain donors. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity were derived from the LC, and from tracts between the LC and the anterior cingulate cortex, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the primary motor cortex (M1) or the hippocampus. Brain tissue sections of the LC and cortical regions were obtained and immunostained for dopamine-beta hydroxylase (DBH) to quantify noradrenergic cell density and fiber load. Group comparisons and correlations between outcome measures were performed using linear regression and partial correlations. RESULTS The AD and PD cases showed loss of LC noradrenergic cells and fibers. In the cortex, the AD cases showed increased DBH + immunoreactivity in the DLPFC compared to PD cases and controls, while PD cases showed reduced DBH + immunoreactivity in the M1 compared to controls. Higher FA within the LC was found for AD, which was correlated with loss of noradrenergic cells and fibers in the LC. Increased FA of the LC-DLPFC tract was correlated with LC noradrenergic fiber loss in the combined AD and control group, whereas the increased FA of the LC-M1 tract was correlated with LC noradrenergic neuronal loss in the combined PD and control group. The tract alterations were not correlated with cortical DBH + immunoreactivity. CONCLUSIONS In AD and PD, the diffusion MRI-detected alterations within the LC and its tracts to the DLPFC and the M1 were associated with local noradrenergic neuronal loss within the LC, rather than noradrenergic changes in the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Pei Lin
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Irene Frigerio
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - John G J M Bol
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maud M A Bouwman
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alex J Wesseling
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Annemieke J M Rozemuller
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Pathology, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ysbrand D van der Werf
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Compulsivity, Impulsivity and Attention Program, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Petra J W Pouwels
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Wilma D J van de Berg
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laura E Jonkman
- Amsterdam UMC, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Brain imaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Palermo G, Galgani A, Bellini G, Lombardo F, Martini N, Morganti R, Paoli D, De Cori S, Frijia F, Siciliano G, Ceravolo R, Giorgi FS. Neurogenic orthostatic hypotension in Parkinson's disease: is there a role for locus coeruleus magnetic resonance imaging? J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2024; 131:157-164. [PMID: 38032367 PMCID: PMC10791951 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02721-7] [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: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Locus coeruleus (LC) is the main noradrenergic nucleus of the brain, and degenerates early in Parkinson's disease (PD). The objective of this study is to test whether degeneration of the LC is associated with orthostatic hypotension (OH) in PD. A total of 22 cognitively intact PD patients and 52 age-matched healthy volunteers underwent 3 T magnetic resonance (MRI) with neuromelanin-sensitive T1-weighted sequences (LC-MRI). For each subject, a template space-based LC-MRI was used to calculate LC signal intensity (LC contrast ratio-LCCR) and the estimated number of voxels (LCVOX) belonging to LC. Then, we compared the LC-MRI parameters in PD patients with OH (PDOH+) versus without OH (PDOH-) (matched for sex, age, and disease duration) using one-way analysis of variance followed by multiple comparison tests. We also tested for correlations between subject's LC-MRI features and orthostatic drop in systolic blood pressure (SBP). PDOH- and PDOH+ did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) based on demographics and clinical characteristics, except for blood pressure measurements and SCOPA-AUT cardiovascular domain (p < 0.05). LCCR and LCVOX measures were significantly lower in PD compared to HC, while no differences were observed between PDOH- and PDOH+. Additionally, no correlation was found between the LC-MRI parameters and the orthostatic drop in SBP or the clinical severity of autonomic symptoms (p > 0.05). Conversely, RBD symptom severity negatively correlated with several LC-MRI parameters. Our results failed to indicate a link between the LC-MRI features and the presence of OH in PD but confirmed a marked alteration of LC signal in PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Palermo
- Center for Neurodegenerative diseases-Parkinson's disease and Movement disorders, Unit of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Galgani
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gabriele Bellini
- Center for Neurodegenerative diseases-Parkinson's disease and Movement disorders, Unit of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Nicola Martini
- Deep Health Unit, Fondazione Monasterio/CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Davide Paoli
- Center for Neurodegenerative diseases-Parkinson's disease and Movement disorders, Unit of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Sara De Cori
- Department of Radiology, Fondazione Monasterio/CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesca Frijia
- Deep Health Unit, Fondazione Monasterio/CNR, Pisa, Italy
- Bioengineering Unit, Fondazione Monasterio/CNR, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gabriele Siciliano
- Center for Neurodegenerative diseases-Parkinson's disease and Movement disorders, Unit of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Roberto Ceravolo
- Center for Neurodegenerative diseases-Parkinson's disease and Movement disorders, Unit of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
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Pozzi NG, Bolzoni F, Biella GEM, Pezzoli G, Ip CW, Volkmann J, Cavallari P, Asan E, Isaias IU. Brain Noradrenergic Innervation Supports the Development of Parkinson's Tremor: A Study in a Reserpinized Rat Model. Cells 2023; 12:2529. [PMID: 37947607 PMCID: PMC10649099 DOI: 10.3390/cells12212529] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The pathophysiology of tremor in Parkinson's disease (PD) is evolving towards a complex alteration to monoaminergic innervation, and increasing evidence suggests a key role of the locus coeruleus noradrenergic system (LC-NA). However, the difficulties in imaging LC-NA in patients challenge its direct investigation. To this end, we studied the development of tremor in a reserpinized rat model of PD, with or without a selective lesioning of LC-NA innervation with the neurotoxin DSP-4. Eight male rats (Sprague Dawley) received DSP-4 (50 mg/kg) two weeks prior to reserpine injection (10 mg/kg) (DR-group), while seven male animals received only reserpine treatment (R-group). Tremor, rigidity, hypokinesia, postural flexion and postural immobility were scored before and after 20, 40, 60, 80, 120 and 180 min of reserpine injection. Tremor was assessed visually and with accelerometers. The injection of DSP-4 induced a severe reduction in LC-NA terminal axons (DR-group: 0.024 ± 0.01 vs. R-group: 0.27 ± 0.04 axons/um2, p < 0.001) and was associated with significantly less tremor, as compared to the R-group (peak tremor score, DR-group: 0.5 ± 0.8 vs. R-group: 1.6 ± 0.5; p < 0.01). Kinematic measurement confirmed the clinical data (tremor consistency (% of tremor during 180 s recording), DR-group: 37.9 ± 35.8 vs. R-group: 69.3 ± 29.6; p < 0.05). Akinetic-rigid symptoms did not differ between the DR- and R-groups. Our results provide preliminary causal evidence for a critical role of LC-NA innervation in the development of PD tremor and foster the development of targeted therapies for PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoló Gabriele Pozzi
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080 Würzburg, Germany; (N.G.P.); (C.W.I.); (J.V.)
| | - Francesco Bolzoni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20072 Milano, Italy;
| | | | - Gianni Pezzoli
- Centro Parkinson e Parkinsonismi, ASST G. Pini-CTO, 20072 Milano, Italy;
| | - Chi Wang Ip
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080 Würzburg, Germany; (N.G.P.); (C.W.I.); (J.V.)
| | - Jens Volkmann
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080 Würzburg, Germany; (N.G.P.); (C.W.I.); (J.V.)
| | - Paolo Cavallari
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Human Physiology Section, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Mangiagalli 32, 20133 Milano, Italy;
| | - Esther Asan
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Koellikerstr 6, 97070 Würzburg, Germany;
| | - Ioannis Ugo Isaias
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 11, 97080 Würzburg, Germany; (N.G.P.); (C.W.I.); (J.V.)
- Centro Parkinson e Parkinsonismi, ASST G. Pini-CTO, 20072 Milano, Italy;
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