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Rossi C, Campese N, Colosimo C. Emerging Symptomatic Treatment of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE): a narrative review. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2023; 24:1415-1425. [PMID: 37300418 DOI: 10.1080/14656566.2023.2224501] [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: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is an emergent neurodegenerative tauopathy well characterized pathologically but with limited consensus about clinical criteria. The clinical features include cognitive, behavioral, and motor symptoms such as parkinsonism, gait, balance disorder, and bulbar impairment. Their recognition derives from retrospective studies in pathologically confirmed CTE patients. This is one of the main reasons for the lack of specific pharmacological studies targeting symptoms or pathologic pathways of this disease. AREAS COVERED In this narrative review, we overview the possible symptomatic treatment options for CTE, based on pathological similarities with other neurodegenerative diseases that may share common pathological pathways with CTE. The PubMed database was screened for articles addressing the symptomatic treatment of CTE and Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome (TES). Additional references were retrieved by reference cross-check and retained if pertinent to the subject. The clinicaltrials.gov database was screened for ongoing trials on the treatment of CTE. EXPERT OPINION The similarities with the other tauopathies allow us, in the absence of disease-specific evidence, to translate some knowledge from these neurodegenerative disorders to CTE's symptomatic treatment, but any conclusion should be drawn cautiously and a patient-tailored strategy should be always preferred balancing the risks and benefits of each treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Rossi
- Neurology Unit, F. Lotti Hospital of Pontedera. Azienda Sanitaria Locale Toscana Nord-Ovest, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicole Campese
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Carlo Colosimo
- Department of Neurology, S. Maria University Hospital, Terni, Italy
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Harada R, Lerdsirisuk P, Shimizu Y, Yokoyama Y, Du Y, Kudo K, Ezura M, Ishikawa Y, Iwata R, Shidahara M, Ishiki A, Kikuchi A, Hatano Y, Ishihara T, Onodera O, Iwasaki Y, Yoshida M, Taki Y, Arai H, Kudo Y, Yanai K, Furumoto S, Okamura N. Preclinical Characterization of the Tau PET Tracer [ 18F]SNFT-1: Comparison of Tau PET Tracers. J Nucl Med 2023; 64:1495-1501. [PMID: 37321821 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.123.265593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau PET tracers are expected to be sufficiently sensitive to track the progression of age-related tau pathology in the medial temporal cortex. The tau PET tracer N-(4-[18F]fluoro-5-methylpyridin-2-yl)-7-aminoimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ([18F]SNFT-1) has been successfully developed by optimizing imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives. We characterized the binding properties of [18F]SNFT-1 using a head-to-head comparison with other reported 18F-labeled tau tracers. Methods: The binding affinity of SNFT-1 to tau, amyloid, and monoamine oxidase A and B was compared with that of the second-generation tau tracers MK-6240, PM-PBB3, PI-2620, RO6958948, JNJ-64326067, and flortaucipir. In vitro binding properties of 18F-labeled tau tracers were evaluated through the autoradiography of frozen human brain tissues from patients with diverse neurodegenerative disease spectra. Pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and radiation dosimetry were assessed in normal mice after intravenous administration of [18F]SNFT-1. Results: In vitro binding assays demonstrated that [18F]SNFT-1 possesses high selectivity and high affinity for tau aggregates in Alzheimer disease (AD) brains. Autoradiographic analysis of tau deposits in medial temporal brain sections from patients with AD showed a higher signal-to-background ratio for [18F]SNFT-1 than for the other tau PET tracers and no significant binding with non-AD tau, α-synuclein, transactiviation response DNA-binding protein-43, and transmembrane protein 106B aggregates in human brain sections. Furthermore, [18F]SNFT-1 did not bind significantly to various receptors, ion channels, or transporters. [18F]SNFT-1 showed a high initial brain uptake and rapid washout from the brains of normal mice without radiolabeled metabolites. Conclusion: These preclinical data suggest that [18F]SNFT-1 is a promising and selective tau radiotracer candidate that allows the quantitative monitoring of age-related accumulation of tau aggregates in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuichi Harada
- Department of Pharmacology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan;
- Division of Brain Science, Department of Aging Research and Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | | | - Yuki Shimizu
- Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yuka Yokoyama
- Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yiqing Du
- Department of Pharmacology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Kaede Kudo
- Division of Brain Science, Department of Aging Research and Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Michinori Ezura
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yoichi Ishikawa
- Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ren Iwata
- Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Miho Shidahara
- Department of Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Aiko Ishiki
- Division of Brain Science, Department of Aging Research and Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Division of Community Medicine, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Akio Kikuchi
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yuya Hatano
- Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Tomohiko Ishihara
- Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Osamu Onodera
- Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Yasushi Iwasaki
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan; and
| | - Mari Yoshida
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan; and
| | - Yasuyuki Taki
- Division of Brain Science, Department of Aging Research and Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Arai
- Division of Brain Science, Department of Aging Research and Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yukitsuka Kudo
- Division of Brain Science, Department of Aging Research and Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Yanai
- Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Shozo Furumoto
- Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Okamura
- Division of Brain Science, Department of Aging Research and Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Division of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
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Janković T, Pilipović K. Single Versus Repetitive Traumatic Brain Injury: Current Knowledge on the Chronic Outcomes, Neuropathology and the Role of TDP-43 Proteinopathy. Exp Neurobiol 2023; 32:195-215. [PMID: 37749924 PMCID: PMC10569144 DOI: 10.5607/en23008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most important causes of death and disability in adults and thus an important public health problem. Following TBI, secondary pathophysiological processes develop over time and condition the development of different neurodegenerative entities. Previous studies suggest that neurobehavioral changes occurring after a single TBI are the basis for the development of Alzheimer's disease, while repetitive TBI is considered to be a contributing factor for chronic traumatic encephalopathy development. However, pathophysiological processes that determine the evolvement of a particular chronic entity are still unclear. Human post-mortem studies have found combinations of amyloid, tau, Lewi bodies, and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathologies after both single and repetitive TBI. This review focuses on the pathological changes of TDP-43 after single and repetitive brain traumas. Numerous studies have shown that TDP-43 proteinopathy noticeably occurs after repetitive head trauma. A relatively small number of available preclinical research on single brain injury are not in complete agreement with the results from the human samples, which makes it difficult to draw specific conclusions. Also, as TBI is considered a heterogeneous type of injury, different experimental trauma models and injury intensities may cause differences in the cascade of secondary injury, which should be considered in future studies. Experimental and post-mortem studies of TDP-43 pathobiology should be carried out, preferably in the same laboratories, to determine its involvement in the development of neurodegenerative conditions after one and repetitive TBI, especially in the context of the development of new therapeutic options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Janković
- Department of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka 51000, Croatia
| | - Kristina Pilipović
- Department of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka 51000, Croatia
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Flavin WP, Hosseini H, Ruberti JW, Kavehpour HP, Giza CC, Prins ML. Traumatic brain injury and the pathways to cerebral tau accumulation. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1239653. [PMID: 37638180 PMCID: PMC10450935 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1239653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau is a protein that has received national mainstream recognition for its potential negative impact to the brain. This review succinctly provides information on the structure of tau and its normal physiological functions, including in hibernation and changes throughout the estrus cycle. There are many pathways involved in phosphorylating tau including diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer's disease (AD), brain injury, aging, and drug use. The common mechanisms for these processes are put into context with changes observed in mild and repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). The phosphorylation of tau is a part of the progression to pathology, but the ability for tau to aggregate and propagate is also addressed. Summarizing both the functional and dysfunctional roles of tau can help advance our understanding of this complex protein, improve our care for individuals with a history of TBI, and lead to development of therapeutic interventions to prevent or reverse tau-mediated neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- William P. Flavin
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, Department of Pediatrics and Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Helia Hosseini
- Department of Bioengineering, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jeffrey W. Ruberti
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - H. Pirouz Kavehpour
- Department of Bioengineering, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Christopher C. Giza
- Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, Department of Pediatrics and Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Injury Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Mayumi L. Prins
- Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, Department of Pediatrics and Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Injury Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Iverson GL, Castellani RJ, Cassidy JD, Schneider GM, Schneider KJ, Echemendia RJ, Bailes JE, Hayden KA, Koerte IK, Manley GT, McNamee M, Patricios JS, Tator CH, Cantu RC, Dvorak J. Examining later-in-life health risks associated with sport-related concussion and repetitive head impacts: a systematic review of case-control and cohort studies. Br J Sports Med 2023; 57:810-821. [PMID: 37316187 DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2023-106890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Concern exists about possible problems with later-in-life brain health, such as cognitive impairment, mental health problems and neurological diseases, in former athletes. We examined the future risk for adverse health effects associated with sport-related concussion, or exposure to repetitive head impacts, in former athletes. DESIGN Systematic review. DATA SOURCES Search of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL Plus and SPORTDiscus in October 2019 and updated in March 2022. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Studies measuring future risk (cohort studies) or approximating that risk (case-control studies). RESULTS Ten studies of former amateur athletes and 18 studies of former professional athletes were included. No postmortem neuropathology studies or neuroimaging studies met criteria for inclusion. Depression was examined in five studies in former amateur athletes, none identifying an increased risk. Nine studies examined suicidality or suicide as a manner of death, and none found an association with increased risk. Some studies comparing professional athletes with the general population reported associations between sports participation and dementia or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as a cause of death. Most did not control for potential confounding factors (eg, genetic, demographic, health-related or environmental), were ecological in design and had high risk of bias. CONCLUSION Evidence does not support an increased risk of mental health or neurological diseases in former amateur athletes with exposure to repetitive head impacts. Some studies in former professional athletes suggest an increased risk of neurological disorders such as ALS and dementia; these findings need to be confirmed in higher quality studies with better control of confounding factors. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42022159486.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant L Iverson
- Sports Concussion Program, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Schoen Adams Research Institute at Spaulding Rehabilitation, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Home Base, A Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rudolph J Castellani
- Department of Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - J David Cassidy
- Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Geoff M Schneider
- Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kathryn J Schneider
- Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ruben J Echemendia
- Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
- University Orthopedic Centre, Concussion Care Clinic, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Julian E Bailes
- Department of Neurosurgery, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - K Alix Hayden
- Libraries and Cultural Resources, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Inga K Koerte
- cBRAIN, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Mass General Brigham, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Geoffrey T Manley
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Michael McNamee
- Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Jon S Patricios
- Wits Sport and Health (WiSH), School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Charles H Tator
- Department of Surgery and Division of Neurosurgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Canadian Concussion Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert C Cantu
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Robert C. Cantu Concussion Center, Emerson Hospital, Concord, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jiri Dvorak
- Schulthess Clinic Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Siracusa L, Ruberto G, Cristino L. Recent Research on Cannabis sativa L.: Phytochemistry, New Matrices, Cultivation Techniques, and Recent Updates on Its Brain-Related Effects (2018-2023). Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28083387. [PMID: 37110621 PMCID: PMC10146690 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28083387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cannabis sativa L. is a plant that humankind has been using for millennia. The basis of its widespread utilization is its adaptability to so many different climatic conditions, with easy cultivability in numerous diverse environments. Because of its variegate phytochemistry, C. sativa has been used in many sectors, although the discovery of the presence in the plant of several psychotropic substances (e.g., Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC) caused a drastic reduction of its cultivation and use together with its official ban from pharmacopeias. Fortunately, the discovery of Cannabis varieties with low content of THC as well as the biotechnological development of new clones rich in many phytochemical components endorsed with peculiar and many important bioactivities has demanded the reassessment of these species, the study and use of which are currently experiencing new and important developments. In this review we focus our attention on the phytochemistry, new matrices, suitable agronomic techniques, and new biological activities developed in the five last years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Siracusa
- Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Paolo Gaifami, 18, 95126 Catania, CT, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ruberto
- Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Paolo Gaifami, 18, 95126 Catania, CT, Italy
| | - Luigia Cristino
- Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Campi Flegrei, 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
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Varlow C, Vasdev N. Evaluation of Tau Radiotracers in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. J Nucl Med 2023; 64:460-465. [PMID: 36109185 PMCID: PMC10071800 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.122.264404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurologic disorder associated with head injuries, diagnosed by the perivascular accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein (phospho-tau) identified at autopsy. Tau PET radiopharmaceuticals developed for imaging Alzheimer disease are under evaluation for brain injuries. The goal of this study was to conduct a head-to-head in vitro evaluation of 5 tau PET radiotracers in subjects pathologically diagnosed with CTE. Methods: Autoradiography was used to assess the specific binding and distribution of 3H-flortaucipir (also known as Tauvid, AV-1451, and T807), 3H-MK-6240 (also known as florquinitau), 3H-PI-2620, 3H-APN-1607 (also known as PM-PBB3 and florzolotau), and 3H-CBD-2115 (also known as 3H-OXD-2115) in fresh-frozen human postmortem CTE brain tissue (stages I-IV). Immunohistochemistry was performed for phospho-tau with AT8, 3R tau with RD3, 4R tau with RD4 and amyloid-β with 6F/3D antibodies. Tau target density (maximum specific binding) was quantified by saturation analysis with 3H-flortaucipir in tissue sections. Results: 3H-flortaucipir demonstrated a positive signal in all CTE cases examined, with varying degrees of specific binding (68.7% ± 10.5%; n = 12) defined by homologous blockade and to a lesser extent by heterologous blockade with MK-6240 (27.3% ± 13.6%; n = 12). The 3H-flortaucipir signal was also displaced by the monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A inhibitor clorgyline (43.9% ± 4.6%; n = 3), indicating off-target binding to MAO-A. 3H-APN-1607 was moderately displaced in homologous blocking studies and was not displaced by 3H-flortaucipir; however, substantial displacement was observed when blocking with the β-amyloid-targeting compound NAV-4694. 3H-MK-6240 and 3H-PI-2620 had negligible binding in all but 2 CTE IV cases, and binding may be attributed to pathology severity or mixed Alzheimer disease/CTE pathology. 3H-CBD-2115 showed moderate binding, displaced under homologous blockade, and aligned with 4R-tau immunostaining. Conclusion: In human CTE tissues, 3H-flortaucipir and 3H-APN-1607 revealed off-target binding to MAO-A and amyloid-β, respectively, and should be considered if these radiotracers are used in PET imaging studies of patients with brain injuries. 3H-MK-6240 and 3H-PI-2620 bind to CTE tau in severe- or mixed-pathology cases, and their respective 18F PET radiotracers warrant further evaluation in patients with severe suspected CTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassis Varlow
- Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Neil Vasdev
- Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Roberta de Souza Mendes Kawamura L, Ferreira Lima Mota I, Santos Vasconcelos A, Renata Mortari M. Challenges in the pharmacological treatment of patients under suspicion of chronic traumatic encephalopathy: A review. Brain Res 2023; 1799:148176. [PMID: 36503890 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.148176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is caused by progressive neurodegeneration associated with repetitive head impacts. This disease is more common in professionals who practice contact sports, resulting in a concussion and subconcussive trauma. CTE is characterized by the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein in neurons, astrocytes, and frontotemporal lobe degeneration. Symptoms are usually nonspecific and overlap with other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, making it difficult to provide drug treatment for patients with this comorbidity. Therefore, the objective of this article is to present an updated review of the pharmacological treatment of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and its challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Isabela Ferreira Lima Mota
- Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brazil
| | | | - Márcia Renata Mortari
- Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brazil
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9
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Younger DS. Mild traumatic brain injury and sports-related concussion. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2023; 196:475-494. [PMID: 37620086 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-98817-9.00001-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and concussion are equivalent terms for the sequela of injury to the head that disrupts brain functioning. Various forces may be causative from seemingly innocuous bumps to the head resulting from sports-related injuries to more severe blows to the head. However, the postconcussive motor, cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial sequelae can be just as devastating and long lasting, leading to loss of independent function and safe performance of activities. Taken together, they pose a significant challenge to recovery, requiring a multifaceted dynamic rehabilitative strategy. The current systems of health care pose challenges to suboptimal management of sports-related concussion (SRC) that goes beyond the acute injury, and into the school setting, failing to be identified by school staff, and inconsistencies in communicating medical information regarding school modifications, follow-up health services, or concussion-related educational services. Children who sustain SRC at different ages face different challenges. Young children face increased vulnerability due to SRC that coincides with periods of brain motor maturation and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Younger
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Neuroscience, CUNY School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Department of Medicine, Section of Internal Medicine and Neurology, White Plains Hospital, White Plains, NY, United States.
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10
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Alosco ML, Su Y, Stein TD, Protas H, Cherry JD, Adler CH, Balcer LJ, Bernick C, Pulukuri SV, Abdolmohammadi B, Coleman MJ, Palmisano JN, Tripodis Y, Mez J, Rabinovici GD, Marek KL, Beach TG, Johnson KA, Huber BR, Koerte I, Lin AP, Bouix S, Cummings JL, Shenton ME, Reiman EM, McKee AC, Stern RA. Associations between near end-of-life flortaucipir PET and postmortem CTE-related tau neuropathology in six former American football players. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2023; 50:435-452. [PMID: 36152064 PMCID: PMC9816291 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-022-05963-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Flourine-18-flortaucipir tau positron emission tomography (PET) was developed for the detection for Alzheimer's disease. Human imaging studies have begun to investigate its use in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Flortaucipir-PET to autopsy correlation studies in CTE are needed for diagnostic validation. We examined the association between end-of-life flortaucipir PET and postmortem neuropathological measurements of CTE-related tau in six former American football players. METHODS Three former National Football League players and three former college football players who were part of the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project died and agreed to have their brains donated. The six players had flortaucipir (tau) and florbetapir (amyloid) PET prior to death. All brains from the deceased participants were neuropathologically evaluated for the presence of CTE. On average, the participants were 59.0 (SD = 9.32) years of age at time of PET. PET scans were acquired 20.33 (SD = 13.08) months before their death. Using Spearman correlation analyses, we compared flortaucipir standard uptake value ratios (SUVRs) to digital slide-based AT8 phosphorylated tau (p-tau) density in a priori selected composite cortical, composite limbic, and thalamic regions-of-interest (ROIs). RESULTS Four brain donors had autopsy-confirmed CTE, all with high stage disease (n = 3 stage III, n = 1 stage IV). Three of these four met criteria for the clinical syndrome of CTE, known as traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES). Two did not have CTE at autopsy and one of these met criteria for TES. Concomitant pathology was only present in one of the non-CTE cases (Lewy body) and one of the CTE cases (motor neuron disease). There was a strong association between flortaucipir SUVRs and p-tau density in the composite cortical (ρ = 0.71) and limbic (ρ = 0.77) ROIs. Although there was a strong association in the thalamic ROI (ρ = 0.83), this is a region with known off-target binding. SUVRs were modest and CTE and non-CTE cases had overlapping SUVRs and discordant p-tau density for some regions. CONCLUSIONS Flortaucipir-PET could be useful for detecting high stage CTE neuropathology, but specificity to CTE p-tau is uncertain. Off-target flortaucipir binding in the hippocampus and thalamus complicates interpretation of these associations. In vivo biomarkers that can detect the specific p-tau of CTE across the disease continuum are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Alosco
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yi Su
- Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Arizona State University, and Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Thor D Stein
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA, USA
- VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA, USA
| | - Hillary Protas
- Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Jonathan D Cherry
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Charles H Adler
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
| | - Laura J Balcer
- Departments of Neurology, Population Health and Ophthalmology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Charles Bernick
- Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, NV, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Surya Vamsi Pulukuri
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bobak Abdolmohammadi
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael J Coleman
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph N Palmisano
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology Data Analytics Center (BEDAC), Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yorghos Tripodis
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jesse Mez
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA, USA
| | - Gil D Rabinovici
- Memory & Aging Center, Departments of Neurology, Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kenneth L Marek
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Invicro, LLC, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Thomas G Beach
- Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, Arizona, USA
| | - Keith A Johnson
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Boston, MA, USA
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bertrand Russell Huber
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA, USA
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA
| | - Inga Koerte
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- cBRAIN, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
- NICUM (NeuroImaging Core Unit Munich), Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander P Lin
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Clinical Spectroscopy, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sylvain Bouix
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Cummings
- Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience, Department of Brain Health, School of Integrated Health Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Martha E Shenton
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eric M Reiman
- Banner Alzheimer's Institute, University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Translational Genomics Research Institute, and Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Ann C McKee
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA, USA
- VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA, USA
| | - Robert A Stern
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
- Departments of Neurosurgery, and Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
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11
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Reddi S, Thakker-Varia S, Alder J, Giarratana AO. Status of precision medicine approaches to traumatic brain injury. Neural Regen Res 2022; 17:2166-2171. [PMID: 35259824 PMCID: PMC9083178 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.335824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious condition in which trauma to the head causes damage to the brain, leading to a disruption in brain function. This is a significant health issue worldwide, with around 69 million people suffering from TBI each year. Immediately following the trauma, damage occurs in the acute phase of injury that leads to the primary outcomes of the TBI. In the hours-to-days that follow, secondary damage can also occur, leading to chronic outcomes. TBIs can range in severity from mild to severe, and can be complicated by the fact that some individuals sustain multiple TBIs, a risk factor for worse long-term outcomes. Although our knowledge about the pathophysiology of TBI has increased in recent years, unfortunately this has not been translated into effective clinical therapies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve any drugs for the treatment of TBI; current clinical treatment guidelines merely offer supportive care. Outcomes between individuals greatly vary, which makes the treatment for TBI so challenging. A blow of similar force can have only mild, primary outcomes in one individual and yet cause severe, chronic outcomes in another. One of the reasons that have been proposed for this differential response to TBI is the underlying genetic differences across the population. Due to this, many researchers have begun to investigate the possibility of using precision medicine techniques to address TBI treatment. In this review, we will discuss the research detailing the identification of genetic risk factors for worse outcomes after TBI, and the work investigating personalized treatments for these higher-risk individuals. We highlight the need for further research into the identification of higher-risk individuals and the development of personalized therapies for TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahithi Reddi
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Smita Thakker-Varia
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Janet Alder
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Anna O Giarratana
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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12
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Mayer AR, Quinn DK. Neuroimaging Biomarkers of New-Onset Psychiatric Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:459-469. [PMID: 34334188 PMCID: PMC8665933 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has traditionally been associated with cognitive and behavioral changes during both the acute and chronic phases of injury. Because of its noninvasive nature, neuroimaging has the potential to provide unique information on underlying macroscopic and microscopic biological mechanisms that may serve as causative agents for these neuropsychiatric sequelae. This broad scoping review identifies at least 4 common macroscopic pathways that exist between TBI and new-onset psychiatric disorders, as well as several examples of how neuroimaging is currently being utilized in clinical research. The review then critically examines the strengths and limitations of neuroimaging for elucidating TBI-related microscopic pathology, such as microstructural changes, neuroinflammation, proteinopathies, blood-brain barrier damage, and disruptions in cellular signaling. A summary is then provided for how neuroimaging is currently being used to investigate TBI-related pathology in new-onset neurocognitive disorders, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Identified gaps in the literature include a lack of prospective studies to definitively associate imaging findings with the development of new-onset psychiatric disorders, as well as antemortem imaging studies subsequently confirmed with postmortem correlates in the same study cohort. Although the spatial resolution and specificity of imaging biomarkers has greatly improved over the last 2 decades, we conclude that neuroimaging biomarkers do not yet exist for the definitive in vivo diagnosis of cellular pathology. This represents a necessary next step for further elucidating causal relationships between TBI and new-onset psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R. Mayer
- The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM 87106,Department of Neurology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131,Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131,Corresponding author: Andrew Mayer, Ph.D., The Mind Research Network, Pete & Nancy Domenici Hall, 1101 Yale Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 USA; Tel: 505-272-0769; Fax: 505-272-8002;
| | - Davin K. Quinn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131
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13
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Varlow C, Knight AC, McQuade P, Vasdev N. Characterization of neuroinflammatory positron emission tomography biomarkers in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac019. [PMID: 35198978 PMCID: PMC8856182 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a neurological disorder associated with head trauma and is confirmed upon autopsy. PET imaging of chronic traumatic encephalopathy may provide a means to move towards ante-mortem diagnosis and therapeutic intervention following brain injuries. Characterization of the neuroinflammatory PET biomarkers, 18 kDa translocator protein and monoamine oxidase-B was conducted using [3H]PBR-28 and [3H]L-deprenyl, respectively, in post-mortem chronic traumatic encephalopathy brain tissue. [3H]PBR-28 displayed high specific binding in both chronic traumatic encephalopathy (95.40 ± 1.87%; n = 11 cases) and healthy controls (89.89 ± 8.52%, n = 3 cases). Cell-type expression of the 18 kDa translocator protein was confirmed by immunofluorescence to microglia, astrocyte and macrophage markers. [3H]L-deprenyl also displayed high specific binding in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (96.95 ± 1.43%; n = 12 cases) and healthy controls (93.24 ± 0.43%; n = 2 cases), with the distribution co-localized to astrocytes by immunofluorescence. Saturation analysis was performed to quantify the target density of the 18 kDa translocator protein and monoamine oxidase-B in both chronic traumatic encephalopathy and healthy control tissue. Using [3H]PBR-28, the target density of the 18 kDa translocator protein in healthy controls was 177.91 ± 56.96 nM (n = 7 cases; mean ± standard deviation); however, a highly variable target density (345.84 ± 372.42 nM; n = 11 cases; mean ± standard deviation) was measured in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. [3H]L-deprenyl quantified a monoamine oxidase-B target density of 304.23 ± 115.93 nM (n = 8 cases; mean ± standard deviation) in healthy control tissue and is similar to the target density in chronic traumatic encephalopathy tissues (365.80 ± 128.55 nM; n = 12 cases; mean ± standard deviation). A two-sample t-test determined no significant difference in the target density values of the 18 kDa translocator protein and monoamine oxidase-B between healthy controls and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (P > 0.05), albeit a trend towards increased expression of both targets was observed in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. To our knowledge, this work represents the first in vitro characterization of 18 kDa translocator protein and monoamine oxidase-B in chronic traumatic encephalopathy and reveals the variability in neuroinflammatory pathology following brain injuries. These preliminary findings will be considered when designing PET imaging studies after brain injury and for the ultimate goal of imaging chronic traumatic encephalopathy in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassis Varlow
- Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 1R8
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Ashley C. Knight
- Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 1R8
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Paul McQuade
- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Neil Vasdev
- Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, Brain Health Imaging Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 1R8
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1A8
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14
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Bergauer A, van Osch R, van Elferen S, Gyllvik S, Venkatesh H, Schreiber R. The diagnostic potential of fluid and imaging biomarkers in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Pharmacotherapy 2022; 146:112602. [PMID: 35062068 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive, affective, and motor dysfunction. The main pathophysiological mechanisms are chronic neuroinflammation, hyper-phosphorylated tau (p-tau) accumulation and neurodegeneration. CTE is mostly caused by exposure to multiple mild traumatic brain injuries, placing people participating in, for example, high contact sports at increased risk. Currently, CTE can solely be diagnosed post mortem based on the spatial pattern of tau-accumulation. Herein, we review candidate imaging and molecular biomarkers for their sensitivity and specificity and we look whether these are sufficient for reliable ante mortem diagnosis. Of the imaging biomarkers, PET appears to have the best potential. Candidate fluid biomarkers consist of genes and proteins found in brain derived extracellular vesicles, as well as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) p-tau levels. However, neither these biomarkers nor the imaging biomarkers have the discriminatory power to differentiate between CTE and other tauopathies, highlighting the need for further validation. Future research could incorporate machine learning methodologies to differentiate between the tau accumulation patterns detected by PET/fMRI in Alzheimer's and CTE patients. Additionally, proteomic and metabolomic profiling of CSF and plasma associated with chronic mild traumatic brain injuries could highlight potential biomarkers for identifying at risk patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bergauer
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Robin van Osch
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Silke van Elferen
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Sofia Gyllvik
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Hrishikesh Venkatesh
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Rudy Schreiber
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
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15
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Huang CX, Li YH, Lu W, Huang SH, Li MJ, Xiao LZ, Liu J. Positron emission tomography imaging for the assessment of mild traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy: recent advances in radiotracers. Neural Regen Res 2022; 17:74-81. [PMID: 34100430 PMCID: PMC8451552 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.314285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A chronic phase following repetitive mild traumatic brain injury can present as chronic traumatic encephalopathy in some cases, which requires a neuropathological examination to make a definitive diagnosis. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a molecular imaging modality that has high sensitivity for detecting even very small molecular changes, and can be used to quantitatively measure a range of molecular biological processes in the brain using different radioactive tracers. Functional changes have also been reported in patients with different forms of traumatic brain injury, especially mild traumatic brain injury and subsequent chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Thus, PET provides a novel approach for the further evaluation of mild traumatic brain injury at molecular levels. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in PET imaging with different radiotracers, including radioligands for PET imaging of glucose metabolism, tau, amyloid-beta, γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors, and neuroinflammation, in the identification of altered neurological function. These novel radiolabeled ligands are likely to have widespread clinical application, and may be helpful for the treatment of mild traumatic brain injury. Moreover, PET functional imaging with different ligands can be used in the future to perform large-scale and sequential studies exploring the time-dependent changes that occur in mild traumatic brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chu-Xin Huang
- Department of Radiology; Department of Neurology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Yan-Hui Li
- Department of Radiology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Wei Lu
- Department of Neurology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Si-Hong Huang
- Department of Radiology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Meng-Jun Li
- Department of Radiology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Li-Zhi Xiao
- PET-CT Center, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Radiology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
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16
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Morgan R, Prosapio J, Kara S, Sonty S, Youssef P, Nedd K. Preliminary clinical diagnostic criteria for chronic traumatic encephalopathy: A case report and literature review. INTERDISCIPLINARY NEUROSURGERY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.inat.2021.101290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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Lee TA, Lycke RJ, Lee PJ, Cudal CM, Torolski KJ, Bucherl SE, Leiva-Molano N, Auerbach PS, Talavage TM, Nauman EA. Distribution of Head Acceleration Events Varies by Position and Play Type in North American Football. Clin J Sport Med 2021; 31:e245-e250. [PMID: 32032162 DOI: 10.1097/jsm.0000000000000778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The goal of this pilot study was to evaluate the number of head acceleration events (HAEs) based on position, play type, and starting stance. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Postcollegiate skill development camp during practice sessions and 1 exhibition game. PARTICIPANTS Seventy-eight male adult North American football athletes. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES A position was assigned to each participant, and plays in the exhibition game were separated by play type for analysis. During the exhibition game, video data were used to determine the effects of the starting position ("up" in a 2-point stance or "down" in a 3- or 4-point stance) on the HAEs experienced by players on the offensive line. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Peak linear acceleration and number of HAEs greater than 20 g (g = 9.81 m/s2) were measured using an xPatch (X2 Biosystems, Seattle, WA). RESULTS Four hundred thirty-seven HAEs were recorded during practices and 272 recorded during the exhibition game; 98 and 52 HAEs, the greatest number of HAEs by position in the game, were experienced by the offensive and defensive linemen, respectively. Linebackers and tight ends experienced high percentages of HAEs above 60 g. Offensive line players in a down stance had a higher likelihood of sustaining a HAE than players in an up stance regardless of the type of play (run vs pass). CONCLUSIONS Changing the stance of players on the offensive line and reducing the number of full-contact practices will lower HAEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor A Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Roy J Lycke
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Patrick J Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Caroline M Cudal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Kelly J Torolski
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Sean E Bucherl
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Nicolas Leiva-Molano
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Paul S Auerbach
- Military/Emergency Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Thomas M Talavage
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana; and
| | - Eric A Nauman
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
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Asken BM, Rabinovici GD. Identifying degenerative effects of repetitive head trauma with neuroimaging: a clinically-oriented review. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2021; 9:96. [PMID: 34022959 PMCID: PMC8141132 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-021-01197-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND SCOPE OF REVIEW Varying severities and frequencies of head trauma may result in dynamic acute and chronic pathophysiologic responses in the brain. Heightened attention to long-term effects of head trauma, particularly repetitive head trauma, has sparked recent efforts to identify neuroimaging biomarkers of underlying disease processes. Imaging modalities like structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) are the most clinically applicable given their use in neurodegenerative disease diagnosis and differentiation. In recent years, researchers have targeted repetitive head trauma cohorts in hopes of identifying in vivo biomarkers for underlying biologic changes that might ultimately improve diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in living persons. These populations most often include collision sport athletes (e.g., American football, boxing) and military veterans with repetitive low-level blast exposure. We provide a clinically-oriented review of neuroimaging data from repetitive head trauma cohorts based on structural MRI, FDG-PET, Aβ-PET, and tau-PET. We supplement the review with two patient reports of neuropathology-confirmed, clinically impaired adults with prior repetitive head trauma who underwent structural MRI, FDG-PET, Aβ-PET, and tau-PET in addition to comprehensive clinical examinations before death. REVIEW CONCLUSIONS Group-level comparisons to controls without known head trauma have revealed inconsistent regional volume differences, with possible propensity for medial temporal, limbic, and subcortical (thalamus, corpus callosum) structures. Greater frequency and severity (i.e., length) of cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) is observed in repetitive head trauma cohorts compared to unexposed controls. It remains unclear whether CSP predicts a particular neurodegenerative process, but CSP presence should increase suspicion that clinical impairment is at least partly attributable to the individual's head trauma exposure (regardless of underlying disease). PET imaging similarly has not revealed a prototypical metabolic or molecular pattern associated with repetitive head trauma or predictive of CTE based on the most widely studied radiotracers. Given the range of clinical syndromes and neurodegenerative pathologies observed in a subset of adults with prior repetitive head trauma, structural MRI and PET imaging may still be useful for differential diagnosis (e.g., assessing suspected Alzheimer's disease).
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Affiliation(s)
- Breton M. Asken
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA
| | - Gil D. Rabinovici
- Departments of Neurology, Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA
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Marklund N, Vedung F, Lubberink M, Tegner Y, Johansson J, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Fahlström M, Haller S, Stenson S, Larsson EM, Wall A, Antoni G. Tau aggregation and increased neuroinflammation in athletes after sports-related concussions and in traumatic brain injury patients - A PET/MR study. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 30:102665. [PMID: 33894460 PMCID: PMC8091173 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to axonal injury and an inflammatory response. Repeated sports-related concussions (rSRC) are linked to neurodegeneration. We studied tau aggregation and neuroinflammation in rSRC and TBI using PET/MRI. In young rSRC and TBI patients, tau aggregation and neuroinflammation was increased. PET useful when studying the long-term consequences of rSRC and TBI.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and repeated sports-related concussions (rSRCs) are associated with an increased risk for neurodegeneration. Autopsy findings of selected cohorts of long-term TBI survivors and rSRC athletes reveal increased tau aggregation and a persistent neuroinflammation. To assess in vivo tau aggregation and neuroinflammation in young adult TBI and rSRC cohorts, we evaluated 9 healthy controls (mean age 26 ± 5 years; 4 males, 5 females), 12 symptomatic athletes (26 ± 7 years; 6 males, 6 females) attaining ≥3 previous SRCs, and 6 moderate-to severe TBI patients (27 ± 7 years; 4 males, 2 females) in a combined positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) scanner ≥6 months post-injury. Dual PET tracers, [18F]THK5317 for tau aggregation and [11C]PK11195 for neuroinflammation/microglial activation, were investigated on the same day. The Repeated Battery Assessment of Neurological Status (RBANS) scores, used for cognitive evaluation, were lower in both the rSRC and TBI groups (p < 0.05). Neurofilament-light (NF-L) levels were increased in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF; p < 0.05), and serum tau levels lower, in TBI although not in rSRC. In rSRC athletes, PET imaging showed increased neuroinflammation in the hippocampus and tau aggregation in the corpus callosum. In TBI patients, tau aggregation was observed in thalami, temporal white matter and midbrain; widespread neuroinflammation was found e.g. in temporal white matter, hippocampus and corpus callosum. In mixed-sex cohorts of young adult athletes with persistent post-concussion symptoms and in TBI patients, increased tau aggregation and neuroinflammation are observed at ≥6 months post-injury using PET. Studies with extended clinical follow-up, biomarker examinations and renewed PET imaging are needed to evaluate whether these findings progress to a neurodegenerative disorder or if spontaneous resolution is possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Marklund
- Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Neurosurgery, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Fredrik Vedung
- Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mark Lubberink
- Medical Physics, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Surgical Sciences, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Yelverton Tegner
- Department of Health Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
| | - Jakob Johansson
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden; UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, United Kingdom; Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Markus Fahlström
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Radiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sven Haller
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Radiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; CIMC - Centre d'Imagerie Médicale de Cornavin, Place de Cornavin 18, 1201 Genève, Switzerland
| | - Staffan Stenson
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation Medicine PET Centre, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elna-Marie Larsson
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Radiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anders Wall
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Uppsala University, Sweden; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gunnar Antoni
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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20
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Alosco ML, Culhane J, Mez J. Neuroimaging Biomarkers of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: Targets for the Academic Memory Disorders Clinic. Neurotherapeutics 2021; 18:772-791. [PMID: 33847906 PMCID: PMC8423967 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-021-01028-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with exposure to repetitive head impacts, such as those from contact sports. The pathognomonic lesion for CTE is the perivascular accumulation of hyper-phosphorylated tau in neurons and other cell process at the depths of sulci. CTE cannot be diagnosed during life at this time, limiting research on risk factors, mechanisms, epidemiology, and treatment. There is an urgent need for in vivo biomarkers that can accurately detect CTE and differentiate it from other neurological disorders. Neuroimaging is an integral component of the clinical evaluation of neurodegenerative diseases and will likely aid in diagnosing CTE during life. In this qualitative review, we present the current evidence on neuroimaging biomarkers for CTE with a focus on molecular, structural, and functional modalities routinely used as part of a dementia evaluation. Supporting imaging-pathological correlation studies are also presented. We targeted neuroimaging studies of living participants at high risk for CTE (e.g., aging former elite American football players, fighters). We conclude that an optimal tau PET radiotracer with high affinity for the 3R/4R neurofibrillary tangles in CTE has not yet been identified. Amyloid PET scans have tended to be negative. Converging structural and functional imaging evidence together with neuropathological evidence show frontotemporal and medial temporal lobe neurodegeneration, and increased likelihood for a cavum septum pellucidum. The literature offers promising neuroimaging biomarker targets of CTE, but it is limited by cross-sectional studies of small samples where the presence of underlying CTE is unknown. Imaging-pathological correlation studies will be important for the development and validation of neuroimaging biomarkers of CTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Alosco
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 E Concord St, Suite B7800, MA, 02118, Boston, USA.
| | - Julia Culhane
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 E Concord St, Suite B7800, MA, 02118, Boston, USA
| | - Jesse Mez
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Boston University CTE Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 E Concord St, Suite B7800, MA, 02118, Boston, USA
- Framingham Heart Study, Boston University School of Medicine, MA, Boston, USA
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21
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Ayubcha C, Moghbel M, Borja AJ, Newberg A, Werner TJ, Alavi A, Revheim ME. Tau Imaging in Head Injury. PET Clin 2021; 16:249-260. [PMID: 33648666 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpet.2020.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Tau proteins play a significant role in a variety of degenerative neurologic conditions. Postmortem neuropathology studies of victims of repeat and severe head trauma have defined a unique spatial expression of neurologic tauopathies in these individuals, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Established and newly developed radiotracers are now being applied to head injury populations with the intent of diagnosis and disease monitoring. This review assesses the role of tau in head injury, the state of tau radiotracer development, and the potential clinical value of tau-PET as derived from head injury studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrus Ayubcha
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mateen Moghbel
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Austin J Borja
- Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Andrew Newberg
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, Marcus Institute of Integrative Health, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Thomas J Werner
- Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Abass Alavi
- Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Mona-Elisabeth Revheim
- Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Sognsvannsveien 20, Oslo 0372, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Problemveien 7, Oslo 0315, Norway.
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22
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Brain and blood biomarkers of tauopathy and neuronal injury in humans and rats with neurobehavioral syndromes following blast exposure. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:5940-5954. [PMID: 32094584 PMCID: PMC7484380 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0674-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Revised: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a risk factor for the later development of neurodegenerative diseases that may have various underlying pathologies. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in particular is associated with repetitive mild TBI (mTBI) and is characterized pathologically by aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau into neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). CTE may be suspected when behavior, cognition, and/or memory deteriorate following repetitive mTBI. Exposure to blast overpressure from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) has been implicated as a potential antecedent for CTE amongst Iraq and Afghanistan Warfighters. In this study, we identified biomarker signatures in rats exposed to repetitive low-level blast that develop chronic anxiety-related traits and in human veterans exposed to IED blasts in theater with behavioral, cognitive, and/or memory complaints. Rats exposed to repetitive low-level blasts accumulated abnormal hyperphosphorylated tau in neuronal perikarya and perivascular astroglial processes. Using positron emission tomography (PET) and the [18F]AV1451 (flortaucipir) tau ligand, we found that five of 10 veterans exhibited excessive retention of [18F]AV1451 at the white/gray matter junction in frontal, parietal, and temporal brain regions, a typical localization of CTE tauopathy. We also observed elevated levels of neurofilament light (NfL) chain protein in the plasma of veterans displaying excess [18F]AV1451 retention. These findings suggest an association linking blast injury, tauopathy, and neuronal injury. Further study is required to determine whether clinical, neuroimaging, and/or fluid biomarker signatures can improve the diagnosis of long-term neuropsychiatric sequelae of mTBI.
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23
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Lee T, Lycke R, Auger J, Music J, Dziekan M, Newman S, Talavage T, Leverenz L, Nauman E. Head acceleration event metrics in youth contact sports more dependent on sport than level of play. Proc Inst Mech Eng H 2020; 235:208-221. [PMID: 33183139 DOI: 10.1177/0954411920970812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The goal of the study was to evaluate how repetitive head traumas sustained by athletes in contact sports depend on sport and level of play. A total of 16 middle school football players, 107 high school football players, and 65 high school female soccer players participated. Players were separated into levels of play: middle school (MS), freshman (FR), junior varsity (JV), junior varsity-varsity (JV-V), and varsity (V). xPatch sensors were used to measure peak translational and angular accelerations (PTA and PAA, respectively) for each head acceleration event (HAE) during practice and game sessions. Data were analyzed using a custom MATLAB program to compare metrics that have been correlated with functional neurological changes: session metrics (median HAEs per contact session), season metrics (total HAEs, cumulative PTA/PAA), and regressions (cumulative PTA/PAA versus total HAEs, total HAEs versus median HAEs per contact session). Football players had greater session (p<.001) and season (p<.001) metrics than soccer players, but soccer players had a significantly greater player average PAA per HAE than football players (p<.001). Middle school football players had similar session and season metrics to high school level athletes. In conclusion, sport has a greater influence on HAE characteristics than level of play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Lee
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Roy Lycke
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Joshua Auger
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Jacob Music
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Michael Dziekan
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Sharlene Newman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Thomas Talavage
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Larry Leverenz
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Eric Nauman
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.,Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.,Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
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24
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Mariani M, Alosco ML, Mez J, Stern RA. Clinical Presentation of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. Semin Neurol 2020; 40:370-383. [PMID: 32740900 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1713624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with repetitive head impacts (RHI), such as those received in contact/collision sports, blast injury in military veterans, and domestic violence. Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed following death. Although the clinical features of former boxers have been described for almost a century, and there is increasing evidence of long-term cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairments in living former American football players, the specific clinical presentation associated with underlying CTE neuropathology remains unclear. These features include diverse and nonspecific changes in cognition, mood, behavior, and motor functioning. Currently, there are no validated and widely accepted clinical diagnostic criteria. Proposed criteria are primarily based on retrospective telephonic interviews with the next of kin of individuals who were diagnosed with CTE postmortem. Prospective studies involving individuals presumably at high risk for CTE are underway; these will hopefully clarify the clinical features and course of CTE, allow the diagnostic criteria to be refined, and lead to the development and validation of in vivo biomarkers. This article reviews what is currently known about the clinical presentation of CTE and describes the evolution of this knowledge from early case reports of "punch drunk" boxers through larger case series of neuropathologically confirmed CTE. This article concludes with a discussion of gaps in research and future directions to address these areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Mariani
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michael L Alosco
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jesse Mez
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Robert A Stern
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
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25
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Qi B, Jin S, Qian H, Zou Y. Bibliometric Analysis of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Research from 1999 to 2019. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17155411. [PMID: 32731338 PMCID: PMC7432826 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17155411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has increased over the past two decades. However, few studies have statistically analyzed these publications. In this work, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of studies on CTE to track research trends and highlight current research hotspots. Relevant original articles were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database between 1999 and 2019. CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were used to perform analysis and visualization of scientific productivity and emerging trends. Our results show that the publications related to CTE dramatically increased from four publications in 1999 to 160 publications in 2019. The United States dominated this field with 732 publications (75.934%), followed by Canada with 88 publications (9.129%). Most of related publications were published in the journals with a focus on molecular biology, immunology, neurology, sports and ophthalmology, as represented by the dual-map overlay. A total of 11 major clusters were explored based on the reference co-citation analysis. In addition, three predominant research topics were summarized by clustering high-frequency keywords: epidemiological, clinical and pathological studies. The research frontiers were the diagnosis of diseases using new neuroimaging techniques, and the investigation of the molecular mechanism of tau aggregation. This study provides researchers with valuable guidance in the selection of research topics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bote Qi
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, 886 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China;
| | - Shuting Jin
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, 886 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China;
| | - Hongsheng Qian
- College of Physical Education, Central China Normal University, 152 Luoyu Avenue, Wuhan 430079, China;
| | - Yu Zou
- Department of Sport and Exercise Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, 886 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China;
- Correspondence:
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26
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Guell X, Arnold Anteraper S, Gardner AJ, Whitfield-Gabrieli S, Kay-Lambkin F, Iverson GL, Gabrieli J, Stanwell P. Functional Connectivity Changes in Retired Rugby League Players: A Data-Driven Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. J Neurotrauma 2020; 37:1788-1796. [PMID: 32183583 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2019.6782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
There is considerable interest in the long-term brain health of retired contact and collision sport athletes; however, little is known about possible underlying changes in functional brain connectivity in this group. We evaluated whole-brain functional connectivity patterns using multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) to determine whether alterations in functional connectivity distinguish retired professional athletes from a matched group of healthy community control subjects. Thirty-two retired athletes with a history of multiple self-reported sport-related concussions and 36 healthy community control subjects who were similar in age and education, completed functional magnetic resonance imaging. We identified brain regions with abnormal functional connectivity patterns using whole-brain MVPA as implemented in the Conn toolbox. First-level MVPA was performed using 64 principal component analysis (PCA) components. Second-level F test was performed using the first three MVPA components for retired athletes > controls group contrast. Post hoc seed-to-voxel analyses using the MVPA cluster results as seeds were performed to characterize functional connectivity abnormalities from brain regions identified by MVPA. MVPA revealed one cluster of abnormal functional connectivity located in cerebellar lobule V. This region of lobule V corresponded to the ventral attention network. Post hoc seed-to-voxel analysis using the cerebellar MVPA cluster as a seed revealed multiple areas of cerebral cortical hyper-connectivity and hypo-connectivity in retired athletes when compared with controls. This initial report suggests that cerebellar dysfunction might be present and clinically important in some retired athletes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Guell
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Andrew J Gardner
- Hunter New England Local Health District Sport Concussion Program, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales, Australia.,Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Frances Kay-Lambkin
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Grant L Iverson
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Sports Concussion Program, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peter Stanwell
- School of Health Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
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27
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Jokar S, Behnammanesh H, Erfani M, Sharifzadeh M, Gholami M, Sabzevari O, Amini M, Geramifar P, Hajiramezanali M, Beiki D. Synthesis, biological evaluation and preclinical study of a novel 99mTc-peptide: A targeting probe of amyloid-β plaques as a possible diagnostic agent for Alzheimer's disease. Bioorg Chem 2020; 99:103857. [PMID: 32330736 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.103857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
With respect to the main role of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques as one of the pathological hallmarks in the brain of Alzheimer's patients, the development of new imaging probes for targeted detection of Aβ plaques has attracted considerable interests. In this study, a novel cyclopentadienyl tricarbonyl Technetium-99 m (99mTc) agent with peptide scaffold, 99mTc-Cp-GABA-D-(FPLIAIMA)-NH2, for binding to the Aβ plaques was designed and successfully synthesized using the Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis method. This radiopeptide revealed a good affinity for Aβ42 aggregations (Kd = 20 µM) in binding affinity study and this result was confirmed by binding to Aβ plaques in brain sections of human Alzheimer's disease (AD) and rat models using in vitro autoradiography, fluorescent staining, and planar scintigraphy. Biodistribution studies of radiopeptide in AD and normal rats demonstrated a moderate initial brain uptake about 0.38 and 0.35% (ID/g) 2 min post-injection, respectively. Whereas, AD rats showed a notable retention time in the brain (0.23% ID/g at 30 min) in comparison with fast clearance in normal rat brains. Normal rats following treatment with cyclosporine A as a p-glycoprotein inhibitor showed a significant increase in the radiopeptide brain accumulation compared to non-treated ones. There was a good correlation between data gathered from single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) imaging and biodistribution studies. Therefore, these findings showed that this novel radiopeptide could be a potential SPECT imaging agent for early detection of Aβ plaques in the brain of patients with AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safura Jokar
- Department of Nuclear Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Behnammanesh
- Department of Nuclear Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mostafa Erfani
- Radiation Application Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Sharifzadeh
- Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Toxicology and Poisoning Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Toxicology and Poisoning Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Gholami
- Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Toxicology and Poisoning Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Toxicology and Poisoning Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Omid Sabzevari
- Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Toxicology and Poisoning Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Toxicology and Poisoning Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohsen Amini
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Drug Design and Development Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parham Geramifar
- Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maliheh Hajiramezanali
- Department of Nuclear Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Davood Beiki
- Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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28
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Abstract
Sports-related encephalopathies are a growing concern among athletes who have experienced head trauma. Anxiety is heightened for the public and especially among parents of children playing contact sports. The most common neuropsychological conditions are concussions and traumatic encephalopathies. Concussions result from brain traumas that can be asymptomatic, but more serious concussions can include loss of consciousness, neurological abnormalities, and/or posttraumatic amnesias. Repetitive concussions lead to persistent brain pathology, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathies. This gradually progressive neurodegenerative disease frequently presents with cognitive and neurological deficits, which can result in significant parkinsonian features and dementia. Imaging studies may be noncontributory; however, diffusion tensor imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and functional magnetic resonance imaging can detect changes indicative of these encephalopathies. Progressive neuronal degeneration with tau proteins are documented on pathological examination. Prevention, early diagnosis, and proper treatment are the recommended approach to these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angeline Prabhu
- From the Internal Medicine, Canton Medical Education Foundation, Canton, Ohio; Division of Infectious Diseases, and the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Bilal Abaid
- From the Internal Medicine, Canton Medical Education Foundation, Canton, Ohio; Division of Infectious Diseases, and the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Samreen Fathima
- From the Internal Medicine, Canton Medical Education Foundation, Canton, Ohio; Division of Infectious Diseases, and the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Shivani Naik
- From the Internal Medicine, Canton Medical Education Foundation, Canton, Ohio; Division of Infectious Diseases, and the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Steven Lippmann
- From the Internal Medicine, Canton Medical Education Foundation, Canton, Ohio; Division of Infectious Diseases, and the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
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29
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Lesman-Segev OH, La Joie R, Stephens ML, Sonni I, Tsai R, Bourakova V, Visani AV, Edwards L, O'Neil JP, Baker SL, Gardner RC, Janabi M, Chaudhary K, Perry DC, Kramer JH, Miller BL, Jagust WJ, Rabinovici GD. Tau PET and multimodal brain imaging in patients at risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Neuroimage Clin 2019; 24:102025. [PMID: 31670152 PMCID: PMC6831941 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterize individual and group-level neuroimaging findings in patients at risk for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). METHODS Eleven male patients meeting criteria for Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome (TES, median age: 64) underwent neurologic evaluation, 3-Tesla MRI, and PET with [18F]-Flortaucipir (FTP, tau-PET) and [11C]-Pittsburgh compound B (PIB, amyloid-PET). Six patients underwent [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG, glucose metabolism). We assessed imaging findings at the individual patient level, and in group-level comparisons with modality-specific groups of cognitively normal older adults (CN). Tau-PET findings in patients with TES were also compared to a matched group of patients with mild cognitive impairment or dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD). RESULTS All patients with TES sustained repetitive head injury participating in impact sports, ten in American football. Three patients met criteria for dementia and eight had mild cognitive impairment. Two patients were amyloid-PET positive and harbored the most severe MRI atrophy, FDG hypometabolism, and FTP-tau PET binding. Among the nine amyloid-negative patients, tau-PET showed either mildly elevated frontotemporal binding, a "dot-like" pattern, or no elevated binding. Medial temporal FTP was mildly elevated in a subset of amyloid-negative patients, but values were considerably lower than in AD. Voxelwise analyses revealed a convergence of imaging abnormalities (higher FTP binding, lower FDG, lower gray matter volumes) in frontotemporal areas in TES compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS Mildly elevated tau-PET binding was observed in a subset of amyloid-negative patients at risk for CTE, in a distribution consistent with CTE pathology stages III-IV. FTP-PET may be useful as a biomarker of tau pathology in CTE but is unlikely to be sensitive to early disease stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orit H Lesman-Segev
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States.
| | - Renaud La Joie
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States
| | - Melanie L Stephens
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States
| | - Ida Sonni
- Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Richard Tsai
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States
| | - Viktoriya Bourakova
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States
| | - Adrienne V Visani
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States
| | - Lauren Edwards
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States
| | - James P O'Neil
- Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Suzanne L Baker
- Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Raquel C Gardner
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121, United States
| | - Mustafa Janabi
- Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Kiran Chaudhary
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States
| | - David C Perry
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States
| | - Joel H Kramer
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States
| | - William J Jagust
- Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Gil D Rabinovici
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, United States; Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States; Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
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Tsai SJ. Preventive potential of low intensity pulsed ultrasound for chronic traumatic encephalopathy after repetitive head collisions in contact sports. Med Hypotheses 2019; 134:109422. [PMID: 31654885 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 09/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease process well-recognized in boxers, American football players and military personnel, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive blows to the head. Subjects with CTE can have a wide range of emotional, cognitive and physical symptoms. The cognitive group patients had a significantly higher probability of developing dementia in later years. Currently, there are no disease modifying regimen for CTE. Timely intervention of head blow could diminish the development of CTE. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a common adjunct used to promote bone healing for fresh fracture. Recent reports suggest that LIPUS can noninvasively modulate the cortical function and have neuroprotective effect in various animal models of traumatic brain injury, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and major depressive disorder. The multifunctional mechanisms of LIPUS neuroprotective effect include several trophic factor stimulations, anti-inflammatory properties and reduction of brain edema. From the above evidence, LIPUS intervention could be a strategy for the prevention of the clinical CTE sequelae of repetitive head blows. We hypothesized that due to its neuroprotective effects, the non-invasive and easy-to-use method of LIPUS brain stimulation could have a preventive effect on players who have head blows during the match. The development of a time sensitive protocol, resembling the therapeutic algorithm for traumatic brain injury, would potentially prevent the development of subsequent CTE adverse outcome. Further long-term longitudinal studies of LIPUS stimulation are warranted to verify the prevention efficacy of this intervention for CTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Jen Tsai
- Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan; Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan.
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Dallmeier JD, Meysami S, Merrill DA, Raji CA. Emerging advances of in vivo detection of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and traumatic brain injury. Br J Radiol 2019; 92:20180925. [PMID: 31287716 PMCID: PMC6732918 DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20180925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is of epidemic proportions in contact sports athletes and is linked to subconcussive and concussive repetitive head impacts (RHI). Although postmortem analysis is currently the only confirmatory method to diagnose CTE, there has been progress in early detection techniques of fluid biomarkers as well as in advanced neuroimaging techniques. Specifically, promising new methods of diffusion MRI and radionucleotide PET scans could aid in the early detection of CTE.The authors examine early detection methods focusing on various neuroimaging techniques. Advances in structural and diffusion MRI have demonstrated the ability to measure volumetric and white matter abnormalities associated with CTE. Recent studies using radionucleotides such as flortaucipir and 18F-FDDNP have shown binding patterns that are consistent with the four stages of neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) distribution postmortem. Additional research undertakings focusing on fMRI, MR spectroscopy, susceptibility-weighted imaging, and singlephoton emission CT are also discussed as are advanced MRI methods such as diffusiontensor imaging and arterial spin labeled. Neuroimaging is fast becoming a key instrument in early detection and could prove essential for CTE quantification. This review explores a global approach to in vivo early detection.Limited data of in vivo CTE biomarkers with postmortem confirmation are available. While some data exist, they are limited by selection bias. It is unlikely that a single test will be sufficient to properly diagnosis and distinguish CTE from other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease or Frontotemporal Dementia. However, with a combination of fluid biomarkers, neuroimaging, and genetic testing, early detection may become possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian D. Dallmeier
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Somayeh Meysami
- Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - David A. Merrill
- Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Pacific Brain Health Center, UCLA and Pacific Neuroscience Institute, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Cyrus A. Raji
- Radiology, Washington University Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
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Hirad AA, Bazarian JJ, Merchant-Borna K, Garcea FE, Heilbronner S, Paul D, Hintz EB, van Wijngaarden E, Schifitto G, Wright DW, Espinoza TR, Mahon BZ. A common neural signature of brain injury in concussion and subconcussion. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaau3460. [PMID: 31457074 PMCID: PMC6685720 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau3460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The midbrain is biomechanically susceptible to force loading from repetitive subconcussive head impacts (RSHI), is a site of tauopathy in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and regulates functions (e.g., eye movements) often disrupted in concussion. In a prospective longitudinal design, we demonstrate there are reductions in midbrain white matter integrity due to a single season of collegiate football, and that the amount of reduction in midbrain white matter integrity is related to the amount of rotational acceleration to which players' brains are exposed. We then replicate the observation of reduced midbrain white matter integrity in a retrospective cohort of individuals with frank concussion, and further show that variance in white matter integrity is correlated with levels of serum-based tau, a marker of blood-brain barrier disruption. These findings mean that noninvasive structural MRI of the midbrain is a succinct index of both clinically silent white matter injury as well as frank concussion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adnan A. Hirad
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Department of Clinical and Translational Science, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Jeffrey J. Bazarian
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Kian Merchant-Borna
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Frank E. Garcea
- Center for Visual Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, PA 19027, USA
| | - Sarah Heilbronner
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - David Paul
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Eric B. Hintz
- Division of Neurosurgery, San Antonio Military Medical Center, San Antonio, TX 78234, USA
| | - Edwin van Wijngaarden
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Giovanni Schifitto
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - David W. Wright
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Tamara R. Espinoza
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Bradford Z. Mahon
- Center for Visual Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Carnegie Mellon Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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Schwab N, Hazrati LN. Assessing the Limitations and Biases in the Current Understanding of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 64:1067-1076. [PMID: 30010133 DOI: 10.3233/jad-180373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is considered to be a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Recently there has been a significant amount of media attention surrounding the commonness of CTE in professional athletes, particularly American football, based on several postmortem case series. However, despite the persuasive claims made by the media about CTE, research on the disease and the effects of mTBI in general remain in its infancy. Commonly cited case series studying CTE are limited by methodological biases, pathological inconsistencies, insufficient clinical data, and a reliance on inherently biased postmortem data. These case series do not allow for the collection of any epidemiological data and are not representative of the general population. The exaggerated assumptions and assertions taken from these studies run the risk of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy for individuals who believe they are at risk and have the potential to negatively influence sports-related policymaking. This review outlines the status and limitations of recent CTE case series and calls for future prospective, longitudinal studies to further characterize the pathological and clinical hallmarks of CTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Schwab
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.,The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lili-Naz Hazrati
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.,The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Pavlovic D, Pekic S, Stojanovic M, Popovic V. Traumatic brain injury: neuropathological, neurocognitive and neurobehavioral sequelae. Pituitary 2019; 22:270-282. [PMID: 30929221 DOI: 10.1007/s11102-019-00957-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes substantial neurological disabilities and mental distress. Annual TBI incidence is in magnitude of millions, making it a global health challenge. Categorization of TBI into severe, moderate and mild by scores on the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) is based on clinical grounds and standard brain imaging (CT). Recent research focused on repeated mild TBI (sport and non-sport concussions) suggests that a considerable number of patients have long-term disabling neurocognitive and neurobehavioral sequelae. These relate to subtle neuronal injury (diffuse axonal injury) visible only by using advanced neuroimaging distinguishing microstructural tissue damage. With advanced MRI protocols better characterization of TBI is achievable. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) visualizes white matter pathology, susceptibility weight imaging (SWI) detects microscopic bleeding while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides closer understanding of cognitive disorders etc. However, advanced imaging is still not integrated in the clinical care of patients with TBI. Patients with chronic TBI may experience many somatic disorders, cognitive disturbances and mental complaints. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms occurring in TBI are complex, brain injuries are highly heterogeneous and include neuroendocrine dysfunctions. Post-traumatic neuroendocrine dysfunctions received attention since the year 2000. Occurrence of TBI-related hypopituitarism does not correlate to severity of the GCS scores. Complete or partial hypopituitarism (isolated growth hormone (GH) deficiency as most frequent) may occur after mild TBI equally as after moderate-to-severe TBI. Many symptoms of hypopituitarism overlap with symptoms occurring in patients with chronic TBI, i.e. they have lower scores on neuropsychological examinations (cognitive disability) and have more symptoms of mental distress (depression and fatigue). The great challenges for the endocrinologist are: (1) detection of hypopituitarism in patients with TBI prospectively (in the acute phase and months to years after TBI), (2) assessment of the extent of cognitive impairment at baseline, and (3) monitoring of treatment effects (alteration of cognitive functioning and mental distress with hormone replacement therapy). Only few studies recently suggest that with growth hormone (rhGH) replacement in patients with chronic TBI and with abnormal GH secretion, cognitive performance may not change while symptoms related to depression and fatigue improve. Stagnation in post-TBI rehabilitation progress is recommended as a signal for clinical suspicion of neuroendocrine dysfunction. This remains a challenging area for more research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dragan Pavlovic
- Faculty for Special Education and Rehabilitation, University of Belgrade, Visokog Stevana 2, Belgrade, 11 000, Serbia
| | - Sandra Pekic
- Neuroendocrinology Department, Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Clinical Centre of Serbia, Dr Subotica 13, Belgrade, Serbia
- Medical Faculty, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica 8, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia
| | - Marko Stojanovic
- Neuroendocrinology Department, Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Clinical Centre of Serbia, Dr Subotica 13, Belgrade, Serbia
- Medical Faculty, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica 8, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia
| | - Vera Popovic
- Medical Faculty, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica 8, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia.
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Rodrigues AC, Lima MDM, de Souza LC, Furtado C, Marques CE, Gonçalves L, Lima MV, Lasmar RP, Caramelli P. No Evidence of Association Between Soccer Heading and Cognitive Performance in Professional Soccer Players: Cross-Sectional Results. Front Neurol 2019; 10:209. [PMID: 30915024 PMCID: PMC6422927 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the scientific community has focused on the effects of concussions in contact sports, the role of subconcussive impacts, as it can occur during soccer heading, has recently gained attention, considering that it may represent an additional mechanism of cumulative brain injury. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of soccer heading on cognitive functioning in active professional soccer players. Male soccer players (n = 44), from two soccer teams that play in the Brazilian A Series Championship, and non-athletes (n = 47), comparable in age and education, were submitted to cognitive assessment, consisting of computerized and conventional neuropsychological testing (Neupsilin battery). In the computerized cognitive assessment, soccer players performed better than controls on reaction time measures in general motor coordination, executive functioning and memory tests, and on accuracy measures in executive functioning tests. There were no significant differences between groups on the Neupsilin battery. A comparison between two sub-groups of soccer players, based on the self-reported number of headings, did not show significant differences on tests performance. No significant correlations were found between an estimate of exposure to heading during professional soccer career and cognitive performance. Our data demonstrate no evidence of cognitive impairment in soccer players, compared to non-athletes, and no association between heading exposure and performance on neuropsychological tests. Longitudinal investigations, including neuroimaging assessment, will help to clarify whether soccer heading may be associated with brain injury and cognitive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Carolina Rodrigues
- Pró-Reitoria de Graduação, Reitoria da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Grupo de Pesquisa em Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Mariana Drummond Martins Lima
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Cruz de Souza
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Celso Furtado
- Departamento Médico do América Futebol Clube, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Lucas Gonçalves
- Departamento de Análise de Desempenho do Clube Atlético Mineiro, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Rodrigo Pace Lasmar
- Departamento Médico do Clube Atlético Mineiro, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Faculdade de Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Paulo Caramelli
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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37
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Hsu ET, Gangolli M, Su S, Holleran L, Stein TD, Alvarez VE, McKee AC, Schmidt RE, Brody DL. Astrocytic degeneration in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Acta Neuropathol 2018; 136:955-972. [PMID: 30194648 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-018-1902-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated head traumas. Using immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein as a marker, plus automated quantitative analysis, we examined the characteristics and extent of astrogliosis present in stage III and IV CTE, along with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cases. Astrogliosis in CTE patients was more diffuse compared to that of AD and FTD patients, which was concentrated in the sulcal depths. Of 14 patients with CTE, 10 exhibited signs of a degenerating astrocyte pathology, characterized by beaded, broken astrocytic processes. This astrocytic degeneration was typically found to be diffuse throughout the white matter, although two cases demonstrated astrocytic degeneration in the gray matter. The degeneration was also observed in 2 of 3 AD and 2 of 3 FTD brains, with overall similar characteristics across diseases. There was minimal to no astrocytic degeneration in six age-matched controls with no neurodegenerative disease. We found that the extent of the white matter astrocytic degeneration was strongly correlated with the level of overall astrogliosis in both the white and gray matter. However, astrocytic degeneration was not correlated with the overall extent of tau pathology. Specifically, there was no correlation between levels of p-tau in the sulcal depths and astrocytic degeneration in the white matter adjacent to the sulcal depths. Thus, astrocytic degeneration and overall astrogliosis appear to represent distinct pathological features of CTE. Further investigation into these astroglial pathologies could provide new insights into underlying disease mechanisms and represent a potential target for in vivo assessment of CTE as well as other neurodegenerative disorders.
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38
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Wallace C, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, van Donkelaar P. No change in plasma tau and serum neurofilament light concentrations in adolescent athletes following sport-related concussion. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206466. [PMID: 30372457 PMCID: PMC6205645 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [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: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sport-related concussion (SRC), a mild form of traumatic brain injury (TBI), is a common injury in contact sports. Health care professionals rely on subjective criteria (e.g., symptoms), as there is no objective marker for identification of athletes with SRC. Blood-based biomarkers have shown promise as diagnostic and prognostic tools following TBI and SRC. In the present study, we examined plasma tau and serum NF-L, two biomarkers for neuronal/axonal injury, concentrations at preseason and following SRC in contact sport athletes (n = 11) using ultrasensitive single molecule array (Simoa) assays. Preseason baseline samples were collected, and post-concussion samples were obtained at 6- and 14-days following injury. We found no difference between baseline, 6-day and 14-day post-concussion concentrations of tau (p = 0.14) or NF-L (p = 0.53). Further, no difference was found between preseason baseline and all post-SRC samples for tau (p = 0.22) or NF-L (p = 0.98). The total number of symptoms reported on the Standardized Assessment of Concussion– 3rd Edition (SCAT3) and associated symptom severity scores increased from preseason to 6-days post-SRC but returned to baseline values at 14-days (p = 0.02 and p = 0.003, respectively). These results suggest that the severity of neuronal injury in this cohort of contact sport athletes with clinical uncomplicated SRC was too low to be detected by tau and NF-L measurements in blood samples obtained at 6- and 14-days post-injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Wallace
- School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Paul van Donkelaar
- School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
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Russo EB. Cannabis Therapeutics and the Future of Neurology. Front Integr Neurosci 2018; 12:51. [PMID: 30405366 PMCID: PMC6200872 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2018.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurological therapeutics have been hampered by its inability to advance beyond symptomatic treatment of neurodegenerative disorders into the realm of actual palliation, arrest or reversal of the attendant pathological processes. While cannabis-based medicines have demonstrated safety, efficacy and consistency sufficient for regulatory approval in spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS), and in Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut Syndromes (LGS), many therapeutic challenges remain. This review will examine the intriguing promise that recent discoveries regarding cannabis-based medicines offer to neurological therapeutics by incorporating the neutral phytocannabinoids tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), their acidic precursors, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), and cannabis terpenoids in the putative treatment of five syndromes, currently labeled recalcitrant to therapeutic success, and wherein improved pharmacological intervention is required: intractable epilepsy, brain tumors, Parkinson disease (PD), Alzheimer disease (AD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI)/chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Current basic science and clinical investigations support the safety and efficacy of such interventions in treatment of these currently intractable conditions, that in some cases share pathological processes, and the plausibility of interventions that harness endocannabinoid mechanisms, whether mediated via direct activity on CB1 and CB2 (tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, caryophyllene), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ; THCA), 5-HT1A (CBD, CBDA) or even nutritional approaches utilizing prebiotics and probiotics. The inherent polypharmaceutical properties of cannabis botanicals offer distinct advantages over the current single-target pharmaceutical model and portend to revolutionize neurological treatment into a new reality of effective interventional and even preventative treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan B Russo
- International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI), Prague, Czechia
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40
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Alzheimer's Dementia due to Suspected CTE from Subconcussive Head Impact. Case Rep Neurol Med 2018; 2018:7890269. [PMID: 30155327 PMCID: PMC6091421 DOI: 10.1155/2018/7890269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has been receiving increasing attention due to press coverage of professional football players. The devastating sequelae of CTE compel us to aim for early diagnosis and treatment. However, by current standards, CTE is challenging to diagnose. Clear clinical diagnostic criteria for CTE have not been established. Only recently, pathological diagnostic criteria have been recognized, but postmortem diagnosis is too late. Reliable biomarkers are not available. By imaging criteria, cavum septum pellucidum has been the only consistent identifiable MRI finding. Because of the imprecise nature of diagnosis based on clinical suspicion, physicians must become cognizant of the broad spectrum of presentations of CTE. With this awareness, appropriate workup can be initiated. CTE can present with early symptoms of emotional changes or late symptoms with memory decline and dementia. Here we present an unusual case of a patient with Alzheimer's disease secondary to suspected CTE that stems from subconcussive head impacts presenting with severe memory and MRI changes. Clinicians should be aware of this presentation and consider CTE in their differential diagnoses while undergoing workup of memory disorders.
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41
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Tharmaratnam T, Iskandar MA, Tabobondung TC, Tobbia I, Gopee-Ramanan P, Tabobondung TA. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Professional American Football Players: Where Are We Now? Front Neurol 2018; 9:445. [PMID: 29971037 PMCID: PMC6018081 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Repetitive head trauma provides a favorable milieu for the onset of inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes. The result of long-lasting head trauma is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease process well-recognized in boxers, military personnel, and more recently, in American football players. CTE is a chronic neurodegenerative disease with hallmarks of hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) aggregates and intercellular lesions of neurofibrillary tangles. The criteria for CTE diagnosis requires at least 1-2 focal perivascular lesions of p-tau in the cerebral cortex, at the depth of the sulci. These pathognomonic lesions aggregate within neurons and glial cells such as astrocytes, and cell processes within the vicinity of small blood vessels. CTE presents in a distinct topographical distribution pattern compared to other tauopathies such as AD and other age-related astrogliopathies. CTE also has an insidious onset, years after repetitive head trauma. The disease course of CTE is characterized by cognitive dysfunction, behavioral changes, and can progress to altered motor function with parkinsonian-like manifestations in later stages. This short review aims to summarize CTE in professional football, epidemiology, diagnosis based on neuroanatomical abnormalities, cognitive degeneration, and adverse mental health effects, as well as gaps in the literature and future directions in diagnostics, therapeutics, and preventive measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tharmegan Tharmaratnam
- School of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Bahrain, Al Muharraq, Bahrain
| | - Mina A. Iskandar
- School of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Tyler C. Tabobondung
- Department of Family Medicine, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Brantford General Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Iqdam Tobbia
- Department of Pathology and Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Bahrain, Adliya, Bahrain
| | - Prasaanthan Gopee-Ramanan
- Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, Department of Radiology, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Taylor A. Tabobondung
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Chen ST, Siddarth P, Merrill DA, Martinez J, Emerson ND, Liu J, Wong KP, Satyamurthy N, Giza CC, Huang SC, Fitzsimmons RP, Bailes J, Omalu B, Barrio JR, Small GW. FDDNP-PET Tau Brain Protein Binding Patterns in Military Personnel with Suspected Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy1. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 65:79-88. [PMID: 30040711 PMCID: PMC6728605 DOI: 10.3233/jad-171152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Our group has shown that in vivo tau brain binding patterns from FDDNP-PET scans in retired professional football players with suspected chronic traumatic encephalopathy differ from those of tau and amyloid aggregate binding observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and cognitively-intact controls. OBJECTIVE To compare these findings with those from military personnel with histories of mild traumatic brain injury(mTBI). METHODS FDDNP-PET brain scans were compared among 7 military personnel and 15 retired players with mTBI histories and cognitive and/or mood symptoms, 24 AD patients, and 28 cognitively-intact controls. Nonparametric ANCOVAs with Tukey-Kramer adjusted post-hoc comparisons were used to test for significant differences in regional FDDNP binding among subject groups. RESULTS FDDNP brain binding was higher in military personnel compared to controls in the amygdala, midbrain, thalamus, pons, frontal and anterior and posterior cingulate regions (p < 0.01-0.0001). Binding patterns in the military personnel were similar to those of the players except for the amygdala and striatum (binding higher in players; p = 0.02-0.003). Compared with the AD group, the military personnel showed higher binding in the midbrain (p = 0.0008) and pons (p = 0.002) and lower binding in the medial temporal, lateral temporal, and parietal regions (all p = 0.02). CONCLUSION This first study of in vivo tau and amyloid brain signals in military personnel with histories of mTBI shows binding patterns similar to those of retired football players and distinct from the binding patterns in AD and normal aging, suggesting the potential value of FDDNP-PET for early detection and treatment monitoring in varied at-risk populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen T. Chen
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Prabha Siddarth
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Longevity Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - David A. Merrill
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Longevity Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jacqueline Martinez
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Longevity Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Natacha D. Emerson
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Longevity Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Koon-Pong Wong
- Department of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nagichettiar Satyamurthy
- Department of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christopher C. Giza
- Department of Neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sung-Cheng Huang
- Department of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Julian Bailes
- Department of Neurosurgery, North Shore University Health System and University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Bennet Omalu
- Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Jorge R. Barrio
- Department of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Gary W. Small
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Longevity Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lin A, Charney M, Shenton ME, Koerte IK. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: neuroimaging biomarkers. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2018; 158:309-322. [PMID: 30482359 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63954-7.00029-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with repetitive head impact exposure, such as that resulting from sports-related concussive and subconcussive brain trauma. Currently, the only way to diagnose CTE is by using neuropathologic markers obtained postmortem. To diagnose CTE earlier, so that possible treatment interventions may be employed, there is a need to develop noninvasive in vivo biomarkers of CTE. Neuroimaging provides promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of CTE and may also help elucidate pathophysiologic changes that occur with chronic sports-related brain injury. To describe the use of neuroimaging as presumed biomarkers of CTE, this chapter focuses on only those studies that report the chronic stages of sports-related brain injury, as opposed to previous chapters that described neuroimaging in the context of acute and subacute injury. Studies using positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy will be discussed for contact/collision sports such as American football, boxing, mixed martial arts, rugby, and soccer, in which repetitive head impacts are common.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Lin
- Center for Clinical Spectroscopy, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Molly Charney
- Center for Clinical Spectroscopy, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Martha E Shenton
- Psychiatric Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Inga Katharina Koerte
- Psychiatric Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic, and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
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D'Ascanio S, Alosco ML, Stern RA. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: clinical presentation and in vivo diagnosis. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2018; 158:281-296. [PMID: 30482356 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63954-7.00027-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to repetitive head impacts from contact sport participation (e.g., American football, boxing, soccer) is associated with the neurodegenerative disorder known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The neuropathology of CTE is becoming well defined, and diagnostic criteria have been developed and are being refined. The critical next step in this emerging field is the diagnosis of CTE during life. The objective of this chapter is to describe what is currently known about the clinical presentation and in vivo diagnosis of CTE. This chapter reviews studies in which clinical manifestation of CTE was examined through retrospective telephone interviews with informants of individuals whose brains were donated and were diagnosed with CTE through neuropathologic examination. In vivo research examining the long-term neurobehavioral consequences of repetitive head impacts is also reviewed, followed by a comparison of the existing provisional clinical diagnostic criteria for CTE, as well as preliminary research on possible fluid and neuroimaging biomarkers. An illustrative case study of CTE is presented, and the chapter concludes with a discussion of gaps in knowledge and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D'Ascanio
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Michael L Alosco
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Robert A Stern
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center and CTE Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States.
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