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Häussinger D, Dhiman RK, Felipo V, Görg B, Jalan R, Kircheis G, Merli M, Montagnese S, Romero-Gomez M, Schnitzler A, Taylor-Robinson SD, Vilstrup H. Hepatic encephalopathy. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2022; 8:43. [PMID: 35739133 DOI: 10.1038/s41572-022-00366-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a prognostically relevant neuropsychiatric syndrome that occurs in the course of acute or chronic liver disease. Besides ascites and variceal bleeding, it is the most serious complication of decompensated liver cirrhosis. Ammonia and inflammation are major triggers for the appearance of HE, which in patients with liver cirrhosis involves pathophysiologically low-grade cerebral oedema with oxidative/nitrosative stress, inflammation and disturbances of oscillatory networks in the brain. Severity classification and diagnostic approaches regarding mild forms of HE are still a matter of debate. Current medical treatment predominantly involves lactulose and rifaximin following rigorous treatment of so-called known HE precipitating factors. New treatments based on an improved pathophysiological understanding are emerging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Häussinger
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Radha K Dhiman
- Department of Hepatology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, (Uttar Pradesh), India
| | - Vicente Felipo
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Centro de Investigación Principe Felipe, Valencia, Spain
| | - Boris Görg
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Rajiv Jalan
- Liver Failure Group ILDH, Division of Medicine, UCL Medical School, Royal Free Campus, London, UK.,European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gerald Kircheis
- Department of Gastroenterology, Diabetology and Hepatology, University Hospital Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg Medical School, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
| | - Manuela Merli
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Universita' degli Studi di Roma - Sapienza, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Manuel Romero-Gomez
- UCM Digestive Diseases, Virgen del RocÃo University Hospital, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (HUVR/CSIC/US), University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Simon D Taylor-Robinson
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, St. Mary's Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Hendrik Vilstrup
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
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2
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Häussinger D, Butz M, Schnitzler A, Görg B. Pathomechanisms in hepatic encephalopathy. Biol Chem 2021; 402:1087-1102. [PMID: 34049427 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2021-0168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a frequent neuropsychiatric complication in patients with acute or chronic liver failure. Symptoms of HE in particular include disturbances of sensory and motor functions and cognition. HE is triggered by heterogeneous factors such as ammonia being a main toxin, benzodiazepines, proinflammatory cytokines and hyponatremia. HE in patients with liver cirrhosis is triggered by a low-grade cerebral edema and cerebral oxidative/nitrosative stress which bring about a number of functionally relevant alterations including posttranslational protein modifications, oxidation of RNA, gene expression changes and senescence. These alterations are suggested to impair astrocyte/neuronal functions and communication. On the system level, a global slowing of oscillatory brain activity and networks can be observed paralleling behavioral perceptual and motor impairments. Moreover, these changes are related to increased cerebral ammonia, alterations in neurometabolite and neurotransmitter concentrations and cortical excitability in HE patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Häussinger
- Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectious Diseases, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstr. 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Butz
- Department of Neurology/Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstr. 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Department of Neurology/Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstr. 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Boris Görg
- Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectious Diseases, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstr. 5, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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3
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Rega D, Aiko M, Peñaranda N, Urios A, Gallego JJ, Giménez-Garzó C, Casanova F, Fiorillo A, Cabrera-Pastor A, San-Miguel T, Ipiens C, Escudero-GarcÃa D, Tosca J, Montón C, Ballester MP, Ballester J, Aparicio L, RÃos MP, Durbán L, Mir A, Kosenko E, Cases P, Felipo V, Montoliu C. Patients with Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy Show Altered Thermal Sensitivity and Autonomic Function. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10020239. [PMID: 33440769 PMCID: PMC7826803 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10020239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cirrhotic patients may experience alterations in the peripheral nervous system and in somatosensory perception. Impairment of the somatosensory system could contribute to cognitive and motor alterations characteristic of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), which affects up to 40% of cirrhotic patients. We assessed the relationship between MHE and alterations in thermal, vibration, and/or heat pain sensitivity in 58 cirrhotic patients (38 without and 20 with MHE according to Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score) and 39 controls. All participants underwent attention and coordination tests, a nerve conduction study, autonomic function testing, and evaluation of sensory thresholds (vibration, cooling, and heat pain detection) by electromyography and quantitative sensory testing. The detection thresholds for cold and heat pain on the foot were higher in patients with, than those without MHE. This hyposensitivity was correlated with attention deficits. Reaction times in the foot were longer in patients with, than without MHE. Patients with normal sural nerve amplitude showed altered thermal sensitivity and autonomic function, with stronger alterations in patients with, than in those without MHE. MHE patients show a general decrease in cognitive and sensory abilities. Small fibers of the autonomic nervous system and thermal sensitivity are altered early on in MHE, before large sensory fibers. Quantitative sensory testing could be used as a marker of MHE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalia Rega
- INCLIVA, Health Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain (A.U.); (J.-J.G.); (F.C.); (A.F.); (A.C.-P.); (M.-P.B.)
| | - Mika Aiko
- Servicio de NeurofisiologÃa, Hospital ClÃnico de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (M.A.); (N.P.); (C.I.); (P.C.)
| | - Nicolás Peñaranda
- Servicio de NeurofisiologÃa, Hospital ClÃnico de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (M.A.); (N.P.); (C.I.); (P.C.)
| | - Amparo Urios
- INCLIVA, Health Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain (A.U.); (J.-J.G.); (F.C.); (A.F.); (A.C.-P.); (M.-P.B.)
| | - Juan-José Gallego
- INCLIVA, Health Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain (A.U.); (J.-J.G.); (F.C.); (A.F.); (A.C.-P.); (M.-P.B.)
| | - Carla Giménez-Garzó
- Laboratorio de NeurobiologÃa. Centro Investigación PrÃncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain; (C.G.-G.); (V.F.)
| | - Franc Casanova
- INCLIVA, Health Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain (A.U.); (J.-J.G.); (F.C.); (A.F.); (A.C.-P.); (M.-P.B.)
| | - Alessandra Fiorillo
- INCLIVA, Health Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain (A.U.); (J.-J.G.); (F.C.); (A.F.); (A.C.-P.); (M.-P.B.)
| | - Andrea Cabrera-Pastor
- INCLIVA, Health Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain (A.U.); (J.-J.G.); (F.C.); (A.F.); (A.C.-P.); (M.-P.B.)
| | - Teresa San-Miguel
- Departamento de PatologÃa, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Cristina Ipiens
- Servicio de NeurofisiologÃa, Hospital ClÃnico de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (M.A.); (N.P.); (C.I.); (P.C.)
| | - Desamparados Escudero-GarcÃa
- Servicio de Medicina Digestiva, Hospital Clinico de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (D.E.-G.); (J.T.); (C.M.); (J.B.)
- Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Joan Tosca
- Servicio de Medicina Digestiva, Hospital Clinico de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (D.E.-G.); (J.T.); (C.M.); (J.B.)
| | - Cristina Montón
- Servicio de Medicina Digestiva, Hospital Clinico de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (D.E.-G.); (J.T.); (C.M.); (J.B.)
| | - MarÃa-Pilar Ballester
- INCLIVA, Health Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain (A.U.); (J.-J.G.); (F.C.); (A.F.); (A.C.-P.); (M.-P.B.)
- Servicio de Medicina Digestiva, Hospital Clinico de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (D.E.-G.); (J.T.); (C.M.); (J.B.)
| | - José Ballester
- Servicio de Medicina Digestiva, Hospital Clinico de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (D.E.-G.); (J.T.); (C.M.); (J.B.)
| | - Luis Aparicio
- Departamento de AnatomÃa y EmbriologÃa, Universidad Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
| | - MarÃa-Pilar RÃos
- Servicio de Digestivo, Hospital Arnau de Vilanova, 46015 Valencia, Spain; (M.-P.R.); (L.D.)
| | - LucÃa Durbán
- Servicio de Digestivo, Hospital Arnau de Vilanova, 46015 Valencia, Spain; (M.-P.R.); (L.D.)
| | - Amparo Mir
- Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Elena Kosenko
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics of Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia;
| | - Paula Cases
- Servicio de NeurofisiologÃa, Hospital ClÃnico de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (M.A.); (N.P.); (C.I.); (P.C.)
| | - Vicente Felipo
- Laboratorio de NeurobiologÃa. Centro Investigación PrÃncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain; (C.G.-G.); (V.F.)
| | - Carmina Montoliu
- INCLIVA, Health Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain (A.U.); (J.-J.G.); (F.C.); (A.F.); (A.C.-P.); (M.-P.B.)
- Departamento de PatologÃa, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-963-864-381
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Ning Q. Main Complications of AECHB and Severe Hepatitis B (Liver Failure). ACUTE EXACERBATION OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS B 2019. [PMCID: PMC7498917 DOI: 10.1007/978-94-024-1603-9_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Qin Ning
- Department of Infectious Disease, Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China
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5
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Lazar M, Butz M, Baumgarten TJ, Füllenbach ND, Jördens MS, Häussinger D, Schnitzler A, Lange J. Impaired Tactile Temporal Discrimination in Patients With Hepatic Encephalopathy. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2059. [PMID: 30425672 PMCID: PMC6218607 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The sensory system constantly receives stimuli from the external world. To discriminate two stimuli correctly as two temporally distinct events, the temporal distance or stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between the two stimuli has to exceed a specific threshold. If the SOA between two stimuli is shorter than this specific threshold, the two stimuli will be perceptually fused and perceived as one single stimulus. Patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) are known to show manifold perceptual impairments, including slowed visual temporal discrimination abilities as measured by the critical flicker frequency (CFF). Here, we hypothesized that HE patients are also impaired in their tactile temporal discrimination abilities and, thus, require a longer SOA between two tactile stimuli to perceive the stimuli as two temporally distinct events. To test this hypothesis, patients with varying grades of HE and age-matched healthy individuals performed a tactile temporal discrimination task. All participants received two tactile stimuli with varying SOA applied to their left index finger and reported how many distinct stimuli they perceived ("1" vs. "2"). HE patients needed a significantly longer SOA (138.0 ± 11.3 ms) between two tactile stimuli to perceive the stimuli as two temporally distinct events than healthy controls (78.6 ± 13.1 ms; p < 0.01). In addition, we found that the temporal discrimination ability in the tactile modality correlated positively with the temporal discrimination ability in the visual domain across all participants (i.e., negative correlation between tactile SOA and visual CFF: r = -0.37, p = 0.033). Our findings provide evidence that temporal tactile perception is substantially impaired in HE patients. In addition, the results suggest that tactile and visual discrimination abilities are affected in HE in parallel. This finding might argue for a common underlying pathophysiological mechanism. We argue that the known global slowing of neuronal oscillations in HE might represent such a common mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Lazar
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Butz
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Thomas J Baumgarten
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Neuroscience Institute, Langone Medical Center, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nur-Deniz Füllenbach
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus S Jördens
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Häussinger
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Joachim Lange
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Oeltzschner G, Butz M, Wickrath F, Wittsack HJ, Schnitzler A. Covert hepatic encephalopathy: elevated total glutathione and absence of brain water content changes. Metab Brain Dis 2016; 31:517-27. [PMID: 26563124 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-015-9760-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Recent pathophysiological models suggest that oxidative stress and hyperammonemia lead to a mild brain oedema in hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Glutathione (GSx) is a major cellular antioxidant and known to be involved in the interception of both. The aim of this work was to study total glutathione levels in covert HE (minimal HE and HE grade 1) and to investigate their relationship with local brain water content, levels of glutamine (Gln), myo-inositol (mI), neurotransmitter levels, critical flicker frequency (CFF), and blood ammonia. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) data were analysed from visual and sensorimotor cortices of thirty patients with covert HE and 16 age-matched healthy controls. Total glutathione levels (GSx/Cr) were quantified with respect to creatine. Furthermore, quantitative MRI brain water content measures were evaluated. Data were tested for links with the CFF and blood ammonia. GSx/Cr was elevated in the visual (mHE) and sensorimotor (mHE, HE 1) MRS volumes and correlated with blood ammonia levels (both PÂ <Â 0.001). It was further linked to Gln/Cr and mI/Cr (PÂ <Â 0.01 in visual, PÂ <Â 0.001 in sensorimotor) and to GABA/Cr (PÂ <Â 0.01 in visual). Visual GSx/Cr correlated with brain water content in the thalamus, nucleus caudatus, and visual cortex (PÂ <Â 0.01). Brain water measures did neither show group effects nor correlations with CFF or blood ammonia. Elevated total glutathione levels in covert HE (< HE 2) correlate with blood ammonia and may be a regional-specific reaction to hyperammonemia and oxidative stress. Brain water content is locally linked to visual glutathione levels, but appears not to be associated with changes of clinical parameters. This might suggest that cerebral oedema is only marginally responsible for the symptoms of covert HE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Oeltzschner
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Markus Butz
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Frithjof Wickrath
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Hans-Jörg Wittsack
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Alfons Schnitzler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Hyperammonemia in gene-targeted mice lacking functional hepatic glutamine synthetase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:5521-6. [PMID: 25870278 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1423968112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Urea cycle defects and acute or chronic liver failure are linked to systemic hyperammonemia and often result in cerebral dysfunction and encephalopathy. Although an important role of the liver in ammonia metabolism is widely accepted, the role of ammonia metabolizing pathways in the liver for maintenance of whole-body ammonia homeostasis in vivo remains ill-defined. Here, we show by generation of liver-specific Gln synthetase (GS)-deficient mice that GS in the liver is critically involved in systemic ammonia homeostasis in vivo. Hepatic deletion of GS triggered systemic hyperammonemia, which was associated with cerebral oxidative stress as indicated by increased levels of oxidized RNA and enhanced protein Tyr nitration. Liver-specific GS-deficient mice showed increased locomotion, impaired fear memory, and a slightly reduced life span. In conclusion, the present observations highlight the importance of hepatic GS for maintenance of ammonia homeostasis and establish the liver-specific GS KO mouse as a model with which to study effects of chronic hyperammonemia.
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