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Rowe OE, Rangaprakash D, Weerasekera A, Godbole N, Haxton E, James PF, Stephen CD, Barry RL, Eichler FS, Ratai EM. Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy in late-onset GM2-gangliosidosis. Mol Genet Metab 2021; 133:386-396. [PMID: 34226107 PMCID: PMC8289742 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2021.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Our study aimed to quantify structural changes in relation to metabolic abnormalities in the cerebellum, thalamus, and parietal cortex of patients with late-onset GM2-gangliosidosis (LOGG), which encompasses late-onset Tay-Sachs disease (LOTS) and Sandhoff disease (LOSD). METHODS We enrolled 10 patients with LOGG (7 LOTS, 3 LOSD) who underwent a neurological assessment battery and 7 age-matched controls. Structural MRI and MRS were performed on a 3 T scanner. Structural volumes were obtained from FreeSurfer and normalized by total intracranial volume. Quantified metabolites included N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), myo-inositol (mI), creatine (Cr), and combined glutamate-glutamine (Glx). Metabolic concentrations were corrected for partial volume effects. RESULTS Structural analyses revealed significant cerebellar atrophy in the LOGG cohort, which was primarily driven by LOTS patients. NAA was lower and mI higher in LOGG, but this was also significantly driven by the LOTS patients. Clinical ataxia deficits (via the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia) were associated with neuronal injury (via NAA), neuroinflammation (via mI), and volumetric atrophy in the cerebellum. INTERPRETATION The decrease of NAA in the cerebellum suggests that, in addition to cerebellar atrophy, there is ongoing impaired neuronal function and/or loss, while an increase in mI indicates possible neuroinflammation in LOGG (more so within the LOTS subvariant). Quantifying cerebellar atrophy in relation to neurometabolic differences in LOGG may lead to improvements in assessing disease severity, progression, and pharmacological efficacy. Lastly, additional neuroimaging studies in LOGG are required to contrast LOTS and LOSD more accurately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia E Rowe
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - D Rangaprakash
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Akila Weerasekera
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Neha Godbole
- Leukodystrophy Clinic, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Rare Neurological Diseases, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Haxton
- Leukodystrophy Clinic, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Rare Neurological Diseases, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter F James
- Leukodystrophy Clinic, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Rare Neurological Diseases, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christopher D Stephen
- Center for Rare Neurological Diseases, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Movement Disorders Division and Ataxia Center, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert L Barry
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Health Sciences & Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Florian S Eichler
- Leukodystrophy Clinic, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Rare Neurological Diseases, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eva-Maria Ratai
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Gray-Edwards HL, Maguire AS, Salibi N, Ellis LE, Voss TL, Diffie EB, Koehler J, Randle AN, Taylor AR, Brunson BL, Denney TS, Beyers RJ, Gentry AS, Gross AL, Batista AR, Sena-Esteves M, Martin DR. 7T MRI Predicts Amelioration of Neurodegeneration in the Brain after AAV Gene Therapy. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2020; 17:258-270. [PMID: 31970203 PMCID: PMC6962699 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2019.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
GM1 gangliosidosis (GM1) is a fatal neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease that occurs most commonly in young children, with no effective treatment available. Long-term follow-up of GM1 cats treated by bilateral thalamic and deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy has increased lifespan to 8 years of age, compared with an untreated lifespan of ~8 months. Due to risks associated with cerebellar injection in humans, the lateral ventricle was tested as a replacement route to deliver an AAVrh8 vector expressing feline β-galactosidase (β-gal), the defective enzyme in GM1. Treatment via the thalamus and lateral ventricle corrected storage, myelination, astrogliosis, and neuronal morphology in areas where β-gal was effectively delivered. Oligodendrocyte number increased, but only in areas where myelination was corrected. Reduced AAV and β-gal distribution were noted in the cerebellum with subsequent increases in storage, demyelination, astrogliosis, and neuronal degeneration. These postmortem findings were correlated with endpoint MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Compared with the moderate dose with which most cats were treated, a higher AAV dose produced superior survival, currently 6.5 years. Thus, MRI and MRS can predict therapeutic efficacy of AAV gene therapy and non-invasively monitor cellular events within the GM1 brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather L. Gray-Edwards
- Scott-Ritchey Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Anne S. Maguire
- Scott-Ritchey Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Nouha Salibi
- MR R&D Department, Siemens Healthcare, Malvern, PA, USA
| | - Lauren E. Ellis
- Scott-Ritchey Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Taylor L. Voss
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Elise B. Diffie
- Scott-Ritchey Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Jey Koehler
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Ashley N. Randle
- Scott-Ritchey Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Amanda R. Taylor
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Brandon L. Brunson
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Thomas S. Denney
- MRI Research Center, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | | | - Atoska S. Gentry
- Scott-Ritchey Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Amanda L. Gross
- Scott-Ritchey Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Ana R. Batista
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Miguel Sena-Esteves
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Douglas R. Martin
- Scott-Ritchey Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
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Bley AE, Giannikopoulos OA, Hayden D, Kubilus K, Tifft CJ, Eichler FS. Natural history of infantile G(M2) gangliosidosis. Pediatrics 2011; 128:e1233-41. [PMID: 22025593 PMCID: PMC3208966 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2011-0078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE G(M2) gangliosidoses are caused by an inherited deficiency of lysosomal β-hexosaminidase and result in ganglioside accumulation in the brain. Onset during infancy leads to rapid neurodegeneration and death before 4 years of age. We set out to quantify the rate of functional decline in infantile G(M2) gangliosidosis on the basis of patient surveys and a comprehensive review of existing literature. METHODS Patients with infantile G(M2) gangliosidosis (N = 237) were surveyed via questionnaire by the National Tay Sachs & Allied Diseases Association (NTSAD). These data were supplemented by survival data from the NTSAD database and a literature survey. Detailed retrospective surveys from 97 patients were available. Five patients who had received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were evaluated separately. The mortality rate of the remaining 92 patients was comparable to that of the 103 patients from the NTSAD database and 121 patients reported in the literature. RESULTS Common symptoms at onset were developmental arrest (83%), startling (65%), and hypotonia (60%). All 55 patients who had learned to sit without support lost that ability within 1 year. Individual functional measures correlated with each other but not with survival. Gastric tube placement was associated with prolonged survival. Tay Sachs and Sandhoff variants did not differ. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was not associated with prolonged survival. CONCLUSIONS We studied the timing of regression in 97 cases of infantile G(M2) gangliosidosis and conclude that clinical disease progression does not correlate with survival, likely because of the impact of improved supportive care over time. However, functional measures are quantifiable and can inform power calculations and study design of future interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Doug Hayden
- Biostatistics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kim Kubilus
- National Tay Sachs & Allied Diseases Association, Boston, Massachusetts; and
| | - Cynthia J. Tifft
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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Assadi M, Baseman S, Janson C, Wang DJ, Bilaniuk L, Leone P. Serial 1H-MRS in GM2 gangliosidoses. Eur J Pediatr 2008; 167:347-52. [PMID: 17387512 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-007-0469-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2006] [Revised: 02/24/2007] [Accepted: 03/05/2007] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
GM2 gangliosidoses are a group of neuronal storage disorders caused by deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme hexosaminidase A. Clinically, the disease is marked by a relentless encephalopathy. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) provides in-vivo measurement of various brain metabolites including N-acetyl aspartate+N-acetyl aspartate glutamate (NAA), myo-inositol (mI), choline (Cho) and creatine (Cr). The NAA represents neuronal integrity while elevation in the mI reflects abnormal inflammation and gliosis in the brain tissue. An elevation in the Cho levels suggest cell membrane breakdown and demyelination. We report the clinical and laboratory data in two patients with GM2 gangliosidoses. Serial 1H-MRS evaluations were performed to drive metabolite ratios of NAA/Cr, mI/Cr and Cho/Cr. We acquired the data from four regions of interest (ROI) according to a standard protocol. The results documented a progressive elevation in mI/Cr in all four ROI in patient one and only one ROI (occipital gray matter) in patient 2. We also documented a decline in the NAA/Cr ratios in both cases in most ROI. These results were compared to six age-matched controls and confirmed statistically significant elevation in the mI in our cases. In conclusion, 1H-MRS alterations were suggestive of neuronal loss and inflammation in these patients. 1H-MRS may be a valuable tool in monitoring the disease progress and response to therapy in GM2 gangliosidoses. Elevation in the mI may prove to be more sensitive than the other metabolite alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitra Assadi
- Division of Neurology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 3 Cooper Plaza, Suite 320, Camden, NJ 08103, USA.
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