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Bakels HS, Feleus S, Rodríguez-Girondo M, Losekoot M, Bijlsma EK, Roos RAC, de Bot ST. Prevalence of Juvenile-Onset and Pediatric Huntington's Disease and Their Availability and Ability to Participate in Trials: A Dutch Population and Enroll-HD Observational Study. J Huntingtons Dis 2024; 13:357-368. [PMID: 39121132 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-240034] [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] [Indexed: 08/11/2024]
Abstract
Background Juvenile-onset Huntington's disease (JHD) represents 1-5% of Huntington's disease (HD) patients, with onset before the age of 21. Pediatric HD (PHD) relates to a proportion of JHD patients that is still under 18 years of age. So far, both populations have been excluded from interventional trials. Objective Describe the prevalence and incidence of JHD and PHD in the Netherlands and explore their ability to participate in interventional trials. Methods The prevalence and incidence of PHD and JHD patients in the Netherlands were analyzed. In addition, we explored proportions of JHD patients diagnosed at pediatric versus adult age, their diagnostic delay, and functional and modelled (CAP100) disease stage in JHD and adult-onset HD patients at diagnosis. Results The prevalence of JHD and PHD relative to the total manifest HD population in January 2024 was between 0.84-1.25% and 0.09-0.14% respectively. The mean incidence of JHD patients being diagnosed was between 0.85-1.28 per 1000 patient years and of PHD 0.14 per 1.000.000 under-aged person years. 55% of JHD cases received a clinical diagnosis on adult age. At diagnosis, the majority of JHD patients was functionally compromised and adolescent-onset JHD patients were significantly less independent compared to adult-onset HD patients. Conclusions In the Netherlands, the epidemiology of JHD and PHD is lower than previously suggested. More than half of JHD cases are not eligible for trials in the PHD population. Furthermore, higher functional dependency in JHD patients influences their ability to participate in trials. Lastly, certain UHDRS functional assessments and the CAP100 score do not seem appropriate for this particular group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah S Bakels
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Stephanie Feleus
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mar Rodríguez-Girondo
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Monique Losekoot
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Emilia K Bijlsma
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Raymund A C Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Susanne T de Bot
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Oosterloo M, Touze A, Byrne LM, Achenbach J, Aksoy H, Coleman A, Lammert D, Nance M, Nopoulos P, Reilmann R, Saft C, Santini H, Squitieri F, Tabrizi S, Burgunder JM, Quarrell O. Clinical Review of Juvenile Huntington's Disease. J Huntingtons Dis 2024; 13:149-161. [PMID: 38669553 PMCID: PMC11307030 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-231523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Juvenile Huntington's disease (JHD) is rare. In the first decade of life speech difficulties, rigidity, and dystonia are common clinical motor symptoms, whereas onset in the second decade motor symptoms may sometimes resemble adult-onset Huntington's disease (AOHD). Cognitive decline is mostly detected by declining school performances. Behavioral symptoms in general do not differ from AOHD but may be confused with autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and lead to misdiagnosis and/or diagnostic delay. JHD specific features are epilepsy, ataxia, spasticity, pain, itching, and possibly liver steatosis. Disease progression of JHD is faster compared to AOHD and the disease duration is shorter, particularly in case of higher CAG repeat lengths. The diagnosis is based on clinical judgement in combination with a positive family history and/or DNA analysis after careful consideration. Repeat length in JHD is usually > 55 and caused by anticipation, usually via paternal transmission. There are no pharmacological and multidisciplinary guidelines for JHD treatment. Future perspectives for earlier diagnosis are better diagnostic markers such as qualitative MRI and neurofilament light in serum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayke Oosterloo
- Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Alexiane Touze
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lauren M. Byrne
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jannis Achenbach
- Department of Neurology, Huntington Centre NRW, Ruhr-University Bochum, St. Josef-Hospital, Bochum, Germany
| | - Hande Aksoy
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Annabelle Coleman
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Dawn Lammert
- Department of Neurology, Division of Child Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Martha Nance
- Struthers Parkinson’s Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Peggy Nopoulos
- Departments of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, & Neurology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Ralf Reilmann
- George-Huntington-Institute & Department of Radiology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
- Department for Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical, Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Carsten Saft
- Department of Neurology, Huntington Centre NRW, Ruhr-University Bochum, St. Josef-Hospital, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Ferdinando Squitieri
- Centre for Rare Neurological Diseases (CMRN), Italian League for Research on Huntington (LIRH) Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Huntington and Rare Diseases Unit, IRCCS Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza Research Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Sarah Tabrizi
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jean-Marc Burgunder
- Neurozentrum Siloah and Department of Neurology, Swiss HD Center, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Quarrell
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Neurosciences University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - on behalf of the Pediatric Huntington Disease Working Group of the European Huntington Disease Network
- Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurology, Huntington Centre NRW, Ruhr-University Bochum, St. Josef-Hospital, Bochum, Germany
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, Division of Child Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Struthers Parkinson’s Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Departments of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, & Neurology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
- George-Huntington-Institute & Department of Radiology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
- Department for Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical, Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Huntington’s Disease Association, England and Wales
- Centre for Rare Neurological Diseases (CMRN), Italian League for Research on Huntington (LIRH) Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Huntington and Rare Diseases Unit, IRCCS Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza Research Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
- Neurozentrum Siloah and Department of Neurology, Swiss HD Center, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Neurosciences University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Schultz JL, Langbehn DR, Al-Kaylani HM, van der Plas E, Koscik TR, Epping EA, Espe-Pfeifer PB, Martin EP, Moser DJ, Magnotta VA, Nopoulos PC. Longitudinal Clinical and Biological Characteristics in Juvenile-Onset Huntington's Disease. Mov Disord 2023; 38:113-122. [PMID: 36318082 PMCID: PMC9851979 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Juvenile-onset Huntington's disease (JOHD) is a rare form of Huntington's disease (HD) characterized by symptom onset before the age of 21 years. Observational data in this cohort is lacking. OBJECTIVES Quantify measures of disease progression for use in clinical trials of patients with JOHD. METHODS Participants who received a motor diagnosis of HD before the age of 21 were included in the Kids-JOHD study. The comparator group consisted of children and young adults who were at-risk for inheriting the genetic mutation that causes HD, but who were found to have a CAG repeat in the non-expanded range (gene non-expanded [GNE]). RESULTS Data were obtained between March 17, 2006, and February 13, 2020. There were 26 JOHD participants and 78 GNE participants who were comparable on age (16.03 vs. 14.43, respectively) and sex (53.8% female vs. 57.7% female, respectively). The mean annualized decrease in striatal volume in the JOHD group was -3.99% compared to -0.06% in the GNE (mean difference [MD], -3.93%; 95% confidence intervals [CI], [-4.98 to -2.80], FDR < 0.0001). The mean increase in the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale Total Motor Score per year in the JOHD group was 7.29 points compared to a mean decrease of -0.21 point in the GNE (MD, 7.5; 95% CI, [5.71-9.28], FDR < 0·0001). CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that structural brain imaging and clinical measures in JOHD may be potential biomarkers of disease progression for use in clinical trials. Collaborative efforts are required to validate these results in a larger cohort of patients with JOHD. © 2022 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan L. Schultz
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Neurology, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
- University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmacy Practice and Sciences, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
| | - Douglas R. Langbehn
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
| | - Hend M. Al-Kaylani
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
| | - Ellen van der Plas
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
| | - Timothy R. Koscik
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
| | - Eric A. Epping
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
| | - Patricia B. Espe-Pfeifer
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
| | - Erin P. Martin
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
| | - David J. Moser
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
| | - Vincent A. Magnotta
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Radiology, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
| | - Peggy C. Nopoulos
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
- Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Neurology, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
- Stead Family Children’s Hospital at the University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA
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Hirschberg S, Dvorzhak A, Rasooli-Nejad SMA, Angelov S, Kirchner M, Mertins P, Lättig-Tünnemann G, Harms C, Schmitz D, Grantyn R. Uncoupling the Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 2 From Its C-Terminal Interactome Restores Synaptic Glutamate Clearance at Corticostriatal Synapses and Alleviates Mutant Huntingtin-Induced Hypokinesia. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 15:792652. [PMID: 35173582 PMCID: PMC8841566 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.792652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapid removal of glutamate from the sites of glutamate release is an essential step in excitatory synaptic transmission. However, despite many years of research, the molecular mechanisms underlying the intracellular regulation of glutamate transport at tripartite synapses have not been fully uncovered. This limits the options for pharmacological treatment of glutamate-related motor disorders, including Huntington’s disease (HD). We therefore investigated the possible binding partners of transgenic EAAT2 and their alterations under the influence of mutant huntingtin (mHTT). Mass spectrometry analysis after pull-down of striatal YFP-EAAT2 from wild-type (WT) mice and heterozygote (HET) Q175 mHTT-knock-in mice identified a total of 148 significant (FDR < 0.05) binders to full-length EAAT2. Of them 58 proteins exhibited mHTT-related differences. Most important, in 26 of the 58 mHTT-sensitive cases, protein abundance changed back toward WT levels when the mice expressed a C-terminal-truncated instead of full-length variant of EAAT2. These findings motivated new attempts to clarify the role of astrocytic EAAT2 regulation in cortico-basal movement control. Striatal astrocytes of Q175 HET mice were targeted by a PHP.B vector encoding EAAT2 with different degree of C-terminal modification, i.e., EAAT2-S506X (truncation at S506), EAAT2-4KR (4 lysine to arginine substitutions) or EAAT2 (full-length). The results were compared to HET and WT injected with a tag-only vector (CTRL). It was found that the presence of a C-terminal-modified EAAT2 transgene (i) increased the level of native EAAT2 protein in striatal lysates and perisynaptic astrocyte processes, (ii) enhanced the glutamate uptake of transduced astrocytes, (iii) stimulated glutamate clearance at individual corticostriatal synapses, (iv) increased the glutamate uptake of striatal astrocytes and (iv) alleviated the mHTT-related hypokinesia (open field indicators of movement initiation). In contrast, over-expression of full-length EAAT2 neither facilitated glutamate uptake nor locomotion. Together, our results support the new hypothesis that preventing abnormal protein-protein interactions at the C-terminal of EAAT2 could eliminate the mHTT-related deficits in corticostriatal synaptic glutamate clearance and movement initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Hirschberg
- Synaptic Dysfunction Lab, Neuroscience Research Center, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anton Dvorzhak
- Synaptic Dysfunction Lab, Neuroscience Research Center, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Seyed M. A. Rasooli-Nejad
- Synaptic Dysfunction Lab, Neuroscience Research Center, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Svilen Angelov
- Synaptic Dysfunction Lab, Neuroscience Research Center, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marieluise Kirchner
- Proteomics Platform, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Philipp Mertins
- Proteomics Platform, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Berlin, Germany
| | - Gilla Lättig-Tünnemann
- Department of Experimental Neurology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph Harms
- Department of Experimental Neurology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dietmar Schmitz
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Berlin, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rosemarie Grantyn
- Synaptic Dysfunction Lab, Neuroscience Research Center, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Experimental Neurology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Berlin, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Rosemarie Grantyn,
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Subcortical T1-Rho MRI Abnormalities in Juvenile-Onset Huntington's Disease. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10080533. [PMID: 32784364 PMCID: PMC7463529 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10080533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeats in the huntingtin gene. An increased CAG repeat length is associated with an earlier disease onset. About 5% of HD cases occur under the age of 21 years, which are classified as juvenile-onset Huntington’s disease (JOHD). Our study aims to measure subcortical metabolic abnormalities in JOHD participants. T1-Rho (T1ρ) MRI was used to compare brain regions of 13 JOHD participants and 39 controls. Region-of-interest analyses were used to assess differences in quantitative T1ρ relaxation times. We found that the mean relaxation times in the caudate (p < 0.001), putamen (p < 0.001), globus pallidus (p < 0.001), and thalamus (p < 0.001) were increased in JOHD participants compared to controls. Furthermore, increased T1ρ relaxation times in these areas were significantly associated with lower volumes amongst participants in the JOHD group. These findings suggest metabolic abnormalities in brain regions previously shown to degenerate in JOHD. We also analyzed the relationships between mean regional T1ρ relaxation times and Universal Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) scores. UHDRS was used to evaluate participants’ motor function, cognitive function, behavior, and functional capacity. Mean T1ρ relaxation times in the caudate (p = 0.003), putamen (p = 0.005), globus pallidus (p = 0.009), and thalamus (p = 0.015) were directly proportional to the UHDRS score. This suggests that the T1ρ relaxation time may also predict HD-related motor deficits. Our findings suggest that subcortical metabolic abnormalities drive the unique hypokinetic symptoms in JOHD.
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Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is usually characterized by involuntary hyperkinetic movements, called chorea. The intensity of chorea exhibits a peak in middle stages of HD and then decreases as HD progresses. In contrast, Pakinsonian signs of HD are often less appreciated. They typically progress in a fairly linear pattern over time. In fact, bradykinesia is detectable early on in premanifest gene carriers up to two decades prior to the clinical manifestation of HD symptoms using quantitative motor (Q-Motor) assessments such as finger tapping (digitomotography). Other Parkinsonian symptoms besides bradykinesia are rigidity and postural instability. They typically results in falls and injuries in advanced stages of HD. A primarily Parkinsonian motor phenotype, often seen with little to no chorea, is characteristically observed in older, late manifesting patients and in pediatric HD subjects. Establishing a diagnosis of HD is difficult in these groups and patients are often misdiagnosed in early stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Reilmann
- George-Huntington-Institute, Muenster, Germany; Department of Radiology, Universitaetsklinikum Muenster (UKM), Westfaelische Wilhelms-University, Muenster, Germany; Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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