Cerebellar Ataxia with Complete Clinical Recovery and Resolution of MRI Lesions Related to Central Pontine Myelinolysis: Case Report and Literature Review

There are several reports of central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) in a setting of malnutrition, alcoholism, and chronic debilitating illness associated with electrolyte abnormalities, especially hyponatremia. The cause of myelinolysis is still under debate, and, although osmotic effects are thought to be responsible in most cases, alternative pathological factors should be considered [King et al.: Am J Med Sci 2010;339:561–567]. We report a case of CPM in a patient with recent chemotherapy for colon cancer without electrolyte unbalance and otherwise unexplained causes. Moreover, the present case is an example of the unusual clinical ataxic variant, followed by complete recovery without any specific treatment. The diagnosis was confirmed by MRI, which showed a characteristic hyperintense signal abnormality in the central part of the pons with an unaffected outer rim. One month later, we observed complete resolution of clinical and radiological symptoms

Fluid Candidate Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease: A Precision Medicine Approach

A plethora of dynamic pathophysiological mechanisms underpins highly heterogeneous phenotypes in the field of dementia, particularly in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In such a faceted scenario, a biomarker-guided approach, through the implementation of specific fluid biomarkers individually reflecting distinct molecular pathways in the brain, may help establish a proper clinical diagnosis, even in its preclinical stages. Recently, ultrasensitive assays may detect different neurodegenerative mechanisms in blood earlier. ß-amyloid (Aß) peptides, phosphorylated-tau (p-tau), and neurofilament light chain (NFL) measured in blood are gaining momentum as candidate biomarkers for AD. P-tau is currently the more convincing plasma biomarker for the diagnostic workup of AD. The clinical role of plasma Aβ peptides should be better elucidated with further studies that also compare the accuracy of the different ultrasensitive techniques. Blood NFL is promising as a proxy of neurodegeneration process tout court. Protein misfolding amplification assays can accurately detect α-synuclein in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), thus representing advancement in the pathologic stratification of AD. In CSF, neurogranin and YKL-40 are further candidate biomarkers tracking synaptic disruption and neuroinflammation, which are additional key pathophysiological pathways related to AD genesis. Advanced statistical analysis using clinical scores and biomarker data to bring together individuals with AD from large heterogeneous cohorts into consistent clusters may promote the discovery of pathophysiological causes and detection of tailored treatments

Increase in Mitochondrial D-Loop Region Methylation Levels in Mild Cognitive Impairment Individuals

Methylation levels of the mitochondrial displacement loop (D-loop) region have been reported to be altered in the brain and blood of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Moreover, a dynamic D-loop methylation pattern was observed in the brain of transgenic AD mice along with disease progression. However, investigations on the blood cells of AD patients in the prodromal phases of the disease have not been performed so far. The aim of this study was to analyze D-loop methylation levels by means of the MS-HRM technique in the peripheral blood cells of 14 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, 18 early stage AD patients, 70 advanced stage AD patients, and 105 healthy control subjects. We found higher D-loop methylation levels in MCI patients than in control subjects and AD patients. Moreover, higher D-loop methylation levels were observed in control subjects than in AD patients in advanced stages of the disease, but not in those at early stages. The present pilot study shows that peripheral D-loop methylation levels differ in patients at different stages of AD pathology, suggesting that further studies deserve to be performed in order to validate the usefulness of D-loop methylation analysis as a peripheral biomarker for the early detection of AD

α-Synuclein Heterocomplexes with β-Amyloid Are Increased in Red Blood Cells of Parkinson's Disease Patients and Correlate with Disease Severity

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) are characterized by abnormal accumulation/misfolding of specific proteins, primarily α-synuclein (α-syn), β-amyloid1-42(Aβ1-42) and tau, in both brain and peripheral tissues. In addition to oligomers, the role of the interactions of α-syn with Aβ or tau has gradually emerged. Nevertheless, despite intensive research, NDs have no accepted peripheral markers for biochemical diagnosis. In this respect, Red Blood Cells (RBCs) are emerging as a valid peripheral model for the study of aging-related pathologies. Herein, a small cohort (N= 28) of patients affected by Parkinson's disease (PD) and age-matched controls were enrolled to detect the content of α-syn (total and oligomeric), Aβ1-42and tau (total and phosphorylated) in RBCs. Moreover, the presence of α-syn association with tau and Aβ1-42was explored by co-immunoprecipitation/western blotting in the same cells, and quantitatively confirmed by immunoenzymatic assays. For the first time, PD patients were demonstrated to exhibit α-syn heterocomplexes with Aβ1-42and tau in peripheral tissues; interestingly, α-syn-Aβ1-42concentrations were increased in PD subjects with respect to healthy controls (HC), and directly correlated with disease severity and motor deficits. Moreover, total-α-syn levels were decreased in PD subjects and inversely related to their motor deficits. Finally, an increase of oligomeric-α-syn and phosphorylated-tau was observed in RBCs of the enrolled patients. The combination of three parameters (total-α-syn, phosphorylated-tau and α-syn-Aβ1-42concentrations) provided the best fitting predictive index for discriminating PD patients from controls. Nevertheless further investigations should be required, overall, these data suggest α-syn hetero-aggregates in RBCs as a putative tool for the diagnosis of PD

α-Synuclein Aggregates with β-Amyloid or Tau in Human Red Blood Cells: Correlation with Antioxidant Capability and Physical Exercise in Human Healthy Subjects

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) are characterized by abnormal accumulation/misfolding of specific proteins, primarily α-synuclein (α-syn), β-amyloid1–42 (Aβ), and tau, in both brain and peripheral tissue. In addition to homo-oligomers, the role of α-syn interactions with Aβ or tau has gradually emerged. The altered protein accumulation has been related to both oxidative stress and physical activity; nevertheless, no correlation among the presence of peripheral α-syn hetero-aggregates, antioxidant capacity, and physical exercise has been discovered as of yet. Herein, the content of α-syn, Aβ, tau, and of their heterocomplexes was determined in red blood cells (RBCs) of healthy subjects (sedentary and athletes). Such parameters were related to the extent of the antioxidant capability (AOC), a key marker of oxidative stress in aging-related pathologies, and to physical exercise, which is known to play an important preventive role in NDs and to modulate oxidative stress. Tau content and plasma AOC toward hydroxyl radicals were both reduced in older or sedentary subjects; in contrast, α-syn and Aβ accumulated in elderly subjects and showed an inverse correlation with both hydroxyl AOC and the level of physical activity. For the first time, α-syn heterocomplexes with Aβ or tau were quantified and demonstrated to be inversely related to hydroxyl AOC. Furthermore, α-syn/Aβ aggregates were significantly reduced in athletes and inversely correlated with physical activity level, independent of age. The positive correlation between antioxidant capability/physical activity and reduced protein accumulation was confirmed by these data and suggested that peripheral α-syn heterocomplexes may represent new indicators of ND-related protein misfolding

Age and sex impact plasma NFL and t-Tau trajectories in individuals with subjective memory complaints : a 3-year follow-up study

Background Plasma neurofilament light (NFL) and total Tau (t-Tau) proteins are candidate biomarkers for early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The impact of biological factors on their plasma concentrations in individuals with subjective memory complaints (SMC) has been poorly explored. We longitudinally investigate the effect of sex, age, APOE epsilon 4 allele, comorbidities, brain amyloid-beta (A beta) burden, and cognitive scores on plasma NFL and t-Tau concentrations in cognitively healthy individuals with SMC, a condition associated with AD development. Methods Three hundred sixteen and 79 individuals, respectively, have baseline and three-time point assessments (at baseline, 1-year, and 3-year follow-up) of the two biomarkers. Plasma biomarkers were measured with an ultrasensitive assay in a mono-center cohort (INSIGHT-preAD study). Results We show an effect of age on plasma NFL, with women having a higher increase of plasma t-Tau concentrations compared to men, over time. The APOE epsilon 4 allele does not affect the biomarker concentrations while plasma vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with higher plasma t-Tau concentrations. Both biomarkers are correlated and increase over time. Baseline NFL is related to the rate of A beta deposition at 2-year follow-up in the left-posterior cingulate and the inferior parietal gyri. Baseline plasma NFL and the rate of change of plasma t-Tau are inversely associated with cognitive score. Conclusion We find that plasma NFL and t-Tau longitudinal trajectories are affected by age and female sex, respectively, in SMC individuals. Exploring the influence of biological variables on AD biomarkers is crucial for their clinical validation in blood

Loss of ap4s1 in zebrafish leads to neurodevelopmental defects resembling spastic paraplegia 52.

Autosomal recessive spastic paraplegia 52 is caused by biallelic mutations in AP4S1 which encodes a subunit of the adaptor protein complex 4 (AP-4). Using next-generation sequencing, we identified three novel unrelated SPG52 patients from a cohort of patients with cerebral palsy. The discovered variants in AP4S1 lead to reduced AP-4 complex formation in patient-derived fibroblasts. To further understand the role of AP4S1 in neuronal development and homeostasis, we engineered the first zebrafish model of AP-4 deficiency using morpholino-mediated knockdown of ap4s1. In this model, we discovered several phenotypes mimicking SPG52, including altered CNS development, locomotor deficits, and abnormal neuronal excitability

Next-generation sequencing approach to hyperCKemia: A 2-year cohort study

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was applied in molecularly undiagnosed asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic hyperCKemia to investigate whether this technique might allow detection of the genetic basis of the condition

Congenital myopathies: Clinical phenotypes and new diagnostic tools

Congenital myopathies are a group of genetic muscle disorders characterized clinically by hypotonia and weakness, usually from birth, and a static or slowly progressive clinical course. Historically, congenital myopathies have been classified on the basis of major morphological features seen on muscle biopsy. However, different genes have now been identified as associated with the various phenotypic and histological expressions of these disorders, and in recent years, because of their unexpectedly wide genetic and clinical heterogeneity, next-generation sequencing has increasingly been used for their diagnosis. We reviewed clinical and genetic forms of congenital myopathy and defined possible strategies to improve cost-effectiveness in histological and imaging diagnosis

Randomized trial on the effects of a combined physical/cognitive training in aged MCI subjects: the Train the Brain study

Age-related cognitive impairment and dementia are an increasing societal burden. Epidemiological studies indicate that lifestyle factors, e.g. physical, cognitive and social activities, correlate with reduced dementia risk; moreover, positive effects on cognition of physical/cognitive training have been found in cognitively unimpaired elders. Less is known about effectiveness and action mechanisms of physical/cognitive training in elders already suffering from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a population at high risk for dementia. We assessed in 113 MCI subjects aged 65-89 years, the efficacy of combined physical-cognitive training on cognitive decline, Gray Matter (GM) volume loss and Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) in hippocampus and parahippocampal areas, and on brain-blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) activity elicited by a cognitive task, measured by ADAS-Cog scale, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) and fMRI, respectively, before and after 7 months of training vs. usual life. Cognitive status significantly decreased in MCI-no training and significantly increased in MCI-training subjects; training increased parahippocampal CBF, but no effect on GM volume loss was evident; BOLD activity increase, indicative of neural efficiency decline, was found only in MCI-no training subjects. These results show that a non pharmacological, multicomponent intervention improves cognitive status and indicators of brain health in MCI subjects