Ketogenic Diet Treatment of Defects in the Mitochondrial Malate Aspartate Shuttle and Pyruvate Carrier

The mitochondrial malate aspartate shuttle system (MAS) maintains the cytosolic NAD+/NADH redox balance, thereby sustaining cytosolic redox-dependent pathways, such as glycolysis and serine biosynthesis. Human disease has been associated with defects in four MAS-proteins (encoded by MDH1, MDH2, GOT2, SLC25A12) sharing a neurological/epileptic phenotype, as well as citrin deficiency (SLC25A13) with a complex hepatopathic-neuropsychiatric phenotype. Ketogenic diets (KD) are high-fat/low-carbohydrate diets, which decrease glycolysis thus bypassing the mentioned defects. The same holds for mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) 1 deficiency, which also presents neurological deficits. We here describe 40 (18 previously unreported) subjects with MAS-/MPC1-defects (32 neurological phenotypes, eight citrin deficiency), describe and discuss their phenotypes and genotypes (presenting 12 novel variants), and the efficacy of KD. Of 13 MAS/MPC1-individuals with a neurological phenotype treated with KD, 11 experienced benefits-mainly a striking effect against seizures. Two individuals with citrin deficiency deceased before the correct diagnosis was established, presumably due to high-carbohydrate treatment. Six citrin-deficient individuals received a carbohydrate-restricted/fat-enriched diet and showed normalisation of laboratory values/hepatopathy as well as age-adequate thriving. We conclude that patients with MAS-/MPC1-defects are amenable to dietary intervention and that early (genetic) diagnosis is key for initiation of proper treatment and can even be lifesaving

Nogo receptor 1 regulates formation of lasting memories

Formation of lasting memories is believed to rely on structural alterations at the synaptic level. We had found that increased neuronal activity down-regulates Nogo receptor-1 (NgR1) in brain regions linked to memory formation and storage, and postulated this to be required for formation of lasting memories. We now show that mice with inducible overexpression of NgR1 in forebrain neurons have normal long-term potentiation and normal 24-h memory, but severely impaired month-long memory in both passive avoidance and swim maze tests. Blocking transgene expression normalizes these memory impairments. Nogo, Lingo-1, Troy, endogenous NgR1, and BDNF mRNA expression levels were not altered by transgene expression, suggesting that the impaired ability to form lasting memories is directly coupled to inability to down-regulate NgR1. Regulation of NgR1 may therefore serve as a key regulator of memory consolidation. Understanding the molecular underpinnings of synaptic rearrangements that carry lasting memories may facilitate development of treatments for memory dysfunction

Automated Hippocampal Subfield Measures as Predictors of Conversion from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer's Disease in Two Independent Cohorts

Previous studies have shown that hippocampal subfields may be differentially affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study used an automated analysis technique and two large cohorts to (1) investigate patterns of subfield volume loss in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD, (2) determine the pattern of subfield volume loss due to age, gender, education, APOE ε4 genotype, and neuropsychological test scores, (3) compare combined subfield volumes to hippocampal volume alone at discriminating between AD and healthy controls (HC), and predicting future MCI conversion to AD at 12 months. 1,069 subjects were selected from the AddNeuroMed and Alzheimer’s disease neuroimaging initiative (ADNI) cohorts. Freesurfer was used for automated segmentation of the hippocampus and hippocampal subfields. Orthogonal partial least squares to latent structures (OPLS) was used to train models on AD and HC subjects using one cohort for training and the other for testing and the combined cohort was used to predict MCI conversion. MANCOVA and linear regression analyses showed multiple subfield volumes including Cornu Ammonis 1 (CA1), subiculum and presubiculum were atrophied in AD and MCI and were related to age, gender, education, APOE ε4 genotype, and neuropsychological test scores. For classifying AD from HC, combined subfield volumes achieved comparable classification accuracy (81.7 %) to total hippocampal (80.7 %), subiculum (81.2 %) and presubiculum (80.6 %) volume. For predicting MCI conversion to AD combined subfield volumes and presubiculum volume were more accurate (81.1 %) than total hippocampal volume. (76.7 %)

Efficacy and safety of empagliflozin in glycogen storage disease type Ib: Data from an international questionnaire

Purpose: This paper aims to report collective information on safety and efficacy of empagliflozin drug repurposing in individuals with glycogen storage disease type Ib (GSD Ib). Methods: This is an international retrospective questionnaire study on the safety and efficacy of empagliflozin use for management of neutropenia/neutrophil dysfunction in patients with GSD Ib, conducted among the respective health care providers from 24 countries across the globe. Results: Clinical data from 112 individuals with GSD Ib were evaluated, representing a total of 94 treatment years. The median age at start of empagliflozin treatment was 10.5 years (range = 0-38 years). Empagliflozin showed positive effects on all neutrophil dysfunction–related symptoms, including oral and urogenital mucosal lesions, recurrent infections, skin abscesses, inflammatory bowel disease, and anemia. Before initiating empagliflozin, most patients with GSD Ib were on G-CSF (94/112; 84%). At the time of the survey, 49 of 89 (55%) patients previously treated with G-CSF had completely stopped G-CSF, and another 15 (17%) were able to reduce the dose. The most common adverse event during empagliflozin treatment was hypoglycemia, occurring in 18% of individuals. Conclusion: Empagliflozin has a favorable effect on neutropenia/neutrophil dysfunction–related symptoms and safety profile in individuals with GSD Ib