Dataset Information

Alterations in brain transition metals in Huntington disease: an evolving and intricate story.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Aberrant accumulation of transition metals in the brain may have an early and important role in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington disease (HD).

Objective

To comprehensively evaluate and validate the distribution of metal deposition in the brain using advanced magnetic resonance imaging methods from the premanifest through symptomatic stages of HD.

Design

Observational study.

Setting

University imaging center.

Participants

Twenty-eight HD expanded gene carriers, 34 patients with symptomatic HD, and 56 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were included in the study.

Interventions

Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging for the quantification of the phase evolution of susceptibility-weighted images.

Main outcome measures

To verify the identity of the metals responsible for the changes in the phase evolution of the susceptibility signal in the brain and to assess correlations with systemic levels. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to measure transition metal concentrations in postmortem brains.

Results

In the basal ganglia, progressive increases in the phase evolution were found in HD, beginning in premanifest individuals who were far from expected onset and increasing with proximity to expected onset and thereafter. Increases in the cerebral cortex were regionally selective and present only in symptomatic HD. Increases were verified by excessive deposition of brain iron, but a complex alteration in other transition metals was found.

Conclusion

An important and early role of altered metal homeostasis is suggested in the pathogenesis of HD.

SUBMITTER: Rosas HD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3652228 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Alterations in brain transition metals in Huntington disease: an evolving and intricate story.

Rosas H Diana HD Chen Y Iris YI Doros Gheorghe G Salat David H DH Chen Nan-kuei NK Kwong Ken K KK Bush Ashley A Fox Jonathan J Hersch Steven M SM

Archives of neurology 20120701 7

<h4>Background</h4>Aberrant accumulation of transition metals in the brain may have an early and important role in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington disease (HD).<h4>Objective</h4>To comprehensively evaluate and validate the distribution of metal deposition in the brain using advanced magnetic resonance imaging methods from the premanifest through symptomatic stages of HD.<h4>Design</h4>Observational study.<h4>Setting</h4>University imaging center.<h4> ...[more]

PMID: 22393169

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Project description:Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which only symptomatic treatment is available. A better understanding of the pathology, and identification of biomarkers will facilitate the development of disease-modifying treatments. HD is potentially a good model of a neurodegenerative disease for development of biomarkers because it is an autosomal-dominant disease with complete penetrance, caused by a single gene mutation, in which the neurodegenerative process can be assessed many years before onset of signs and symptoms of manifest disease. Previous MRI studies have detected abnormalities in gray and white matter starting in premanifest stages. However, the understanding of how these abnormalities are related, both in time and space, is still incomplete. In this study, we combined deep gray matter shape diffeomorphometry and white matter DTI analysis in order to provide a better mapping of pathology in the deep gray matter and subcortical white matter in premanifest HD. We used 296 MRI scans from the PREDICT-HD database. Atrophy in the deep gray matter, thalamus, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens was analyzed by surface based morphometry, and while white matter abnormalities were analyzed in (i) regions of interest surrounding these structures, using (ii) tractography-based analysis, and using (iii) whole brain atlas-based analysis. We detected atrophy in the deep gray matter, particularly in putamen, from early premanifest stages. The atrophy was greater both in extent and effect size in cases with longer exposure to the effects of the CAG expansion mutation (as assessed by greater CAP-scores), and preceded detectible abnormalities in the white matter. Near the predicted onset of manifest HD, the MD increase was widespread, with highest indices in the deep and posterior white matter. This type of in-vivo macroscopic mapping of HD brain abnormalities can potentially indicate when and where therapeutics could be targeted to delay the onset or slow the disease progression.

Dataset Information

Alterations in brain transition metals in Huntington disease: an evolving and intricate story.

Background

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Interventions

Main outcome measures

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Alterations in brain transition metals in Huntington disease: an evolving and intricate story.

Similar Datasets

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