Ibrahim Imam CUTTING EDGE, GENERAL NEUROLOGY

3 exciting emerging interventional treatments for Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the bedrock disorders of neurology. It is common, universal, well-defined, usually easily diagnosed, and eminently treatable, even if not curable. PD is so important that I have visited it so many times on this blog. My previous blog posts on this topic include:

What are the drugs promising neuroprotection in PD?

What is the state of Parkinson’s disease biomarkers? 

The emerging research boosting Parkinson’s disease treatment.

PD is debilitating even when treated. This is because of the staggering number of motor and non-motor symptoms it provokes. And there is the long list of side effects the treatments induce, such as abnormal movements called dyskinesias. There is therefore a never-ending need for more effective and less agonising treatments for PD. And this blog has kept a keen eye on any advances that will make this disorder more bearable for the sufferers and their families, and less nerve-racking for the treating neurologist. It is therefore gratifying to know that there are many developments in the management of PD, and here I focus on 3 emerging interventional treatments.

By Marvin 101 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7533521

 

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS)

MRgFUS is a technique that uses thermal heat to create lesions in the brain. This is a much less invasive approach than the current interventional treatments for PD which are surgery and deep brain stimulation (DBS). Surgical interventions for PD work by making therapeutic lesions in the globus pallidus (pallidotomy). In a first of its kind, Young Cheol Na and colleagues used MRgFUS to create similar pallidal lesions. They published their finding in 2015 in the journal Neurology under the title Unilateral magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound pallidotomy for Parkinson disease. They reported improvement in the motor symptoms of PD, and in drug-induced dyskinesias. But before MRgFUS pallidotomy will take off, it has to be as good as surgical pallidotomy which reduces dyskinesias for as long as 12 years!

Blue sonar. Gisela Giardino on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/gi/192984384

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) 

In a reasonably large randomized trial published in 2016 in the journal Neurology, Miroslaw Brys and colleagues reported that rTMS improves motor symptoms in PD. Titled Multifocal repetitive TMS for motor and mood symptoms of Parkinson disease, the study reports that the benefit was significant. Indeed a systematic review and meta-analysis by Ying-hui Chou and colleagues in the journal JAMA Neurology, published just the year before, had established the benefit of rTMS in PD. The review, titled Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on motor symptoms in Parkinson disease, concluded with the hope that their findings “may guide treatment decisions and inform future research“. Hopefully it has, because a 2018 paper, published in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, has gone on to establish that the best results for rTMS are obtained with stimulation of the primary and supplementary motor cortex. That’s scientific progress.

Magnetic Fields-15. Windell Oskay on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/oskay/4581194252

Spinal cord stimulation 

It appears counterintuitive to think of the spinal cord in the context of PD, which is after all a disease of the brain. That is until you remember that walking impairment is a major problem in PD, and the spinal cord is the gateway for gait. Inspired by this insight, Carolina Pinto de Souza and colleagues stimulated the spinal cords of people with PD who have already undergone deep brain stimulation surgery. They published their findings in the journal Movement Disorders with the title Spinal cord stimulation improves gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease previously treated with deep brain stimulation. A clear title like this leaves little room for commentary. The authors however studied only four subjects, a number clearly missing from the paper’s title, but the benefit is an encouraging 50-65% improvement in gait. The omission is forgiven.

Spinal cord 8. GreenFlames09 on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/greenflames09/116396804

Taking things a step further, Reon Kobayashi and colleagues, writing in the journal Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, reported that a new mode of spinal cord stimulation called BurstDR, does a much better job than conventional stimulation. Again, the title of the paper is self-explanatory: New mode of burst spinal cord stimulation improved mental status as well as motor function in a patient with Parkinson’s disease.

By Images are generated by Life Science Databases(LSDB). – from Anatomography, website maintained by Life Science Databases(LSDB).You can get and edit this image through URL below. 次のアドレスからこのファイルで使用している画像を取得・編集できますURL., CC BY-SA 2.1 jp, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7932266

Surely the future must be bright with all these developments in the field of PD.

Ibrahim Imam CONTROVERSIAL, CUTTING EDGE, GENERAL, GENERAL NEUROLOGY

Are parasites the simple solution to the problem of MS?

In medicine, microbes are notorious for causing disease. In neurology particularly, infection is the direct cause of serious diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis. Infections may also act as  catalysts for neurological disorders, for example when they trigger Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS). Infection is therefore a villain, a scoundrel to be apprehended and disarmed whenever it rears its head. But this picture may not hold true when it comes to multiple sclerosis (MS) where a contrary story is emerging, a narrative which holds infection as the hero, the daredevil that will save the day. The premise is simple: MS has very little presence in the regions of the world where infections reign supreme. Just look at any world prevalence map of MS to be convinced.

By MS_Risk_no_legend.svg: *MS_Risk.svg: Dekoderderivative work: Faigl.ladislav (talk)derivative work: Gabby8228 (talk) – MS_Risk_no_legend.svg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15917004

How strong is this inverse relationship between infection and MS? It all boils down to the so-called hygeine hypothesis of autoimmune diseases. This suggests that the human immune system becomes dysregulated when it is not primed by infections, and this dysregulation results in autoimmune disorders. This point was strongly argued by Aakanksha Dixit and colleagues in their paper published in the International Journal of Molecular Science, titled Novel Therapeutics for Multiple Sclerosis Designed by Parasitic Worms. They contend that the relationship between parasitic infections and autoimmune diseases is “most compelling“, going on to assert that helminthic infections “may be the protective environmental factor against the development of MS”.

By Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc. – Archiv autora, CC BY 3.0, Link

To support the hygiene theory of MS, that helminthic infections play a role in banishing MS, three levels of evidence are offered.

  1. The prevalence of MS steadily increases when the frequency of infections in a community is reduces.
  2. People with MS who also have helminthic infections have fewer relapses and slower disease progression.
  3. MS patients who are treated for their helminthic infections develop more relapses and have a more active disease course. 
Diversity and prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in seven non-human primates of the Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. Parasite, 2015, 22, 1.doi:10.1051/parasite/2015001, CC BY 4.0, Link

Toxoplasma gondii, the cause of toxoplasmosis, is perhaps the major parasite investigated in relation to MS. Asli Koskderelioglu and colleagues, for example, reported that exposure to T.gondii is less frequent in people with MS than in healthy control subjects. In their 2017 paper titled Is Toxoplasma gondii infection protective against multiple sclerosis risk?, published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, they found that MS subjects who have higher toxoplasma antibody levels experience fewer relapses and less severe disease courses. This finding is corroborated by a 2015 paper in the Journal of Neuroimmunology titled Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity is negatively associated with multiple sclerosis.

CC BY 4.0, Link

Neurologists are however very cynical people, and they never believe what single trials tell them. After all, many microbes, such as Ebstein Barr virus (EBV), are touted as MS risk factors. For the sceptical neurologist, only systematic reviews and meta-analyses will do; these are the stuff of our dreams, the essence of our daily existence. So it is with a huge cheer that neurologists welcomed a 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology and titled Is toxoplasma gondii playing a positive role in multiple sclerosis risk? The paper poured very cold water on the beautiful hygiene hypothesis. Whilst the authors, Reza Saberi and colleagues, confirmed that MS subjects had a lower risk of exposure to T. gondii, they found no relationship between this parasite and the development of MS. Wither a theory when it hits the reality of cold statistical analysis.

Cloudburst. Liz West on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/28825267500

Notwithstanding the systematic review, the helminth hypothesis marches on. It has even reached the stage of therapeutic trials where, as distasteful as it sounds, subjects ingest parasites by mouth! And the fancied parasite is not Toxoplasma gondii but Trichuris suis ova (TSO). It all began with a small observational trial in 10 people which proved that TSO is safe and well-tolerated (phew), but it had no value whatsoever in treating MS. Not discouraged, the hypothesis entered the slightly larger HINT 2 trial; this again confirmed good tolerability in 16 subjects, but any benefit in reversing MS was questionable. Undeterred, the hypothesis has gone for a bigger study in the form of the TRIOMS trial. This is a randomized, placebo-controlled study of 50 people with MS or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) in which subjects will be ingesting 2,500 Trichuris suis eggs every two weeks. We wait with bated breaths for the results.

By Universidad de Córdoba – http://www.uco.es/dptos/zoologia/zoolobiolo_archivos/practicas/practica_4/practica4_botton.htm, Public Domain, Link

Before leaving this subject, we must know that helminths are not the only game in town; they have strong competition from their cousins, bacteria. And the standout character in this arena is Helicobacter pylori. We learnt this from a study published in 2015 in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. Titled Helicobacter pylori infection as a protective factor against multiple sclerosis risk in females, the paper reported that people with MS were less likely than controls to have been exposed to H. pylori. Two meta-analyses have also reviewed the relationship of H. pylori and MS, arguing strongly that, in Western countries, there is an inverse relationship between H pylori and MS. And they assert that H. pylori may be protective against MS. If it feels like déjà vu, it is.

Helicobacter pylori. AJC21 on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajc1/6946417103

We have surely not heard the last of bugs and MS. However, for now, the foundations of the hygiene theory are a bit shaky, and the future rather hazy.

By Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc. – Archiv autora, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17268274

 

Ibrahim Imam ALS, CUTTING EDGE

What are the promising CSF biomarkers of MND?

The Neurology Lounge strives hard to keep to the straight and narrow path of clinical neurology. But every now and then it takes a peek at what is happening at the cutting edge of neuroscience. And what can be more cutting edge then biomarkers, with their promise of simplifying disease identification, making prompt and accurate diagnosis an effortless task.

Darts. Richard Matthews on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/richardofengland/6788829651

The quintessential biomarker however remains as elusive as quicksilver. Not that one could tell, going by the rate biomarkers are being spun from the neuroscience mills. Biomarkers are the buzz in many neurological fields, from brain tumours to multiple sclerosis (MS), from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to Huntington’s disease (HD).

By Muffinator – Own work, CC0, Link

The proliferation of contending biomarkers is however probably highest in the field of motor neurone disease (MND). Is there a holy grail out there to enable the rapid and accurate diagnosis of this relentlessly progressive disease? There is clearly no dearth of substances jostling for prime position in the promised land of MND biomarkers. Below is a shortlist of potential MND CSF biomarkers; just click on any to go to the source!

By Horia Varlan from Bucharest, Romania – Graduated cylinders and beaker filled with chemical compounds, CC BY 2.0, Link

Biomarkers elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 

Ferritin heavy chain (FHC)

Ferritin light chain (FLC)

Interferon g (IFN-g)

MIP 1a

Interleukin 12

Interleukin 15

Interleukin 17

Interleukin 23

Chromogranin A (CgA)

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)

Tau

Green Coral brain. Sarah Spaulding on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/visionwithin/61464453/

Neurofilaments

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)

Chitotriosidase 1 (CHIT 1)

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF 1)

Matric metaloproteinases (MMPs)

Homocysteine

Cystacin C

Monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP 1)

Flt3 ligand

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)

Nitrate

Anti-ganglioside antibodies

By Nevit Dilmen (talk) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Biomarkers reduced in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 

Alpha 1 antitrypsin

Erythropeoitin

Chloride

Angiotensin II

Cytochrome C

Cyclic GMP (cGMP)

Acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity

 

Why not check out more about MND in Neurochecklists

By © Nevit Dilmen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Ibrahim Imam CUTTING EDGE, GENERAL, NEW SYNDROMES

10 things we now know about CIDP associated with anti NF155 antibodies

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a neurological disorder which causes loss of the fatty myelin covering of large nerves (demyelination). This slows down the speed at which the nerves can transmit electrical impulses. People with CIDP develop weakness and sensory disturbances, but not always in equal measure. CIDP is a pain for the afflicted, and a veritable nightmare for the neurologist.

 

By Ajimonthomas – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

The diagnostic process for CIDP includes some rather uncomfortable tests such as nerve conduction studies and lumbar puncture (spinal tap). CIDP is however a most rewarding disease to treat because many people respond to immune treatments such as steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG), or plasma exchange (PE).

PRED SOV 5. Leo Reynolds on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/3300474346

The diagnosis of CIDP is however not straightforward. The results of the tests are not always clearcut, and a lot of sifting and sorting goes into nailing the diagnosis. And even when the diagnosis is eventually made, there is a very long list of potential causes of CIDP which often require treatment on their own merit. Worryingly, some of these conditions make the treatment of CIDP difficult. And this is where IgG antibodies play a nasty role in CIDP.

By Database Center for Life Science (DBCLS), CC BY 3.0, Link

Neurologists are now recognising that a subset of people with CIDP have IgG4 antibodies which greatly influence the clinical presentation and the treatment of CIDP. Anti-contactin antibody is one such antibody, but by far the most important is anti-neurofascin 155 (NF155). What do we know about this antibody? How does it influence the course of CIDP? To answer these questions, below are 10 important things we now know about CIDP associated with anti-NF155.

By BruceBlaus – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

1. Anti-NF155 is an antibody to paranodal structures

2. The antibody is present in 7-14% of people with CIDP

3. CIDP with anti-NF155 usually affects young subjects

4. Anti NF155 antibody CIDP is usually severe

5. Anti NF155 may cause central nervous system inflammation 

6. It causes a very high protein level in the spinal fluid

7. It causes very severe changes on nerve conduction studies

8. It responds poorly to intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg)

9. It may respond to steroids and plasma exchange

10. Treatment-resistant cases may respond to Rituximab
By Oguenther at de.wikipedia – Own work mit Jmol auf Basis RCSB PDB: 2OSL​., Public Domain, Link

________________________________________________________________________

Why not check out everything CIDP on Neurochecklists:

Ibrahim Imam CUTTING EDGE, NEW SYNDROMES

When Shakespeare meets neurology: Hamlet, Ophelia and autoimmune encephalitis

Neurology can’t seem to get away from autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system. This blog has visited this topic several times before such as with the posts titled What are the dreadful autoimmune disorders that plague neurology? and What’s evolving at the cutting-edge of autoimmune neurology? The attraction of autoimmune neurological diseases lies in part in the ever-expanding spectrum of the antibodies and the challenging symptoms and syndromes they produce.

By Gentaur – Gentaur, Public Domain, Link

The fairly well-recognised ‘conventional’ antibodies are those against VGKC (Caspr 2 and LGI1), NMDA, and AMPA. There is however an almost endless list of less familiar antibodies such as those against glycine, adenylate kinase 5, thyroid, GABA-A receptors, α-enolase, neurexin-3α, dipeptidyl-peptidase-like protein 6 (DPPX), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). I am however fascinated by the group of disorders caused by antibodies to metabotropic receptors. The main antibody in this group targets the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5). The clinical picture with this antibody is a form of encephalitis which may manifest with prosopagnosia (difficulty recognising faces), and with the curious Ophelia syndrome.

By Benjamin West – Own work, Public Domain, Link

Yes, you read it correctly. Ophelia syndrome is named after Shakespeare’s unfortunate Danish maiden, and it was first described by Dr. Ian Carr whose daughter, at the age of 15, developed progressive loss of memory, depression, hallucinations, and bizarre behaviour. These symptoms aptly describe Ophelia’s deluded and obsessional attraction to the equally deluded and murderous Hamlet. Ophelia syndrome is almost always associated with Hodgkins lymphoma and affects young people.

By V from Coventry, UK – Hamlet, CC BY 2.0, Link

Thankfully Ophelia syndrome is a relatively mild disease without the Shakespearean tragic ending because it has a good outcome if recognised and treated.

Why not explore all the autoimmune neurological disorders on neurochecklists.

Ibrahim Imam CUTTING EDGE, GENERAL

What are the drugs promising neuroprotection in PD?

This is a follow up to my previous blog post titled The emerging research boosting Parkinson’s disease treatment. That post reviewed breakthroughs in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). But what are the advances in preventing the dreaded disease? What is the state of neuroprotection in PD? What are the hopes for attaining this elusive holy grail of neurology, the lodestone of neuroscientists?

shield-33957

Previous claims to neuroprotection have unfortunately fallen flat on their faces. For example, those with long memories will remember the unfulfilled hopes of selegiline. It is therefore not surprising that neurologists entertain all reports of neuroprotection with a heavy dose of scepticism. But this has not deterred the flow of drugs which aim to achieve the seemingly improbable. After scanning the neuroprotection horizon, I came up with this list of 7 potential neuroprotective drugs for PD.

LB-3627

Lab Mouse chekin out the camera. Rick Eh? on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/rick-in-rio/2593063816
Lab Mouse chekin out the camera. Rick Eh? on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/rick-in-rio/2593063816

LB-3627 is a drug which is reported to protect dopamine-producing cells in experimental animals. The wary neurologist will surely ignore the hype in the headlines such as New drug that protects dopamine cells raises treatment hope for Parkinson’s, or Pioneering Neuroprotective Results Achieved in Parkinson’s Disease Preclinical Studies. The neurologists will prefer to forensically interrogate the study directly, and it is published in Journal of Neuroscience as Selective VIP Receptor Agonists Facilitate Immune Transformation for Dopaminergic Neuroprotection in MPTP-Intoxicated Mice. The researchers theorise that the damage to dopamine producing cells in the brain is a result of some sort of inflammation, and this damage can be prevented if vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptors on the cells are ‘tuned’ correctly. LB-3627, by acting as a VIP-like substance, seems to do this tuning quite well. By doing this, it protects up to 80% of the cells in PD mice. The dubious, but curious, neurologists will await the results of human trials.

Phenylbutyrate

By Marvin 101 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
By Marvin 101 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

α-synuclein is the abnormal protein which accumulates in brain cells, thereby causing the damage which results in PD. α-synuclein is removed from the brain by another protein named DJ-1. Researchers have shown that the gene which regulates the production of DJ-1 is abnormal in a hereditary form of PD called PARK-7. This is where phenylbutyrate steps into the picture; studies have shown that phenylbutyrate ‘up-regulates‘ the DJ-1 gene, thereby enhancing its activity, which is to efficiently flush α-synuclein out of the brain. As phenylbutyrate seems to do this trick in mice, human trials are now under way. All is explained in the paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry titled Phenylbutyrate upregulates DJ-1 and protects neurons in cell culture and in animal models of Parkinson’s disease.

Rapamycin

mTOR-FKBP12-RAPAMYCIN. Enzymlogic on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/101755654@N08/9735128265
mTOR-FKBP12-RAPAMYCIN. Enzymlogic on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/101755654@N08/9735128265

What we need is a drug which stops PD from taking its first step. And this is what Rapamycin seems to have done in mice. I first read this in an article in PsyPost brilliantly titled Rapamycin prevents Parkinson’s in mouse model of incurable neurodegenerative disease. I followed the link to the research paper published in Journal of Neuroscience, irritatingly titled Mitochondrial Quality Control via the PGC1α-TFEB Signaling Pathway Is Compromised by Parkin Q311X Mutation But Independently Restored by Rapamycin. I tried to decipher what the abstract was saying but read like a foreign language to me. I therefore recommend the PsyPost article for the sake of sanity. Again, we have to wait and see what rapamycin does in humans.

Safinamide

Microglia. Servier Medical Art on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/serviermedicalart/9731764084
Microglia. Servier Medical Art on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/serviermedicalart/9731764084

PD researchers are also exploring the neuroprotective potential of safinamide. This is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) which reduces the breakdown of levodopa, the key drug treatment of PD. Safinamide is already licensed as an add-on drug in the treatment of PD. Its neuroprotective effect has been linked to its ability to suppress the activation of microglia, the brain cells which mediate inflammatory cellular damage. Only time will tell.

Miscellaneous

The last three potentially  neuroprotective PD drugs are:

Simvastatin

Ambroxol

Exenatide

 

face-89346_1280

Portents of great things to come, I’m sure. Want to explore more on PD? Have a look at these older posts, and do leave a comment

_________________________________________________________________________

neurochecklists-image

Ibrahim Imam CUTTING EDGE, FUTURISTIC NEUROLOGY, GENERAL, GENERAL NEUROLOGY, NEW SYNDROMES

What are the new diseases emerging in neurology?

Medical futurists predict that scientific advances will lead to more precise definition of diseases. This will inevitably result in the emergence of more diseases and fewer syndromes. This case is made very eloquently in the book, The Innovators Prescription. Many neurological disorders currently wallow at the intuitive end of medical practice, and their journey towards precision medicine is painfully too slow. Neurology therefore has a great potential for the emergence of new disorders.

https://pixabay.com/en/pie-chart-diagram-statistics-parts-149727/
https://pixabay.com/en/pie-chart-diagram-statistics-parts-149727/

In the ‘good old days’, many diseases were discovered by individual observers working alone, and the diseases were named after them. In this way, famous diseases were named after people such as James Parkinson, Alois Alzheimer, and George Huntington. For diseases discovered by two or three people, it didn’t take a great stretch of the imagination to come up with double-barrelled names such as Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) or Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS).

By uncredited - Images from the History of Medicine (NLM) [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11648572
By uncredited – Images from the History of Medicine (NLM) [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11648572
Today, however, new diseases emerge as a result of advances made by large collaborations, working across continents. These new diseases are named after the pathological appearance or metabolic pathways involved (as it will require an act of genius to create eponymous syndromes to cater for all the scientists and clinicians involved in these multi-centre trials). This is unfortunately why new disorders now have very complex names and acronyms. Take, for examples, chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS) and chronic relapsing inflammatory optic neuropathy (CRION). It is a sign that we should expect new neurological diseases to be baptised with more descriptive, but tongue-twisting, names.

 

https://pixabay.com/en/letters-a-abc-alphabet-literacy-67046/
https://pixabay.com/en/letters-a-abc-alphabet-literacy-67046/

New disease categories emerge in different ways. One is the emergence of a new disorder from scratch, with no antecedents whatsoever. Such was the case with autoimmune encephalitis, a category which has come from relative obscurity to occupy the centre stage of eminently treatable diseases. I have posted on this previously as What’s evolving at the cutting edge of autoimmune neurology and What are the dreadful autoimmune disorders that plague neurology? Other disease categories form when different diseases merge into a completely new disease category, or when a previously minor diseases mature and stand on their own feet. These are the stuff of my top 8 emerging neurological disorders.

 

By Photo (c)2007 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 2.5, Link
By Photo (c)2007 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 2.5, Link

1. mTORopathy

This huge monster is ‘threatening’ to bring together, under one roof, diverse disorders such as tuberous sclerosis complex, epilepsy, autism, traumatic brain injury, brain tumours, and dementia. You may explore this further in my previous blog post titled mTORopathy: an emerging buzzword for neurology.

Merging bubbles. Charlie Reece on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliereece/777487250
Merging bubbles. Charlie Reece on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliereece/777487250

2. IgG4-related autoimmune diseases

This new group of neurological diseases is threatening to disrupt the easy distinction between several neurological disorders such as myasthenia gravis (MG), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), and Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS). It even includes the newly described IgLON 5 antibody disorder, something I blogged about as IgLON5: a new antibody disorder for neurologists. You may explore IgG4-related disorders in this paper titled The expanding field of IgG4-mediated neurological autoimmune disorders. 

By Aida Pitarch - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
By Aida Pitarch – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

3. Anti-MOG antibody disorders

Now, neurologists have always known about MOG, mostly as a minor bit player, an extra, so to say. No more, it is now all grown up and matured. And the growth is fast and involves many inflammatory demyelinating disease of the CNS such as fulminant demyelinating encephalomyelitis and multiphasic disseminated encephalomyelitis. How far will it go?

http://thebluediamondgallery.com/a/autoimmune.html
http://thebluediamondgallery.com/a/autoimmune.html

4. Hepatitis E virus related neurological disorders

A field which is spurning new neurological disorders is neurological infections, and Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is in the forefront. We are now increasingly recognising diverse Hepatitis E related neurological disorders. HEV has now been linked to diseases such as Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) and brachial neuritis. And the foremost researcher in this area is Harry Dalton, a hepatologist working from Cornwall, not far from me! And Harry will be presenting at the next WESAN conference in Exeter in November 2017.

By Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #5605.Note: Not all PHIL images are public domain; be sure to check copyright status and credit authors and content providers.English | Slovenščina | +/−, Public Domain, Link
By Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #5605.Note: Not all PHIL images are public domain; be sure to check copyright status and credit authors and content providers.English | Slovenščina | +/−, Public Domain, Link

5. Zika virus

Zika virus is another novel infection with prominent neurological manifestations. We are learning more about it every day, and you may check my previous blog post on this, titled 20 things we now know for certain about the Zika virus.

By Manuel Almagro Rivas - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47941048
By Manuel Almagro Rivas – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47941048

6. Multisystem proteinopathy

Multisystem proteinopathy is a genetic disorder which affects muscles and bone, in addition to the nervous system. It is associated with Paget’s disease of the bone and inclusion body myositis, with implications for motor neurone disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Quite a hydra-headed monster it seems, all quite complex, and perhaps one strictly for the experts.

Hydra. Andrew Jian on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_jian/475479747
Hydra. Andrew Jian on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_jian/475479747

7. GLUT-1 deficiency syndromes

GLUT-1 stands for glucose transporter type 1. Deficiency of GLUT-1 results in impaired transportation of glucose into the brain. GLUT-1 deficiency syndrome presents with a variety of neurological features such as dystonia, epilepsy, ataxia, chorea, and a host of epilepsy types. It starts in infancy and is characterised by a low level of glucose and lactic acid in the cerebrospinal fluid. Expect to hear more on this in the near future.

Sugar Cubes. David pacey on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/63723146@N08/7164573186
Sugar Cubes. David pacey on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/63723146@N08/7164573186

8. Progressive Solitary Sclerosis

And this is my favourite paradigm shifter. Neurologists often see people with brain inflammatory lesions and struggle to decide if they fulfil the criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS). The current threshold for concern is when there have been two clinical events consistent with inflammation of the nervous system, or their MRI scan shows involvement of at least two different sites of the nervous system. Well, dot counting may soon be over, going by this paper in Neurology titled Progressive solitary sclerosis: gradual motor impairment from a single CNS demyelinating lesion. The authors identified 30 people with progressive clinical impairment arising from a single inflammatory nervous system lesion. The authors were convinced enough to recommend the inclusion of this new entity, progressive solitary sclerosis, in future classifications of inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system. Move over progressive MS, here comes progressive SS. Neurologists will surely have their job cut out for them.

Solitary tree at Sunset. epcp on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/epcprince/3418260382
Solitary tree at Sunset. epcp on Flikr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/epcprince/3418260382

Do you have any suggestions of emerging neurological disorders? Please leave a comment

=========================================================================

PS. These disorders are all covered in neurochecklists

screen-shot-2016-12-19-at-18-32-39