Incidence and outcomes of head injuries in people with and without Parkinson disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Fall-related injuries are a major health concern among people with Parkinson disease (PD). We compared the incidence and postinjury mortality of head injuries and traumatic brain injury (TBI) among persons with and without PD. METHODS: This register-based study was conducted on the FINPARK cohort, which includes 22,189 persons who were diagnosed with PD in Finland during 1996-2015. We excluded persons with a previous head injury, leaving 20,514 persons with PD. For each person with PD, 1-7 matching persons without PD and previous head injury were identified with respect to age, sex, and residence. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate hazard ratios for head injury. A logistic regression model was used to compare mortality. RESULTS: Persons with PD had 2.16-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.06-2.26) risk of all head injuries and 1.97-fold (95% CI = 1.84-2.10) risk of TBI after adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities. Persons with PD had higher 1-year mortality after any type of head injury (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.28-1.62), TBI (aOR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.14-1.57), or non-TBI head injury (aOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.42-2.07) than persons without PD. The higher risk of mortality was observed 6 months after TBI and 1 month after non-TBI injury in persons with PD. Persons with PD and head injury also had higher 1-year mortality than persons with PD and without head injury. CONCLUSIONS: Persons with PD have a higher risk of head injury and higher postinjury mortality than persons without PD.

GFAP as a biomarker in frontotemporal dementia and primary psychiatric disorders: diagnostic and prognostic performance.

BACKGROUND: Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and primary psychiatric disorders (PPD) are characterised by overlapping clinical features but different aetiologies. Here, we assessed for the first time the potential of blood glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP), marker of astrogliosis, as a discriminative and prognostic tool in FTLD and PPD. METHODS: The levels of GFAP in serum (sGFAP) of patients with FTLD (N=107) and PPD (N=44) and GFAP in whole blood samples (bGFAP) from FTLD (N=10), PPD (N=10) and healthy controls (N=18) were measured. We evaluated whether the sGFAP levels associate with C9orf72 repeat expansion, survival of FTLD and PPD patients, and brain atrophy assessed cross-sectionally and longitudinally by structural T1W MRI. We also examined the correlation between sGFAP and bGFAP levels in a subset of patients. RESULTS: sGFAP and bGFAP levels were elevated in the FTLD group compared with the PPD or control groups. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated an excellent diagnostic performance between FTLD and PPD (the area under the curve (AUC)=0.820, 95% CI 0.745 to 0.896). sGFAP and bGFAP levels showed a strong correlation and elevated sGFAP levels significantly associated with atrophy rate in the temporal cortex and predicted shorter survival time in patients with FTLD. No association with C9orf72 repeat expansion was detected. CONCLUSIONS: sGFAP enabled differentiation of patients with FTLD and PPD and associated with shorter survival and more severe brain atrophy rate in patients with FTLD. These results suggest that blood-based GFAP represents a minimally invasive and useful biomarker in the differential diagnostics between patients with FTLD and PPD and in evaluating disease progression and astrogliosis in FTLD.

Comparison of Prodromal Symptoms of Patients with Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer Disease.

INTRODUCTION: Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is the most common clinical subtype of frontotemporal lobar degeneration. bvFTD is often characterized by changes in behavior and personality, frequently leading to psychiatric misdiagnoses. On the other hand, substantial clinical overlap with other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer disease (AD), further complicates the diagnostics. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to identify the main differences in early symptoms of bvFTD and AD in the prodromal stages of the diseases. In addition, patients with bvFTD were analyzed separately according to whether they carry the C9orf72repeat expansion or not. METHODS: Patient records of bvFTD (n = 75) and AD (n = 83) patients were analyzed retrospectively for memory and neuropsychiatric symptoms, sleeping disorders, and somatic complaints before the setting of the accurate diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 84% of bvFTD patients (n = 63) and 98.8% of AD patients (n = 82) reported subjective memory disturbances in the prodromal phases of the disease. bvFTD patients presented significantly more often with sleeping disorders, headache, inexplicable collapses, transient loss of consciousness, somatization, delusions, and hallucinations, suicidality, changes in oral behaviors, and urinary problems. In addition, poor financial judgement was frequently detected in patients with prodromal bvFTD. Aberrant sensations in the nose and throat without any physical explanation, regarded as somatizations, emerged only in bvFTD patients with the C9orf72 repeat expansion. CONCLUSIONS: Subjective reporting of impaired episodic memory is a poor indicator in differentiating bvFTD from AD. Sleeping disturbances, delusions, hallucinations, and unexplained somatic complaints in a patient with cognitive disturbances should prompt the clinicians to consider bvFTD as a possible diagnostic option behind these symptoms. The spectrum of symptoms in the prodromal stages of bvFTD may be more diverse than the latest criteria suggest.

Multiple sclerosis in Finland 2018-Data from the national register.

OBJECTIVES: Finland is a high-risk multiple sclerosis (MS) region, but a national MS register has not existed until 2014. In this paper, we present the Finnish MS register variables and data collected by 31 December 2018. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Numbers and data counts of MS patients in the register (ICD-10 code G35) are presented. The disease types and proportion of patients receiving disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) were analysed in five hospital districts with most complete data sets. MS prevalence in Finland was estimated using administrative hospital discharge data as an additional resource. RESULTS: There were a total of 8722 MS patients in the Finnish MS register by 31 December 2018 (71.5% females). Mean age at MS diagnosis was 38.7 years and peak prevalence was at age 50-54 years. Disease course was relapsing remitting (RRMS) in 66.7%, secondary progressive (SPMS) in 13.5%, and primary progressive (PPMS) in 7.9% of the 5365 MS patients in the selected districts with most complete data. A total of 66.0% of RRMS patients, 19.6% of SPMS patients and 9.9% of PPMS patients were receiving DMTs. By combining MS register data with databases of those hospitals that had not joined the register, the nationwide prevalence estimate was between 10 and 11 thousand patients (corresponding to crude prevalence 180-200/100 000). CONCLUSIONS: The Finnish MS register is currently used in 15/21 Finnish hospital districts. By register integration into the electronic patient files, the coverage of the register has increased to approximately 80% of the estimated Finnish MS population.

Sequence of cardiovascular autonomic alterations after fingolimod initiation.

BACKGROUND: Homeostasis between heart rate and blood pressure is based on several interacting regulatory reflexes, which become influenced by fingolimod initiation. The aim of this study was to determine the sequence of changes in cardiovascular autonomic regulation after fingolimod initiation. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis underwent continuous electrocardiogram recording during the first 6 hr after the first dose of fingolimod. In addition to the time interval between two consecutive R-peaks (RR interval), blood pressure and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured on hourly basis. Cardiac parasympathetic and sympathetic regulation were assessed by the different components of HRV. RESULTS: HRV demonstrated an enhancement in cardiac parasympathetic regulation starting 1 hr after the first dose of fingolimod. Blood pressure started to decrease 2 hr and sympathetic cardiac regulation 3 hr after fingolimod initiation. Recovery in RR interval, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as in cardiac autonomic regulation started after 5 hr postdose, whereas pulse pressure (difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure) continued to increase at the time of hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS: RR interval, blood pressure, as well as the parasympathetic and sympathetic components of cardiac autonomic regulation alter sequentially in different temporal pattern after fingolimod initiation. These findings enhance the understanding of the effects of fingolimod initiation on cardiovascular autonomic regulation in real life.

Effect of fingolimod on cardiac autonomic regulation in patients with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Fingolimod modulates sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors that are also found in cardiovascular tissue. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of fingolimod on cardiac autonomic regulation prospectively. METHODS: Twenty-seven relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients underwent 24-hour electrocardiogram recording before, at the first day of fingolimod treatment (1d) and after three months of continuous dosing (3mo). The time interval between two consecutive R-peaks (RR-interval) was measured. Cardiac autonomic regulation was assessed by the various parameters of heart rate variability. Parasympathetic stimulation prolongs the RR-interval and increases heart rate variability while the effects of sympathetic stimulation are mainly the opposite. The low frequency/high frequency ratio reflects sympathovagal balance. RESULTS: From baseline to 1d, a prolongation of the RR-interval (P<0.001), an increase in the values of various heart rate variability parameters (P<0.05 to P<0.001) and a decrease in the low frequency/high frequency ratio (P<0.05) were demonstrated. At 3mo, although the RR-interval remained longer (P<0.01), the values of various heart rate variability parameters were lower (P<0.01 to P<0.001) as compared to baseline. At 3mo, the low frequency/high frequency ratio (P<0.05) was higher in men than in women although no such difference was found at baseline or at 1d. CONCLUSIONS: After an initial increase in parasympathetic regulation, continuous fingolimod dosing shifts cardiac autonomic regulation towards sympathetic predominance, especially in men. Careful follow-up of fingolimod-treated relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients is warranted as sympathetic predominance associates generally with impaired outcome.ClinicalTrials.cov: NCT01704183.

Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with the C9ORF72 repeat expansion.

BACKGROUND: The C9ORF72 expansion is one of the most common causes of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The C9ORF72 expansion is associated with TDP-43 and p62 neuropathology, and amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are not common in patients with the C9ORF72 expansion. Therefore, we hypothesized that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease [AD; Aß1-42, total tau (T-tau) and phospho-tau] are normal in these patients. METHODS: The CSF Aß1-42, T-tau and phospho-tau levels were measured in 40 Finnish patients with the C9ORF72 expansion (29 FTLD, 10 ALS and 1 FTLD-ALS) using ELISA. RESULTS: A decreased Aß1-42 level was found in 25% of cases, while there were only single cases with changes in the t-Tau or phospho-tau level. The patients with abnormal biomarkers fulfilled the clinical criteria of the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and expressed no clinical signs of AD. CONCLUSIONS: In clinical diagnostics, a decreased CSF Aß1-42 level does not exclude the C9ORF72 expansion associated with FTLD.

[Update on Current Care Guideline: Multiple sclerosis]. / Kaypa hoite-suosituksen paivitystiivistelma. MS-tauti.

Treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is initiated upon fulfillment of new McDonald 2010 criteria for RRMS. In addition, lumbar puncture is an essential diagnostic method. Interferon-ß, dimethyl fumarate, glatiramer acetate and teriflunomide are the first-line immunomodulating drugs (IMD) for RRMS. If the disease is active according to clinical or MRI evaluation during the first-line IMD treatment, alemtuzumab, fingolimod or natalizumab may be considered as second-line therapies. IMD treatment is discontinued upon the transition of RRMS to secondary progressive phase. Rehabilitation should be considered at every phase of the disease.

TMEM106B is a genetic modifier of frontotemporal lobar degeneration with C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansions.

Hexanucleotide repeat expansions in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) have recently been linked to frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and may be the most common genetic cause of both neurodegenerative diseases. Genetic variants at TMEM106B influence risk for the most common neuropathological subtype of FTLD, characterized by inclusions of TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (FTLD-TDP). Previous reports have shown that TMEM106B is a genetic modifier of FTLD-TDP caused by progranulin (GRN) mutations, with the major (risk) allele of rs1990622 associating with earlier age at onset of disease. Here, we report that rs1990622 genotype affects age at death in a single-site discovery cohort of FTLD patients with C9orf72 expansions (n = 14), with the major allele correlated with later age at death (p = 0.024). We replicate this modifier effect in a 30-site international neuropathological cohort of FTLD-TDP patients with C9orf72 expansions (n = 75), again finding that the major allele associates with later age at death (p = 0.016), as well as later age at onset (p = 0.019). In contrast, TMEM106B genotype does not affect age at onset or death in 241 FTLD-TDP cases negative for GRN mutations or C9orf72 expansions. Thus, TMEM106B is a genetic modifier of FTLD with C9orf72 expansions. Intriguingly, the genotype that confers increased risk for developing FTLD-TDP (major, or T, allele of rs1990622) is associated with later age at onset and death in C9orf72 expansion carriers, providing an example of sign epistasis in human neurodegenerative disease.

Homozygosity of a Founder Variant c.1508dupC in DOK7 Causes Congenital Myasthenia With Variable Severity.

Background and Objectives: Description of 15 patients with the same variant in DOK7 causing congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS). Methods: Nine adult and 6 pediatric patients were studied with molecular genetic and clinical investigations. Results: All patients were identified with the c.1508dupC variant in DOK7, of whom 13 were homozygous and 2 patients compound heterozygous. Only 2 patients had limb girdle phenotype, while all adult patients also had ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, facial weakness, as well as inspiratory stridor. Pediatric patients had severe respiratory insufficiency and feeding difficulties at birth. Discussion: The disease severity in our patients varied extensively from ventilator or wheelchair dependence to mild facial weakness, ptosis, and ophthalmoparesis. Most of the patients had normal transmission in conventional 3 Hz stimulation electrophysiologic studies, making the diagnosis of CMS challenging. Our cohort of adult and pediatric patients expands the phenotype of DOK7 CMS and shows the importance of correct and early diagnosis.

CACNA1S Variant Associated With a Myalgic Myopathy Phenotype.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to characterize the phenotype of a novel myalgic myopathy encountered in a Finnish family. METHODS: Four symptomatic and 3 asymptomatic individuals from 2 generations underwent clinical, neurophysiologic, imaging, and muscle biopsy examinations. Targeted sequencing of all known myopathy genes was performed. RESULTS: A very rare CACNA1S gene variant c.2893G>C (p.E965Q) was identified in the family. The symptomatic patients presented with exercise-induced myalgia, cramping, muscle stiffness, and fatigue and eventually developed muscle weakness. Examinations revealed mild ptosis and unusual muscle hypertrophy in the upper limbs. In the most advanced disease stage, muscle weakness and muscle atrophy of the limbs were evident. In some patients, muscle biopsy showed mild myopathic findings and creatine kinase levels were slightly elevated. DISCUSSION: Myalgia is a very common symptom affecting quality of life. Widespread myalgia may be confused with other myalgic syndromes such as fibromyalgia. In this study, we show that variants in CACNA1S gene may be one cause of severe exercise-induced myalgia.

Psychopharmacological Medication Use in Frontotemporal Dementia at the Time of Diagnosis: Comparison with Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Due to the significant presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) spectrum disorders, psychiatric misdiagnoses, diagnostic delay, and use of psychiatric treatments are common prior to the FTD diagnosis. Furthermore, treatment of diagnosed FTD patients mainly relies on off-label psychopharmacological approaches. Currently, limited real-world data are available regarding the actual use of psychopharmacological medications in FTD. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate psychopharmacological medication use at the time of FTD diagnosis. METHODS: Psychopharmacological medication use was evaluated in a Finnish FTD cohort containing 222 FTD patients, including the major clinical disease phenotypes (behavioral, language, and motor variants) and genetic patients carrying the C9orf72 repeat expansion. A cohort of 214 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients was used as a neurodegenerative disease reference group. RESULTS: Active use of psychopharmacological medications at the time of diagnosis was significantly more common in FTD compared to AD, especially in the case of antidepressants (26.1% versus 15.0%, OR = 2.01, p = 0.008), antipsychotics (23.9% versus 9.3%, OR = 3.15, p < 0.001), and mood-stabilizers (6.3% versus 1.9%, OR = 2.93, p = 0.085; not statistically significant), whereas the use of cholinesterase inhibitors or memantine was nearly nonexistent in FTD patients. Female gender and behavioral variant of FTD phenotype alongside with depressive and psychotic symptoms were the most prominent factors associating with the use of these medications among the FTD spectrum patients. CONCLUSION: Use of off-label psychopharmacological medication and polypharmacy is substantially common at the time of FTD diagnosis. This likely reflects the challenges in using symptom-driven treatment approaches, especially prior to the eventual diagnosis.

Traumatic Brain Injury Associates with an Earlier Onset in Sporadic Frontotemporal Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there are few studies considering possible modifiable risk factors of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). OBJECTIVE: In this retrospective case-control study, we evaluated whether a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) associates with a diagnosis of FTD or modulates the clinical phenotype or onset age in FTD patients. METHODS: We compared the prevalence of prior TBI between individuals with FTD (N = 218) and age and sex-matched AD patients (N = 214) or healthy controls (HC; N = 100). Based on the patient records, an individual was categorized to the TBI+ group if they were reported to have suffered from TBI during lifetime. The possible associations of TBI with age of onset and disease duration were also evaluated in the whole FTD patient group or separately in the sporadic and genetic FTD groups. RESULTS: The prevalence of previous TBI was the highest in the FTD group (19.3%) when compared to the AD group (13.1%, p = 0.050) or HC group (12%, p = 0.108, not significant). Preceding TBI was more often associated with the sporadic FTD cases than the C9orf72 repeat expansion-carrying FTD cases (p = 0.003). Furthermore, comparison of the TBI+ and TBI- FTD groups indicated that previous TBI was associated with an earlier onset age in the FTD patients (B = 3.066, p = 0.010). CONCLUSION: A preceding TBI associates especially with sporadic FTD and with earlier onset of symptoms. The results of this study suggest that TBI may be a triggering factor for the neurodegenerative processes in FTD. However, understanding the precise underlying mechanisms still needs further studies.

Real-world treatment outcomes and safety of natalizumab in Finnish multiple sclerosis patients.

Objectives: The primary objective was to evaluate long-term treatment persistence and safety of natalizumab in Finnish multiple sclerosis patients. The secondary objectives were to assess patient characteristics, use of natalizumab-related safety protocol, and treatment persistence in patients with different anti-John Cunningham virus antibody statuses (John Cunningham virus status). Materials & Methods: All adult multiple sclerosis patients in the Finnish multiple sclerosis register who started natalizumab between 1/2006 and 12/2018 were included in this study and followed retrospectively until treatment discontinuation or end of follow-up (12/2019). Results: In total, 850 patients were included. Median duration of natalizumab treatment was 7.8 years in John Cunningham virus negative (n = 229) and 2.1 years in John Cunningham virus positive patients (n = 115; p < 0.001). The most common cause for treatment discontinuation was John Cunningham virus positivity. After natalizumab discontinuation, patients who had a washout duration of less than 6 weeks had fewer relapses during the first 6 months (p = 0.012) and 12 months (p = 0.005) compared with patients who had a washout duration of over 6 weeks. During the median follow-up of 3.6 years, 76% of patients remained stable or improved on their Expanded Disability Status Scale. Conclusions: Treatment persistence was very high among John Cunningham virus negative patients. The study supports long-term effectiveness of natalizumab and a washout duration of less than 6 weeks after discontinuation.

Serum Cathepsin S Levels Do Not Show Alterations in Different Clinical, Neuropathological, or Genetic Subtypes of Frontotemporal Dementia Patients nor in Comparison to Healthy Control Individuals.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) can manifest as diverse clinical phenotypes and is frequently caused by mutations in different genes, complicating differential diagnosis. This underlines the urgent need for valid biomarkers. Altered lysosomal and immune functions proposedly contribute to FTD pathogenesis. Cathepsins, including cathepsin S, are enzymes preferentially expressed in brain in microglia, which influence lysosomal and immune function. Here, we examined whether alterations in serum cathepsin S levels associate with specific clinical, genetic, or neuropathological FTD subgroups, but no such alterations were observed. However, further research on other lysosomal proteins may reveal new biologically relevant biomarkers in FTD.

Incidence of Syndromes Associated With Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration in 9 European Countries.

Importance: Diagnostic incidence data for syndromes associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) in multinational studies are urgent in light of upcoming therapeutic approaches. Objective: To assess the incidence of FTLD across Europe. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Frontotemporal Dementia Incidence European Research Study (FRONTIERS) was a retrospective cohort study conducted from June 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019, using a population-based registry from 13 tertiary FTLD research clinics from the UK, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Bulgaria, Serbia, Germany, and Italy and including all new FTLD-associated cases during the study period, with a combined catchment population of 11 023 643 person-years. Included patients fulfilled criteria for the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (BVFTD), the nonfluent variant or semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (PPA), unspecified PPA, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal syndrome, or frontotemporal dementia with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FTD-ALS). Data were analyzed from July 19 to December 7, 2021. Main Outcomes and Measures: Random-intercept Poisson models were used to obtain estimates of the European FTLD incidence rate accounting for geographic heterogeneity. Results: Based on 267 identified cases (mean [SD] patient age, 66.70 [9.02] years; 156 males [58.43%]), the estimated annual incidence rate for FTLD in Europe was 2.36 cases per 100 000 person-years (95% CI, 1.59-3.51 cases per 100 000 person-years). There was a progressive increase in FTLD incidence across age, reaching its peak at the age of 71 years, with 13.09 cases per 100 000 person-years (95% CI, 8.46-18.93 cases per 100 000 person-years) among men and 7.88 cases per 100 000 person-years (95% CI, 5.39-11.60 cases per 100 000 person-years) among women. Overall, the incidence was higher among men (2.84 cases per 100 000 person-years; 95% CI, 1.88-4.27 cases per 100 000 person-years) than among women (1.91 cases per 100 000 person-years; 95% CI, 1.26-2.91 cases per 100 000 person-years). BVFTD was the most common phenotype (107 cases [40.07%]), followed by PPA (76 [28.46%]) and extrapyramidal phenotypes (69 [25.84%]). FTD-ALS was the rarest phenotype (15 cases [5.62%]). A total of 95 patients with FTLD (35.58%) had a family history of dementia. The estimated number of new FTLD cases per year in Europe was 12 057. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings suggest that FTLD-associated syndromes are more common than previously recognized, and diagnosis should be considered at any age. Improved knowledge of FTLD incidence may contribute to appropriate health and social care planning and in the design of future clinical trials.

Unusual clinical presentation and neuropathology in two subjects with fused-in sarcoma (FUS) positive inclusions.

We report two unusual autopsy cases with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) that were hyperphosphorylated-tau- and TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43)- negative. The behavioral symptoms in both cases were compatible with frontotemporal dementia, but they exhibited more prominent speech and language related symptoms than previously reported. Moreover, they displayed a short duration of the disease; the male case had a disease onset age of 45 years, and duration of 5 years, and the female case suffered even shorter disease duration and a later onset of the symptoms, at the age of 67 years. Moreover, the motor functions had deteriorated in different ways in these cases. The male patient showed progressive motor symptoms, weakness of extremities and bulbar muscles suggesting motor neuron disease with a muscle biopsy supporting neurogenic deficits, whereas the female patient exhibited dyskinesias and tremor with progressive swallowing disorders. The father of the male case displayed dementia of similar type at the age of 68 years. In both cases, neuropathological examination showed fused-in sarcoma (FUS)-positive pathology. The male patient had intensely FUS-positive cytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions that resembled the characteristics previously reported in FTLD FUS, whereas the female patient did not exhibit any cytoplasmic inclusions but had roundish, dense FUS-positive intranuclear inclusions. She also displayed a plethora of other pathologies including α-synuclein, hyperphosphorylated-tau, ß-amyloid aggregation and some neuronal polyglutamine aggregation (1C2) but no well-demarcated inclusions were observed. We conclude that clinical phenotypes of FUS pathologies also include elderly patients and are more variable with motor and speech disorders than previously reported.

Grey matter atrophy in patients with benign multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Brain atrophy appears during the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is associated with the disability caused by the disease. METHODS: We investigated global and regional grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes, WM lesion load, and corpus callosum index (CCI), in benign relapsing-remitting MS (BRRMS, n = 35) with and without any treatment and compared those to aggressive relapsing-remitting MS (ARRMS, n = 46). Structures were analyzed by using an automated MRI quantification tool (cNeuro®). RESULTS: The total brain and cerebral WM volumes were larger in BRRMS than in ARRMS (p = .014, p = .017 respectively). In BRRMS, total brain volumes, regional GM volumes, and CCI were found similar whether or not disease-modifying treatment (DMT) was used. The total (p = .033), as well as subcortical (p = .046) and deep WM (p = .041) lesion load volumes were larger in BRRMS patients without DMT. Cortical GM volumes did not differ between BRRMS and ARRMS, but the volumes of total brain tissue (p = .014) and thalami (p = .003) were larger in patients with BRRMS compared to ARRMS. A positive correlation was found between CCI and whole-brain volume in both BRRMS (r = .73, p < .001) and ARRMS (r = .80, p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Thalamic volume is the most prominent measure to differentiate BRRMS and ARRMS. Validation of automated quantification of CCI provides an additional applicable MRI biomarker to detect brain atrophy in MS.

Brainstem atrophy is linked to extrapyramidal symptoms in frontotemporal dementia.

Extrapyramidal (EP) symptoms are a known feature in a subpopulation of patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Concomitant EP symptoms with FTD-like neuropsychiatric symptoms are also core features in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). This complicates the early diagnosis of these disorders. Our retrospective register study aimed to discover imaging (MRI and FDG-PET) biomarkers to differentiate PSP, CBD, and bvFTD patients with extrapyramidal symptoms (EP +) from bvFTD patients without EP symptoms (EP-). The records of 2751 patients were screened for the diagnoses and presence of EP symptoms. A total of 222 patients were submitted to imaging analysis and applicable imaging data were recovered from 139 patients. Neuroimaging data were analyzed using Freesurfer software. In the whole cohort, EP + patients showed lower volumes of gray matter compared to EP- patients in the putamen (p = 0.002), bilateral globus pallidum (p = 0.002, p = 0.042), ventral diencephalon (p = 0.002) and brain stem (p < 0.001). In the bvFTD subgroup, there was volumetric difference between EP + and EP- patients in the brain stem. FDG-PET scans in the bvFTD patient subgroup showed that EP + patients had comparative hypometabolism of the superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) and the frontal lobes. We discovered that EP symptoms are linked to brainstem atrophy in bvFTD patients and the whole cohort. Also, evident hypometabolism in the SCP of bvFTD EP + patients was detected as compared to bvFTD EP- patients. This could indicate that the EP symptoms in these diseases have a more caudal origin in the brainstem than in Parkinson's disease.