Clinical Features of Female Carriers and Prodromal Male Patients With Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical and electrophysiologic features of female carriers and early-stage male patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) to elucidate the early pathophysiologic changes of the disease. METHODS: Female carriers, early-stage male patients with SBMA, and age-matched male and female healthy controls were recruited. The results of motor functional scales, motor unit number estimation, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and peripheral blood tests were compared between female carriers and healthy female controls and between patients with SBMA and healthy male controls. EMG was also investigated in female carriers. RESULTS: We enrolled 21 female carriers and 11 early-stage male patients. Seventeen female and 14 male age-matched healthy controls were also enrolled. Female carriers experienced early-stage symptoms such as muscle cramps more frequently than healthy female controls. Decreased motor unit number estimation and EMG abnormalities including high amplitude or polyphasic potentials were observed in female carriers together with mild muscle weakness in neck flexion and a slow walking speed. Changes of muscle-related markers, including serum creatine kinase and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, were clearly detected in early-stage male patients with SBMA, but not in female carriers. DISCUSSION: The present study revealed that female carriers of SBMA manifest mild muscular weakness associated with changes in neurogenic biomarkers. Conversely, male patients showed neurogenic and myopathic changes even at the early stage. These results suggest a testosterone-independent neurodegenerative pathophysiology in female SBMA carriers.

Mexiletine in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) often experience muscular weakness under cold exposure. METHODS: In our previously conducted observational study, we assessed nerve conduction and grip strength to examine the effect of cold exposure on motor function, based on which we conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mexiletine hydrochloride in SBMA (MEXPRESS). RESULTS: In the observational study, 51 consecutive patients with SBMA and 18 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Of the patients with SBMA, 88.0% experienced cold paresis. Patients with SBMA exhibited greater prolongation of ulnar nerve distal latency under cold (SBMA, 5.6 ± 1.1 msec; HC, 4.3 ± 0.6 msec; p <0.001); the change in the distal latencies between room temperature and cold exposure conditions correlated with the change in grip power. In the MEXPRESS trial, 20 participants took mexiletine or lactose, three times a day for 4 weeks with a crossover design. There was no difference in distal latencies at room temperature and under cold exposure between mexiletine and placebo groups as the primary endpoint. However, tongue pressure and 10-sec grip and release test under cold exposure were improved in the mexiletine group. There were no serious adverse events throughout the study period. INTERPRETATION: Cold paresis is common and associated with prolongation of distal latency in SBMA. The results of the phase II clinical trial revealed that mexiletine showed short-term safety, but it did not restore cold exposure-induced prolongation of distal latency.

Development of a functional composite for the evaluation of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.

This study aimed to develop a functional measurement that combines quantitative motor evaluation index of various body regions in patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). We assessed subjects with SBMA and healthy controls with quantitative muscle strength measurements and functional scales. We selected tongue pressure, grip power, % peak expiratory flow (%PEF), timed walking test, and % forced vital capacity (%FVC) as components. By combining these values with Z-score, we created a functional composite (SBMA functional composite: SBMAFC). We also calculated the standardized response mean to compare the sensitivity of SBMAFC with that of existing measurements. A total of 97 genetically confirmed patients with SBMA and 36 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. In the longitudinal analysis, the standardized response mean of SBMAFC was larger than that of existing rating scales. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated that the SBMAFC is capable of distinguishing between subjects with early-stage SBMA and healthy controls. SBMAFC is more sensitive to disease progression than existing functional rating scales and is a potential outcome measure in clinical trials of SBMA.

Study protocol for the MEXiletine hydrochloride administration trial: a placebo-controlled, randomised, double-blind, multicentre, crossover study of its efficacy and safety in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (MEXPRESS).

INTRODUCTION: Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is a slowly progressive neuromuscular disease. Cold exposure often leads to worsening of motor symptoms including paresis. Although mexiletine hydrochloride administration has been shown to be effective for the treatment of several muscular diseases, its effectiveness in SBMA has not been validated to date. The trial will test it as a symptomatic drug for cold paresis. This study is the first trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mexiletine hydrochloride administration in patients with SBMA. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A placebo-controlled, randomised, double-blind, multicentre, crossover clinical trial will be conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of mexiletine hydrochloride in patients with SBMA. The eligible patients will be assigned randomly in a 1:1 ratio to two groups in a double-blind manner. Participants will take mexiletine hydrochloride (300 mg/day) or a placebo orally three times a day for 4 weeks (period 1). After a 1-week washout period, participants will take the other drug for 4 weeks (period 2). The primary endpoint is the difference in distal latencies between room temperature and cold exposure conditions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study will be conducted in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration and the Ethical Guidelines for Medical and Health Research Involving Human Subjects by the Japanese government and has been approved by the ethics committee of Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, as a central institutional review board, and by each facility. The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN000026150; Pre-results.

Treatment with Creatine Monohydrate in Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy: Protocol for a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Although spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) has been classified as a motor neuron disease, several reports have indicated the primary involvement of skeletal muscle in the pathogenesis of this devastating disease. Recent studies reported decreased intramuscular creatine levels in skeletal muscles in both patients with SBMA and transgenic mouse models of SBMA, which appears to contribute to muscle weakness. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to examine the efficacy and safety of oral creatine supplementation to improve motor function in patients with SBMA. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-armed clinical trial was conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of creatine therapy in patients with SBMA. Patients with SBMA eligible for this study were assigned randomly in a 1:1:1 ratio to each group of placebo, 10 g, or 15 g daily dose of creatine monohydrate in a double-blind fashion. Participants took creatine or placebo orally 3 times a day for 8 weeks. Outcome measurements were results of neurological assessments, examinations, and questionnaires collected at baseline and at weeks 4, 8, and 16 after a washout period. The primary endpoint was the change in handgrip strength values from baseline to week 8. The secondary endpoints included the following: results of maximum voluntary isometric contraction tests of extremities; tongue pressure; results of the 15-foot timed walk test and the rise from bed test; modified quantitative myasthenia gravis score; respiratory function test results; activities of daily living assessed with the Revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale and the Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy Functional Rating Scale; skeletal muscle mass measured with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine levels; and questionnaires examining the quality of life, swallowing function, and fatigue. RESULTS: Participant enrollment in the trial started from June 2014 and follow-up was completed in July 2015. The study is currently being analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first clinical trial evaluating creatine therapy in SBMA. Given that creatine serves as an energy source in skeletal muscles, recovery of intramuscular creatine concentration is expected to improve muscle strength. TRIAL REGISTRATION: University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000012503; https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000014611 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6xOlbPkg3).

Biomarker-based analysis of preclinical progression in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.

OBJECTIVE: To identify a candidate biomarker reflecting biological changes during the preclinical progression of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). METHODS: We analyzed longitudinal changes in biochemical parameters obtained during health examinations before and after the diagnosis of SBMA. We estimated trajectories of clinical markers across years from the onset of weakness using linear mixed models and compared these trajectories with those estimated for male healthy controls and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson disease (PD). Moreover, we examined the relationship between serum creatinine level and the onset of symptoms using Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: Between October 2014 and October 2017, we enrolled 40 patients with genetically confirmed SBMA, 48 healthy controls, 25 patients with ALS, and 20 patients with PD. In patients with SBMA, we evaluated the patients' data for a period of 17.3 ± 7.5 years, including 11.4 ± 7.1 years of preclinical phase. Decreases in serum creatinine occurred >10 years before the onset. The mean serum creatinine concentration was 0.56 mg/dL at the onset of weakness in patients with SBMA compared to 0.88 ± 0.10 mg/dL on final evaluation in healthy controls. Serum levels of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase showed tendencies to increase in preclinical SBMA. These preclinical changes of biomarkers were not observed in either ALS or PD. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that serum creatinine begins to decrease before the onset of clinical symptoms and is a biomarker for disease progression and the efficacy of therapeutics in preclinical SBMA.

Quantitative Assessment of Swallowing Dysfunction in Patients with Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy.

Objective This study aimed to evaluate swallowing dysfunction in patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy and to identify the most appropriate method of assessing swallowing dysfunction using a videofluoroscopic swallowing study. Methods In the videofluoroscopic swallowing study, patients were instructed to swallow 3 mL of 40% weight/volume barium sulfate twice, and the pharyngeal residue was measured. We used three different methods to quantify the pharyngeal barium residue and an eight-point scale to evaluate the laryngeal penetration leading to aspiration pneumoniae. Patients We assessed 111 patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy who weren't undergoing disease-specific treatment. Results Our results showed that the pharyngeal barium residue after initial swallowing correlated better with the bulbar-related functional rating scales than that after multiple deglutition. This correlation was vague when the data from patients whose barium residue was >50% were eliminated. In addition, evaluating the pharyngeal residue after initial swallowing proved to be the most sensitive method with regard to laryngeal penetration. Conclusion This study showed that the pharyngeal barium residue after initial swallowing was the most appropriate parameter for quantitatively assessing the degree of dysphagia using a videofluoroscopic swallowing study and suggests that this method may predict laryngeal penetration and aspiration in patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.

Long-term treatment with leuprorelin for spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy: natural history-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognosis and progression of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), a rare X-linked motor neuron disorder caused by trinucleotide repeat expansion in the AR (androgen receptor) gene, after long-term androgen suppression with leuprorelin acetate treatment. METHODS: In the present natural history-controlled study, 36 patients with SBMA treated with leuprorelin acetate for up to 84 months (leuprorelin acetate-treated group; LT group) and 29 patients with SBMA with no specific treatment (non-treated group; NT group) were analysed. Disease progression was evaluated by longitudinal quantitative assessment of motor functioning using the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R), and the modified Norris score. In addition, we selected two major clinical endpoint events, namely the occurrence of pneumonia requiring hospitalisation and death, to evaluate disease prognosis following long-term leuprorelin acetate treatment. RESULTS: In our analysis of the longitudinal disease progression using the random slope model, we observed a significant difference in the ALSFRS-R total score, the Limb Norris Score, and the Norris Bulbar Score (p=0.005, 0.026 and 0.020, respectively), with the LT group exhibiting a slower per-12-months decline compared with the NT group. As for the event analysis, the prognosis of the LT group was better in comparison to the NT group as for the event-free survival period (p=0.021). CONCLUSION: Long-term treatment with leuprorelin acetate appears to delay the functional decline and suppress the incidence of pneumonia and death in subjects with SBMA.

Correlation of insulin resistance and motor function in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.

This study aimed to evaluate various metabolic parameters in patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), to investigate the association between those indices and disease severity, and to explore the underlying molecular pathogenesis. We compared the degree of obesity, metabolic parameters, and blood pressure in 55 genetically confirmed SBMA patients against those in 483 age- and sex-matched healthy control. In SBMA patients, we investigated the correlation between these factors and motor functional indices. SBMA patients had lower body mass index, blood glucose, and Hemoglobin A1c, but higher blood pressure, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, a marker of insulin resistance), total cholesterol, and adiponectin levels than the control subjects. There were no differences in visceral fat areas, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), or triglyceride levels in two groups. Revised amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R) correlated positively with HDL-C, but negatively with HOMA-IR. Through stepwise multiple regression analysis, we identified HOMA-IR as a significant metabolic determinant of ALSFRS-R. In biochemical analysis, we found that decreased expressions of insulin receptors, insulin receptor substrate-1 and insulin receptor-ß, in autopsied muscles and fibroblasts of SBMA patients. This study demonstrates that SBMA patients have insulin resistance, which is associated with the disease severity. The expressions of insulin receptors are attenuated in the skeletal muscle of SBMA, providing a possible pathomechanism of metabolic alterations. These findings suggested that insulin resistance is a metabolic index reflecting disease severity and pathogenesis as well as a potential therapeutic target for SBMA.

Decreased Peak Expiratory Flow Associated with Muscle Fiber-Type Switching in Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy.

The aim of this study was to characterize the respiratory function profile of subjects with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), and to explore the underlying pathological mechanism by comparing the clinical and biochemical indices of this disease with those of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We enrolled male subjects with SBMA (n = 40) and ALS (n = 25) along with 15 healthy control subjects, and assessed their respiratory function, motor function, and muscle strength. Predicted values of peak expiratory flow (%PEF) and forced vital capacity were decreased in subjects with SBMA compared with controls. In SBMA, both values were strongly correlated with the trunk subscores of the motor function tests and showed deterioration relative to disease duration. Compared with activities of daily living (ADL)-matched ALS subjects, %PEF, tongue pressure, and grip power were substantially decreased in subjects with SBMA. Both immunofluorescence and RT-PCR demonstrated a selective decrease in the expression levels of the genes encoding the myosin heavy chains specific to fast-twitch fibers in SBMA subjects. The mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta were up-regulated in SBMA compared with ALS and controls. In conclusion, %PEF is a disease-specific respiratory marker for the severity and progression of SBMA. Explosive muscle strength, including %PEF, was selectively affected in subjects with SBMA and was associated with activation of the mitochondrial biogenesis-related molecular pathway in skeletal muscles.

Clinicopathological features of adult-onset neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease.

Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by eosinophilic hyaline intranuclear inclusions in the central and peripheral nervous system, and also in the visceral organs. NIID has been considered to be a heterogeneous disease because of the highly variable clinical manifestations, and ante-mortem diagnosis has been difficult. However, since we reported the usefulness of skin biopsy for the diagnosis of NIID, the number of NIID diagnoses has increased, in particular adult-onset NIID. In this study, we studied 57 cases of adult-onset NIID and described their clinical and pathological features. We analysed both NIID cases diagnosed by post-mortem dissection and by ante-mortem skin biopsy based on the presence of characteristic eosinophilic, hyaline and ubiquitin-positive intanuclear inclusion: 38 sporadic cases and 19 familial cases, from six families. In the sporadic NIID cases with onset age from 51 to 76, dementia was the most prominent initial symptom (94.7%) as designated 'dementia dominant group', followed by miosis, ataxia and unconsciousness. Muscle weakness and sensory disturbance were also observed. It was observed that, in familial NIID cases with onset age less than 40 years, muscle weakness was seen most frequently (100%), as designated 'limb weakness group', followed by sensory disturbance, miosis, bladder dysfunction, and dementia. In familial cases with more than 40 years of onset age, dementia was most prominent (100%). Elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein and abnormal nerve conduction were frequently observed in both sporadic and familial NIID cases. Head magnetic resonance imaging showed high intensity signal in corticomedullary junction in diffusion-weighted image in both sporadic and familial NIID cases, a strong clue to the diagnosis. All of the dementia dominant cases presented with this type of leukoencephalopathy on head magnetic resonance imaging. Both sporadic and familial NIID cases presented with a decline in Mini-Mental State Examination and Frontal Assessment Battery scores. Based on these clinicopathological features, we proposed a diagnosis flow chart of adult-onset NIID. Our study suggested that the prevalence rate of adult-onset NIID may be higher than previously thought, and that NIID may be underdiagnosed. We should take NIID into account for differential diagnosis of leukoencephalopathy and neuropathy.

Impaired muscle uptake of creatine in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the pathomechanism underlying the reduction of serum creatinine (Cr) concentrations in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). METHODS: We evaluated blood chemistries, motor function, and muscle mass measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in male subjects with SBMA (n = 65), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; n = 27), and healthy controls (n = 25). We also examined the intramuscular concentrations of creatine, a precursor of Cr, as well as the protein and mRNA expression levels of the creatine transporter (SLC6A8) in autopsy specimens derived from subjects who had SBMA and ALS and disease controls. Furthermore, we measured the mRNA expression levels of SLC6A8 in cultured muscle cells (C2C12) transfected with the polyglutamine-expanded androgen receptor (AR-97Q). RESULTS: Serum Cr concentrations were significantly lower in subjects with SBMA than in those with ALS (P < 0.001), despite similar muscle mass values. Intramuscular creatine concentrations were also lower in with the autopsied specimen of SBMA subjects than in those with ALS subjects (P = 0.018). Moreover, the protein and mRNA expression levels of muscle SLC6A8 were suppressed in subjects with SBMA. The mRNA levels of SLC6A8 were also suppressed in C2C12 cells bearing AR-97Q. INTERPRETATION: These results suggest that low serum Cr concentration in subjects with SBMA is caused by impaired muscle uptake of creatine in addition to being caused by neurogenic atrophy. Given that creatine serves as an energy source in skeletal muscle, increasing muscle creatine uptake is a possible therapeutic approach for treating SBMA.

[Spinal cord compression due to extramedullary hematopoiesis in a patient with myelofibrosis].

Development and growth of hematopoietic tissue outside of the bone marrow is termed extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH). It occurs in patients with hematological diseases such as myelofibrosis and thalassemia. Liver and spleen are the usual sites of EMH. However, spinal cord compression caused by EMH is a rare complication. A 65-year-old man with myelofibrosis was admitted to our hospital with progressive paraparesis. Thoracic spine MRI revealed epidural masses causing cord compression. Histological examination of the epidural mass showed evidence of EMH consisting of megakaryocytic and erythroid hyperplasia. After surgical decompression and radiotherapy, lower limb weakness and sensory disturbance were significantly improved. MRI showed disappearance of the spinal cord compression. With this therapy, he had no recurrence until he died of myelofibrosis. Spinal EMH should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with hematological diseases presenting with paraparesis. Surgical decompression and radiotherapy are effective approaches for the treatment of paraparesis due to EMH.

[A case of atraumatic hematomyelia extending from the C1 to T11 segments of the spinal cord].

Intramedullary spinal cord hemorrhage (hematomyelia) is rare and usually related to trauma. Spinal vascular malformations such as intramedullary cavernomas and intradural arteriovenous malformations are the most common cause of atraumatic hematomyelia. Other considerations include warfarin or heparin anticoagulation, bleeding disorders, spinal cord tumors, and delayed complication of spinal radiation. We report the case of 48-year-old man receiving warfarin and aspirin therapy, who showed upper limb pain and dysesthesia from left axilla to left femur. Paraplegia, sensory disturbance, bladder and rectal disturbance developed gradually over two weeks, accompanied by severe back and neck pain. MRI showed hematomyelia extending from the C1 to T11 segments of the spinal cord. The hemorrhage was located mainly in the left side of the posterior column. Few cases of hematomyelia extending over 18 segments of the spinal cord have been reported. Past literature reports of hematomyelia tend to extend longitudinally above and below the area of initial hemorrhage. We thought that the shape of this hematomyelia extending longitudinally over several segments was formed by a similar pathogenesis to pencil-shaped softening of the spinal cord.

[Clinical features and courses in patients with new-onset epileptic convulsive seizure: comparison of elderly with non-elderly].

We retrospectively studied the clinical features and the outcome of first acute symptomatic seizure in elderly. The subjects were 457 patients, who were more than 15 years old, and whose electroencephalograms were available in our hospital. The subjects were divided into two groups, the elderly (236 patients; age more than 60 years, mean age; 73.2±8.2, 105 female, 131 men), and non-elderly (221 patients; 15≤age≤59, mean age; 35.7±14.1, 87 female, 134 men), and were diagnosed in accordance with the guidelines of ILAE. We ascertained all episodes of acute symptomatic seizure and unprovoked seizure. Date on age, gender, etiology, status epilepticus (SE), 30-day and one-year mortalities, and subsequent episodes of unprovoked seizure were collected. Acute symptomatic seizures are more likely to occur in elderly group, and showed higher short-/and long-term mortalities than unprovoked seizures in both elderly and non-elderly groups. Acute symptomatic seizures due to multiple causes in elderly group showed the highest mortality. The outcome of patient who had SE was poorer within 30 days, but not within one year among 30-day survivors. Considering the fact that first seizures in the elderly are likely to be provoked by acute illnesses, we need to take special care in diagnosing and treating them.