Eye movement disorders in inborn errors of metabolism: A quantitative analysis of 37 patients.

Inborn errors of metabolism are genetic disorders that need to be recognized as early as possible because treatment may be available. In late-onset forms, core symptoms are movement disorders, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive impairment. Eye movement disorders are considered to be frequent too, although specific knowledge is lacking. We describe and analyze eye movements in patients with an inborn error of metabolism, and see whether they can serve as an additional clue in the diagnosis of particularly late-onset inborn errors of metabolism. Demographics, disease characteristics, and treatment data were collected. All patients underwent a standardized videotaped neurological examination and a video-oculography. Videos are included. We included 37 patients with 15 different inborn errors of metabolism, including 18 patients with a late-onset form. With the exception of vertical supranuclear gaze palsy in Niemann-Pick type C and external ophthalmolplegia in Kearns-Sayre syndrome, no relation was found between the type of eye movement disorder and the underlying metabolic disorder. Movement disorders were present in 29 patients (78%), psychiatric symptoms in 14 (38%), and cognitive deficits in 26 patients (70%). In 87% of the patients with late-onset disease, eye movement disorders were combined with one or more of these core symptoms. To conclude, eye movement disorders are present in different types of inborn errors of metabolism, but are often not specific to the underlying disorder. However, the combination of eye movement disorders with movement disorders, psychiatric symptoms, or cognitive deficits can serve as a diagnostic clue for an underlying late-onset inborn error of metabolism.

A novel SLC2A1 mutation linking hemiplegic migraine with alternating hemiplegia of childhood.

BACKGROUND: Hemiplegic migraine (HM) and alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) are rare episodic neurological brain disorders with partial clinical and genetic overlap. Recently, ATP1A3 mutations were shown to account for the majority of AHC patients. In addition, a mutation in the SLC2A1 gene was reported in a patient with atypical AHC. We therefore investigated whether mutations in these genes may also be involved in HM. Furthermore, we studied the role of SLC2A1 mutations in a small set of AHC patients without ATP1A3 mutations. METHODS: We screened 42 HM patients (21 familial and 21 sporadic patients) for ATP1A3 and SLC2A1 mutations. In addition, four typical AHC patients and one atypical patient with overlapping symptoms of both disorders were screened for SLC2A1 mutations. RESULTS: A pathogenic de novo SLC2A1 mutation (p.Gly18Arg) was found in the atypical patient with overlapping symptoms of AHC and hemiplegic migraine. No mutations were found in the HM and the other AHC patients. CONCLUSION: Screening for a mutation in the SLC2A1 gene should be considered in patients with a complex phenotype with overlapping symptoms of hemiplegic migraine and AHC.

Movement disorders in GLUT1 deficiency syndrome respond to the modified Atkins diet.

BACKGROUND: Movement disorders are a prominent feature of glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1) deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS). First-choice treatment is a ketogenic diet, but compliance is poor. We have investigated the effect of the modified Atkins diet as an alternative treatment for movement disorders in GLUT1DS. METHODS: Four patients with GLUT1DS ages 15 to 30 years who had movement disorders as the most prominent feature were prospectively evaluated after initiation of the modified Atkins diet. Movement disorders included dystonia, ataxia, myoclonus, and spasticity, either continuous or paroxysmal, triggered by action or exercise. Duration of treatment ranged from 3 months to 16 months. RESULTS: All patients reached mild to moderate ketosis and experienced remarkable improvement in the frequency and severity of paroxysmal movement disorders. Cognitive function also improved subjectively. CONCLUSIONS: The modified Atkins diet is an effective and feasible alternative to the ketogenic diet for the treatment of GLUT1DS-related paroxysmal movement disorders in adolescence and adulthood.

Head circumference in glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome: Normal for individuals, abnormal as a group.

In the literature, microcephaly is considered as part of the classical phenotype of glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS), and previous cohort studies reported a prevalence of microcephaly of around 50%. In our clinical experience, however, only very few patients with GLUT1DS appear to have microcephaly. Therefore, we conducted an observational study among a large cohort of Dutch patients with GLUT1DS to investigate the prevalence of microcephaly, defined as < 2 standard deviations (SD) below the mean. We analysed the head circumference of 54 patients and found a prevalence of microcephaly at last known measurement of 6.5%. Notably, none of the patients had a head circumference < -3 SD. However, we learned that 75.9% of the patients had a head circumference below 0 SD. This study shows that microcephaly occurs less often than previously thought in patients with GLUT1DS, and that primary or secondary microcephaly does not seem to be a sign for clinicians to suspect GLUT1DS. As a group, however, patients with GLUT1DS seem to have decreased head circumference compared to healthy individuals and as such, our study suggests that early brain development and brain growth may be compromised in GLUT1DS.

Glucose transporter-1 deficiency syndrome: the expanding clinical and genetic spectrum of a treatable disorder.

Glucose transporter-1 deficiency syndrome is caused by mutations in the SLC2A1 gene in the majority of patients and results in impaired glucose transport into the brain. From 2004-2008, 132 requests for mutational analysis of the SLC2A1 gene were studied by automated Sanger sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Mutations in the SLC2A1 gene were detected in 54 patients (41%) and subsequently in three clinically affected family members. In these 57 patients we identified 49 different mutations, including six multiple exon deletions, six known mutations and 37 novel mutations (13 missense, five nonsense, 13 frame shift, four splice site and two translation initiation mutations). Clinical data were retrospectively collected from referring physicians by means of a questionnaire. Three different phenotypes were recognized: (i) the classical phenotype (84%), subdivided into early-onset (<2 years) (65%) and late-onset (18%); (ii) a non-classical phenotype, with mental retardation and movement disorder, without epilepsy (15%); and (iii) one adult case of glucose transporter-1 deficiency syndrome with minimal symptoms. Recognizing glucose transporter-1 deficiency syndrome is important, since a ketogenic diet was effective in most of the patients with epilepsy (86%) and also reduced movement disorders in 48% of the patients with a classical phenotype and 71% of the patients with a non-classical phenotype. The average delay in diagnosing classical glucose transporter-1 deficiency syndrome was 6.6 years (range 1 month-16 years). Cerebrospinal fluid glucose was below 2.5 mmol/l (range 0.9-2.4 mmol/l) in all patients and cerebrospinal fluid : blood glucose ratio was below 0.50 in all but one patient (range 0.19-0.52). Cerebrospinal fluid lactate was low to normal in all patients. Our relatively large series of 57 patients with glucose transporter-1 deficiency syndrome allowed us to identify correlations between genotype, phenotype and biochemical data. Type of mutation was related to the severity of mental retardation and the presence of complex movement disorders. Cerebrospinal fluid : blood glucose ratio was related to type of mutation and phenotype. In conclusion, a substantial number of the patients with glucose transporter-1 deficiency syndrome do not have epilepsy. Our study demonstrates that a lumbar puncture provides the diagnostic clue to glucose transporter-1 deficiency syndrome and can thereby dramatically reduce diagnostic delay to allow early start of the ketogenic diet.

Glut1 Deficiency Syndrome (Glut1DS): State of the art in 2020 and recommendations of the international Glut1DS study group.

Glut1 deficiency syndrome (Glut1DS) is a brain energy failure syndrome caused by impaired glucose transport across brain tissue barriers. Glucose diffusion across tissue barriers is facilitated by a family of proteins including glucose transporter type 1 (Glut1). Patients are treated effectively with ketogenic diet therapies (KDT) that provide a supplemental fuel, namely ketone bodies, for brain energy metabolism. The increasing complexity of Glut1DS, since its original description in 1991, now demands an international consensus statement regarding diagnosis and treatment. International experts (n = 23) developed a consensus statement utilizing their collective professional experience, responses to a standardized questionnaire, and serial discussions of wide-ranging issues related to Glut1DS. Key clinical features signaling the onset of Glut1DS are eye-head movement abnormalities, seizures, neurodevelopmental impairment, deceleration of head growth, and movement disorders. Diagnosis is confirmed by the presence of these clinical signs, hypoglycorrhachia documented by lumbar puncture, and genetic analysis showing pathogenic SLC2A1 variants. KDT represent standard choices with Glut1DS-specific recommendations regarding duration, composition, and management. Ongoing research has identified future interventions to restore Glut1 protein content and function. Clinical manifestations are influenced by patient age, genetic complexity, and novel therapeutic interventions. All clinical phenotypes will benefit from a better understanding of Glut1DS natural history throughout the life cycle and from improved guidelines facilitating early diagnosis and prompt treatment. Often, the presenting seizures are treated initially with antiseizure drugs before the cause of the epilepsy is ascertained and appropriate KDT are initiated. Initial drug treatment fails to treat the underlying metabolic disturbance during early brain development, contributing to the long-term disease burden. Impaired development of the brain microvasculature is one such complication of delayed Glut1DS treatment in the postnatal period. This international consensus statement should facilitate prompt diagnosis and guide best standard of care for Glut1DS throughout the life cycle.

Rituximab and intravenous immunoglobulins for relapsing postinfectious opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome.

We describe 2 children with postinfectious opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome. Although the patients initially responded to monotherapy with methylprednisolone, intravenous immunoglobulins, or rituximab, they manifested persistent neurologic deficits and relapsing signs. Treatment with rituximab in combination with intravenous immunoglobulin, however, resulted in significant longterm clinical improvement.

Upstream SLC2A1 translation initiation causes GLUT1 deficiency syndrome.

Glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS) is a neurometabolic disorder with a complex phenotypic spectrum but simple biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid. The disorder is caused by impaired glucose transport into the brain resulting from variants in SCL2A1. In 10% of GLUT1DS patients, a genetic diagnosis can not be made. Using whole-genome sequencing, we identified a de novo 5'-UTR variant in SLC2A1, generating a novel translation initiation codon, severely compromising SLC2A1 function. This finding expands our understanding of the disease mechanisms underlying GLUT1DS and encourages further in-depth analysis of SLC2A1 non-coding regions in patients without variants in the coding region.

Chronic herpes simplex virus encephalitis in childhood.

Although herpes simplex virus is a major cause of acute encephalitis in childhood, chronic herpes simplex virus encephalitis has only rarely been reported. This report presents a case of chronic herpes simplex virus encephalitis in a 6-year-old female. Diagnosis was based on the detection of herpes simplex virus deoxyribonucleic acid by polymerase chain reaction in combination with the cerebrospinal fluid/serum ratio of herpes simplex virus-specific immunoglobulin G, the presence of herpes simplex virus-specific oligoclonal immunoglobulin G bands in cerebrospinal fluid, and calcifications in the temporal regions found on cerebral computed tomographic scan. Prolonged antiviral therapy was beneficial to later mental development.

Lactate and its many faces.

BACKGROUND: Lactate is traditionally seen as a marker of ischemia and a waste product of anaerobic glycolysis. In the last thirty years a more beneficial side of lactate as an alternative 'glucose sparing' fuel has been demonstrated. However, the translation of these growing insights to clinical practice seems to appear with great delay. METHODS: A review of the literature was performed, focusing on glucose and lactate in relation to cerebral energy metabolism, in the context of four typical clinical situations, namely (transient states of) low glucose availability for the brain due to hypoglycemia, combined with high blood lactate concentrations; permanent neuroglycopenia; lactic acidosis in mitochondrial disorders; and ischemic as well as traumatic brain injury. RESULTS: Lactate is thought to be an alternative fuel in the brain of patients with glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome and glycogen storage disease, and it has been demonstrated that lactate might have a protective role in ischemic and traumatic brain injury. CONCLUSION: Lactate has an apparently largely ignored, but potential beneficial role in the clinical management of several neurologic disorders.

Hourly analysis of cerebrospinal fluid glucose shows large diurnal fluctuations.

Cerebrospinal fluid analysis is important in the diagnostics of many neurological disorders. Since the influence of food intake on the cerebrospinal fluid glucose concentration and the cerebrospinal fluid/plasma glucose ratio is largely unknown, we studied fluctuations in these parameters in healthy adult volunteers during a period of 36 h. Our observations show large physiological fluctuations of cerebrospinal fluid glucose and the cerebrospinal fluid/plasma glucose ratio, and their relation to food intake. These findings provide novel insights into the physiology of cerebral processes dependent on glucose levels such as energy formation (e.g. glycolysis), enzymatic reactions (e.g. glycosylation), and non-enzymatic reactions (e.g. advanced endproduct glycation).

Cerebrospinal fluid analysis in the workup of GLUT1 deficiency syndrome: a systematic review.

IMPORTANCE: GLUT1 deficiency syndrome is a treatable neurometabolic disorder, characterized by a low concentration of glucose in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and a decreased CSF to blood glucose ratio. Reports of patients with apparently normal CSF glucose levels, however, have raised the question whether CSF analysis is a reliable screening tool for GLUT1 deficiency syndrome. OBJECTIVE: To determine the value of CSF analysis in the workup of GLUT1 deficiency syndrome. EVIDENCE REVIEW: PubMed was searched until July 2012 by using the terms glucose transporter 1 (GLUT-1) deficiency syndrome, glucose transporter defect, and SLC2A1-gene. Relevant references mentioned in the articles were also included. The CSF results of all patients with genetically proven GLUT1 deficiency syndrome described in literature were reevaluated. FINDINGS: The levels of glucose in CSF, the CSF to blood glucose ratios, and the levels of lactate in CSF were reported for 147 (94%), 152 (97%), and 73 (46%) of 157 patients, respectively. The CSF glucose levels ranged from 16.2 to 50.5 mg/dL and were at or below the 10th percentile for all 147 patients. The CSF to blood glucose ratios ranged from 0.19 to 0.59 and were at or below the 10th percentile for 139 of 152 patients (91%), but they could be within the normal range as well. The CSF lactate levels ranged from 5.4 to 13.5 mg/dL and were at or below the 10th percentile for 59 of 73 patients (81%). A typical CSF profile for GLUT1 deficiency syndrome, which is defined as a CSF glucose level at or below the 10th percentile, a CSF to blood glucose ratio at or below the 25th percentile, and a CSF lactate level at or below the 10th percentile, was found in only 35 of 4099 CSF samples (0.9%) present in our CSF database of patients who received a diagnosis other than GLUT1 deficiency syndrome. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: We conclude that if age-specific reference values are applied, CSF glucose and lactate levels are adequate biomarkers in the diagnostic workup of GLUT1 deficiency syndrome. Future availability of whole-exome sequencing in clinical practice will make the existence of a reliable biomarker for GLUT1 deficiency syndrome even more important, in order to interpret genetic results and, even more importantly, not to miss SLC2A1-negative patients with GLUT1 deficiency syndrome.

Child neurology: differential diagnosis of a low CSF glucose in children and young adults.

Analysis of CSF is daily routine in patients with acute neurologic disorders like CNS infections. In those patients, the finding of a low CSF glucose may influence further diagnostic workup and therapeutic choices. The interpretation of a low CSF glucose in patients with a chronic neurologic disorder, however, is a less common practice. We present a practical overview on the differential diagnosis of a low CSF glucose and stress the importance of recognizing a low CSF glucose as the diagnostic marker for GLUT1 deficiency syndrome, a treatable neurometabolic disorder.

Cerebrospinal fluid glucose and lactate: age-specific reference values and implications for clinical practice.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is an important tool in the diagnostic work-up of many neurological disorders, but reference ranges for CSF glucose, CSF/plasma glucose ratio and CSF lactate based on studies with large numbers of CSF samples are not available. Our aim was to define age-specific reference values. In 1993 The Nijmegen Observational CSF Study was started. Results of all CSF samples that were analyzed between 1993 and 2008 at our laboratory were systematically collected and stored in our computerized database. After exclusion of CSF samples with an unknown or elevated erythrocyte count, an elevated leucocyte count, elevated concentrations of bilirubin, free hemoglobin, or total protein 9,036 CSF samples were further studied for CSF glucose (n = 8,871), CSF/plasma glucose ratio (n = 4,516) and CSF lactate values (n = 7,614). CSF glucose, CSF/plasma glucose ratio and CSF lactate were age-, but not sex dependent. Age-specific reference ranges were defined as 5-95(th) percentile ranges. CSF glucose 5(th) percentile values ranged from 1.8 to 2.9 mmol/L and 95(th) percentile values from 3.8 to 5.6 mmol/L. CSF/plasma glucose ratio 5(th) percentile values ranged from 0.41 to 0.53 and 95(th) percentile values from 0.82 to 1.19. CSF lactate 5(th) percentile values ranged from 0.88 to 1.41 mmol/L and 95(th) percentile values from 2.00 to 2.71 mmol/L. Reference ranges for all three parameters were widest in neonates and narrowest in toddlers, with lower and upper limits increasing with age. These reference values allow a reliable interpretation of CSF results in everyday clinical practice. Furthermore, hypoglycemia was associated with an increased CSF/plasma glucose ratio, whereas hyperglycemia did not affect the CSF/plasma glucose ratio.