Weight loss after bariatric surgery normalizes brain opioid receptors in morbid obesity.

Positron emission tomography (PET) studies suggest opioidergic system dysfunction in morbid obesity, while evidence for the role of the dopaminergic system is less consistent. Whether opioid dysfunction represents a state or trait in obesity remains unresolved, but could be assessed in obese subjects undergoing weight loss. Here we measured brain µ-opioid receptor (MOR) and dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) availability in 16 morbidly obese women twice-before and 6 months after bariatric surgery-using PET with [(11)C]carfentanil and [(11)C]raclopride. Data were compared with those from 14 lean control subjects. Receptor-binding potentials (BPND) were compared between the groups and between the pre- and postoperative scans among the obese subjects. Brain MOR availability was initially lower among obese subjects, but weight loss (mean=26.1 kg, s.d.=7.6 kg) reversed this and resulted in ~23% higher MOR availability in the postoperative versus preoperative scan. Changes were observed in areas implicated in reward processing, including ventral striatum, insula, amygdala and thalamus (P's<0.005). Weight loss did not influence D2R availability in any brain region. Taken together, the endogenous opioid system plays an important role in the pathophysiology of human obesity. Because bariatric surgery and concomitant weight loss recover downregulated MOR availability, lowered MOR availability is associated with an obese phenotype and may mediate excessive energy uptake. Our results highlight that understanding the opioidergic contribution to overeating is critical for developing new treatments for obesity.

[11C]PIB, [18F]FDG and MR imaging in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

PURPOSE: Cortical glucose metabolism, brain amyloid ß accumulation and hippocampal atrophy imaging have all been suggested as potential biomarkers in predicting which patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) will convert to Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this study was to compare the prognostic ability of [(11)C]PIB PET, [(18)F]FDG PET and quantitative hippocampal volumes measured with MR imaging in predicting conversion to AD in patients with MCI. METHODS: The study group comprised 29 patients with MCI who underwent [(11)C]PIB PET and MR imaging. Of these, 22 also underwent [(18)F]FDG PET. All subjects were invited back for clinical evaluation after 2 years. RESULTS: During the follow-up time 17 patients had converted to AD while 12 continued to meet the criteria for MCI. The two groups did not differ in age, gender or education level, but the converter group tended to have lower MMSE and Word List learning than the nonconverter group. High [(11)C]PIB retention in the frontotemporal regions and anterior and posterior cingulate (p < 0.05) predicted conversion to AD. Also reduced [(18)F]FDG uptake in the left lateral temporal cortex (LTC) predicted conversion (p < 0.05), but quantitative hippocampal volumes did not (p > 0.1). In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis the measurements that best predicted the conversion were [(11)C]PIB retention in the lateral frontal cortex and [(18)F]FDG uptake in the left LTC. Both PET methods resulted in good sensitivity and specificity and neither was significantly superior to the other. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that [(11)C]PIB and [(18)F]FDG are superior to hippocampal volumes in predicting conversion to AD in patients with MCI.

Brain ß-Amyloid and Atrophy in Individuals at Increased Risk of Cognitive Decline.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relationship between brain ß-amyloid and regional atrophy is still incompletely understood in elderly individuals at risk of dementia. Here, we studied the associations between brain ß-amyloid load and regional GM and WM volumes in older adults who were clinically evaluated as being at increased risk of cognitive decline based on cardiovascular risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty subjects (63-81 years of age) were recruited as part of a larger study, the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability. Neuroimaging consisted of PET using 11C Pittsburgh compound-B and T1-weighted 3D MR imaging for the measurement of brain ß-amyloid and GM and WM volumes, respectively. All subjects underwent clinical, genetic, and neuropsychological evaluations for the assessment of cognitive function and the identification of cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: Sixteen subjects were visually evaluated as showing cortical ß-amyloid (positive for ß-amyloid). In the voxel-by-voxel analyses, no significant differences were found in GM and WM volumes between the samples positive and negative for ß-amyloid. However, in the sample positive for ß-amyloid, increases in 11C Pittsburgh compound-B uptake were associated with reductions in GM volume in the left prefrontal (P = .02) and right temporal lobes (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show a significant association between increases in brain ß-amyloid and reductions in regional GM volume in individuals at increased risk of cognitive decline. This evidence is consistent with a model in which increases in ß-amyloid incite neurodegeneration in memory systems before cognitive impairment manifests.

Amino-acid-based peritoneal dialysis solution improves amino-acid transport into skeletal muscle.

Abnormalities of amino-acid (AA) and protein metabolism are known to occur in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Protein malnutrition may contribute to impaired prognosis of dialysis patients. A crucial step in protein metabolism is AA transport into the cells. We compared the effects of an AA-containing peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution to glucose-based solutions on skeletal muscle AA uptake. Thirteen nondiabetic PD patients were studied twice in a random order and in a crossover manner both in the fasting state and during euglycemic insulin stimulation using [(11)C]methylaminoisobutyrate ([(11)C]MeAIB) and positron emission tomography (PET). Before both PET study days, patients had been using either glucose-based PD solutions only or one daily bag of AA solution in addition to glucose-based PD solutions for at least 6 weeks. Skeletal muscle AA uptake was calculated with graphical analysis. AA-containing PD solution increased plasma AA concentrations from 2.18+/-0.34 to 3.08+/-0.55 mmol l(-1) in the fasting state (P=0.0002) and from 1.88+/-0.15 to 2.42+/-0.30 mmol l(-1) during insulin stimulation (P<0.0001). As compared to PD treatment using glucose-based solutions only, skeletal muscle AA uptake was significantly higher during treatment containing AA solution both in the fasting state (15.2+/-5.8 vs 20.0+/-5.6 micromol kg(-1) min(-1), respectively, P=0.0057) and during insulin stimulation (16.8+/-4.5 vs 21.1+/-4.9 micromol kg(-1) min(-1), respectively, P=0.0046). In conclusion, PD treatment with an AA-containing PD solution is associated with a significant increase in skeletal muscle AA uptake both in the fasting state and during insulin stimulation.

Neurotransmitters behind pain relief with transcranial magnetic stimulation - positron emission tomography evidence for release of endogenous opioids.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at M1/S1 cortex has been shown to alleviate neuropathic pain. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the possible neurobiological correlates of cortical neurostimulation for the pain relief. METHODS: We studied the effects of M1/S1 rTMS on nociception, brain dopamine D2 and µ-opioid receptors using a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded crossover study design and 3D-positron emission tomography (PET). Ten healthy subjects underwent active and sham rTMS treatments to the right M1/S1 cortex with E-field navigated device. Dopamine D2 and µ-receptor availabilities were assessed with PET radiotracers [11 C]raclopride and [11 C]carfentanil after each rTMS treatment. Thermal quantitative sensory testing (QST), contact heat evoked potential (CHEP) and blink reflex (BR) recordings were performed between the PET scans. RESULTS: µ-Opioid receptor availability was lower after active than sham rTMS (P ≤ 0.0001) suggested release of endogenous opioids in the right ventral striatum, medial orbitofrontal, prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices, and left insula, superior temporal gyrus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and precentral gyrus. There were no differences in striatal dopamine D2 receptor availability between active and sham rTMS, consistent with lack of long-lasting measurable dopamine release. Active rTMS potentiated the dopamine-regulated habituation of the BR compared to sham (P = 0.02). Thermal QST and CHEP remained unchanged after active rTMS. CONCLUSIONS: rTMS given to M1/S1 activates the endogenous opioid system in a wide brain network associated with processing of pain and other salient stimuli. Direct enhancement of top-down opioid-mediated inhibition may partly explain the clinical analgesic effects of rTMS. SIGNIFICANCE: Neurobiological correlates of rTMS for the pain relief are unclear. rTMS on M1/S1 with 11 C-carfentanyl-PET activates endogenous opioids. Thermal and heat pain thresholds remain unchanged. rTMS induces top-down opioid-mediated inhibition but not change the sensory discrimination of painful stimuli.

The refined X-ray structure of muconate lactonizing enzyme from Pseudomonas putida PRS2000 at 1.85 A resolution.

We report here the refined X-ray crystal structure of muconate lactonizing enzyme (MLE) from Pseudomonas putida PRS2000 at a resolution of 1.85 A with an R-factor of 16.8%. An enzyme from the beta-ketoadipate pathway, MLE catalyses the conversion of cis,cis-muconate to muconolactone. It is a homo-octamer, one monomer consisting of 373 amino acid residues. MLE has two large domains and a C-terminal subdomain: an alpha + beta domain, an alpha beta-barrel domain and a C-terminal meandering subdomain. The alpha beta-barrel domain is highly irregular. Its structure is (beta/alpha)7 beta, with the structural role of the last alpha-helix being replaced by both the C-terminal subdomain and part of the N-terminal domain. The fifth, seventh and eighth barrel strands are unusual because they have left-handed twist about their axes. The strand crossing angles also vary enormously, from +9 degrees to -69 degrees; the first and last strands, which close the barrel, cross at an angle of -69 degrees, making extensive strand-strand hydrogen bonding impossible. The first barrel strand is also unusual because it starts in the N-terminal domain and forms hydrogen bonds to the C-terminal subdomain beta-sheet as well as to its neighbouring strands in the barrel. It thus cements the whole protein together. As in other alpha beta-barrel proteins, the active site of MLE, present in each subunit is at the C-terminal ends of the barrel beta-strands. The active site cleft contains an essential manganese ion, is lined with charged and other polar residues, and contains many of the crystallographic water molecules. The manganese ion is octahedrally co-ordinated to three side-chain carboxylate groups and three water molecules, and is at the centre of a radiating web of ionic and hydrogen-bonding interactions. Additionally, two water molecules are buried in the centre of the barrel and two hydrophilic side-chains (Lys167 and Arg196) make both hydrophobic and hydrophilic packing interactions with much of the barrel interior. The barrel interior is thus also unusual because it is so hydrophilic; the dominating force appears to be the need to solvate the metal ion effectively. This might account for the irregularity of the barrel. The catalytic mechanism has been investigated by docking both substrate and product in the active site with the C-COO- of muconolactone superimposed on the corresponding atoms of cis,cis-muconate. In agreement with earlier kinetic and spectroscopic results, the manganese ion does not interact directly with substrate or product.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amyloid PET imaging in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a 2-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have greater risk of conversion to Alzheimer disease (AD). Increased brain amyloid burden in AD and MCI has been demonstrated with PET using [(11)C] Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) as a tracer. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate change in ß-amyloid deposition in with MCI during 2-year follow-up. METHODS: Patients with MCI and controls were studied with [(11)C] PiB PET, MRI, and neuropsychometry at baseline and these investigations were repeated in patients with MCI after follow-up. RESULTS: Those patients with MCI converting to AD during follow-up had greater [(11)C] PiB retention in the posterior cingulate (p=0.020), in the lateral frontal cortex (p=0.006), in the temporal cortex (p=0.022), in the putamen (p=0.041), and in the caudate nucleus (p=0.025) as compared to nonconverters. In converters, there was no significant change in [(11)C] PiB uptake, whereas an increase was seen as compared to baseline in nonconverters in the anterior and posterior cingulate, temporal and parietal cortices, and putamen. Hippocampal atrophy was greater in converters at baseline than in nonconverters, but increased significantly in both groups during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Hippocampal atrophy and amyloid deposition seem to dissociate during the evolution of MCI, the atrophy increasing clearly and [(11)C] PiB retention changing modestly when conversion to AD occurs. Longer follow-up is needed to determine whether nonconverters would convert to AD later, which would suggest accelerated [(11)C] PiB retention preceding clinical conversion.

Follow-up of [11C]PIB uptake and brain volume in patients with Alzheimer disease and controls.

OBJECTIVE: In Alzheimer disease (AD), the accumulation pattern of beta-amyloid over time and its relationship with dementia severity are unclear. We investigated the brain uptake of the amyloid ligand (11)C-labeled Pittsburgh compound B ([(11)C]PIB) and volumetric brain changes over a 2-year follow-up in patients with AD and in aged healthy controls. METHODS: Fourteen patients with AD (mean age 72 years, SD 6.6) and 13 healthy controls (mean age 68 years, SD 5.4) were examined at baseline and after 2 years (patients with AD: mean 2.0 years, SD 0.2; controls: mean 2.1 years, SD 0.6) with [(11)C]PIB PET, MRI, and neuropsychological assessments. [(11)C]PIB uptake was analyzed with a voxel-based statistical method (SPM), and quantitative data were obtained with automated region-of-interest analysis. MRI data were analyzed with voxel-wise tensor-based morphometry. RESULTS: The [(11)C]PIB uptake of the patients with AD did not increase significantly during follow-up when compared with that of the controls. MRI showed progressive brain volume change in the patients with AD, e.g., in the hippocampal region, temporal cortex, and precuneus (p < 0.05). The mean Mini-Mental State Examination score of the patients with AD declined from 24.3 (SD 3.1) at baseline to 21.6 (SD 3.9) at follow-up (p = 0.009). Cognitive decline was also evident in other neuropsychological test results. Baseline neocortical [(11)C]PIB uptake ratios predicted subsequent volumetric brain changes in the controls (r = 0.725, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest no (or only little) increase in (11)C-labeled Pittsburgh compound B ([(11)C]PIB) uptake during 2 years of Alzheimer disease progression, despite advancing brain atrophy and declining cognitive performance. Nevertheless, changes in [(11)C]PIB uptake during a longer follow-up cannot be excluded. High cortical [(11)C]PIB uptake may predict ongoing brain atrophy in cognitively normal individuals.

PET amyloid ligand [11C]PIB uptake is increased in mild cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND: Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have increased risk to develop Alzheimer disease (AD). In AD increased brain amyloid burden has been demonstrated in vivo with PET using N-methyl-[(11)C]2-(4'-methylaminophenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole ([(11)C]PIB) as a tracer. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether patients with amnestic MCI would show increased [(11)C]PIB uptake, indicating early AD process. METHODS: We studied 13 patients with amnestic MCI and 14 control subjects with PET using [(11)C]PIB as tracer. Parametric images were computed by calculating the region-to-cerebellum ratio in each voxel over 60 to 90 minutes. Group differences in [(11)C]PIB uptake were analyzed with statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and automated region-of-interest (ROI) analysis. RESULTS: The SPM analysis showed that patients with MCI had significantly higher [(11)C]PIB uptake vs control subjects in the frontal, parietal, and lateral temporal cortices as well as in the posterior cingulate showing the most prominent differences. These results were supported by the automated ROI analysis in which MCI patients showed in comparison with healthy control subjects increased [(11)C]PIB uptake in the frontal cortex (39% increase from the control mean, p < 0.01), the posterior cingulate (39%, p < 0.01), the parietal (31%, p < 0.01) and lateral temporal (28%, p < 0.001) cortices, putamen (17%, p < 0.05), and caudate (25%, p < 0.05). Individually, in the frontal cortex and posterior cingulate, 8 of 13 patients with MCI had [(11)C]PIB uptake values above 2 SD from the control mean. MCI subjects having at least one APOE epsilon4 allele tended to have higher [(11)C]PIB uptake than MCI subjects without APOE epsilon4. CONCLUSIONS: At group level the elevated N-methyl-[(11)C]2-(4'-methylaminophenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole ([(11)C]PIB) uptake in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) resembled that seen in Alzheimer disease (AD). At the individual level, about half of the MCI patients had [(11)C]PIB uptake in the AD range, suggestive of early AD process.

Voxel-based analysis of PET amyloid ligand [11C]PIB uptake in Alzheimer disease.

BACKGROUND: PET studies with N-methyl-[(11)C]2-(4':-methylaminophenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole ([(11)C]PIB) have revealed an increased tracer uptake in several brain regions in Alzheimer disease (AD). OBJECTIVE: To employ voxel-based analysis method to identify brain regions with significant increases in [(11)C]PIB uptake in AD vs healthy control subjects, indicative of increased amyloid accumulation in these regions. METHODS: We studied 17 patients with AD and 11 control subjects with PET using [(11)C]PIB as tracer. Parametric images were computed by calculating a region-to-cerebellum ratio over 60 to 90 minutes in each voxel. Group differences in [(11)C]PIB uptake were analyzed with statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and automated region-of-interest (ROI) analysis. RESULTS: SPM showed increased uptake (p < 0.001) in the frontal, parietal, and lateral temporal cortices as well as in the posterior cingulate and the striatum. No significant differences in uptake were found in the primary sensory and motor cortices, primary visual cortex, thalamus, and medial temporal lobe. These results were supported by automated ROI analysis, with most prominent increases in AD subjects in the frontal cortex ([(11)C]PIB uptake 163% of the control mean) and posterior cingulate (146%) followed by the parietal (146%) and temporal (145%) cortices and striatum (133%), as well as small increases in the occipital cortex (117%) and thalamus (115%). CONCLUSIONS: Voxel-based analysis revealed widespread distribution of increased [(11)C]PIB uptake in Alzheimer disease (AD). These findings are in accordance with the distribution and phases of amyloid pathology in AD, previously documented in postmortem studies.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate lactonizing enzyme from Neurospora crassa.

Crystals of 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate lactonizing enzyme (CMLE; E.C. 5.5.1.5) from Neurospora crassa that diffract to high resolution have been obtained. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit-cell dimensions a = 92.1, b = 159.7, c = 236.6 A (at 103 K) and diffract at most to 2 A resolution. The asymmetric unit of the crystals appears to contain two tetrameric CMLE molecules making up a total of 328 kDa per asymmetric unit. Both cross-linking with glutaraldehyde and cryo-cooling to 103 K have been used to facilitate data collection because the crystals are unstable in the X-ray beam; both techniques extend the crystal lifetime but cryo-cooling, unlike glutaraldehyde cross-linking, does not lower the quality of the diffraction pattern.

Structural basis for the activity of two muconate cycloisomerase variants toward substituted muconates.

We have refined to 2.3 A resolution two muconate cycloisomerase (MCIase) variant structures, F329I and I54V, that differ from each other and from wild-type in their activity toward cis,cis-muconate (CCM) and substituted CCMs. The working and free R-factors for F329I are 17.4/21.6% and for I54V, 17.6/22.3% with good stereochemistry. Except for the mutated residue, there are no significant changes in structure. To understand the differences in enzymatic properties we docked substituted CCMs and CCM into the active sites of the variants and wild type. The extra space the mutations create appears to account for most of the enzymatic differences. The lack of other structural changes explains why, although structurally equivalent changes occur in chloromuconate cycloisomerase (CMCIase), the changes in themselves do not convert a MCIase into a dehalogenating CMCIase. Reanalysis of the CMCIase structure revealed only one general acid/base, K169. The structural implication is that, in 2-chloro-CCM conversion by CMCIase, the lactone ring of 5-chloromuconolactone rotates before dehalogenation to bring the acidic C4 proton next to K169. Therefore, K169 alone performs both required protonation and deprotonation steps, the first at C5 as in MCIase, and the second, after ring rotation, at C4. This distinguishes CMCIase from alpha/beta barrel isomerases and racemases, which use two different bases.