Severe and rapidly progressing cognitive phenotype in a SCA17-family with only marginally expanded CAG/CAA repeats in the TATA-box binding protein gene: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) confine a group of rare and heterogeneous disorders, which present with progressive ataxia and numerous other features e.g. peripheral neuropathy, macular degeneration and cognitive impairment, and a subset of these disorders is caused by CAG-repeat expansions in their respective genes. The diagnosing of the SCAs is often difficult due to the phenotypic overlap among several of the subtypes and with other neurodegenerative disorders e.g. Huntington's disease. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a family in which the proband had rapidly progressing cognitive decline and only subtle cerebellar symptoms from age 42. Sequencing of the TATA-box binding protein gene revealed a modest elongation of the CAG/CAA-repeat of only two repeats above the non-pathogenic threshold of 41, confirming a diagnosis of SCA17. Normally, repeats within this range show reduced penetrance and result in a milder disease course with slower progression and later age of onset. Thus, this case presented with an unusual phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: The current case highlights the diagnostic challenge of neurodegenerative disorders and the need for a thorough clinical and paraclinical examination of patients presenting with rapid cognitive decline to make a precise diagnosis on which further genetic counseling and initiation of treatment modalities can be based.

Hot and Cold Cognitive Disturbances in Parkinson Patients Treated with DBS-STN: A Combined PET and Neuropsychological Study.

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often suffer from non-motor symptoms, which may be caused by serotonergic dysfunction. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) may also influence non-motor symptoms. The aim of this study is to investigate how the cerebral 5-HT system associates to disturbances in cognition and mood in PD patients with DBS-STN turned on and off. We used psychological tests and questionnaires to evaluate cognitive function and the effects on mood from turning DBS-STN off. We applied a novel PET neuroimaging methodology to evaluate the integrity of the cerebral serotonin system. We measured 5-HT1BR binding in 13 DBS-STN-treated PD patients, at baseline and after turning DBS off. Thirteen age-matched volunteers served as controls. The measures for cognition and mood were correlated to the 5-HT1BR availability in temporal limbic cortex. 5-HT1BR binding was proportional to working memory performance and inverse proportional to affective bias for face recognition. When DBS is turned off, patients feel less vigorous; the higher the limbic and temporal 5-HT1BR binding, the more they are affected by DBS being turned off. Our study suggests that cerebral 5-HTR binding is associated with non-motor symptoms, and that preservation of serotonergic functions may be predictive of DBS-STN effects.

Parkinson patients have a presynaptic serotonergic deficit: A dynamic deep brain stimulation PET study.

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often suffer from non-motor symptoms, which may be caused by serotonergic dysfunction. Apart from alleviating the motor symptoms, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) may also influence non-motor symptoms. The aim of this study is to investigate how turning DBS off affects the serotonergic system. We here exploit a novel functional PET neuroimaging methodology to evaluate the preservation of serotonergic neurons and capacity to release serotonin. We measured cerebral 5-HT1BR binding in 13 DBS-STN treated PD patients, at baseline and after turning DBS off. Ten age-matched volunteers served as controls. Clinical measures of motor symptoms were assessed under the two conditions and correlated to the PET measures of the static and dynamic integrity of the serotonergic system. PD patients exhibited a significant loss of frontal and parietal 5-HT1BR, and the loss was significantly correlated to motor symptom severity. We saw a corresponding release of serotonin, but only in brain regions with preserved 5-HT1BR, suggesting the presence of a presynaptic serotonergic deficit. Our study demonstrates that DBS-STN dynamically regulates the serotonin system in PD, and that preservation of serotonergic functions may be predictive of DBS-STN effects.

[Selection of patients referred to gastroscopy from general practice]. / Visitation af patienter henvist til gastroskopi fra almen praksis.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate whether guidelines for selecting dyspeptic patients for early endoscopy are appropriate and whether referrals from general practitioners give all necessary information. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a prospective study of consecutive referrals from general practitioners. The patients were referred by general practitioners to the Department of Medical Gastroenterology, Aalborg Hospital, during the period 1 February 1999 to 31 December 1999. The referrals for endoscopy were examined for information about the duration of symptoms, alarm symptoms (anaemia, dysphagia, vomiting, and weight loss), usage of ASA/NSAID, and medical treatment with acid-suppressants. At endoscopy, similar information was recorded on a standardised form for comparison. RESULTS: Two hundred and ninety-nine patients, 150 men and 149 women, were entered in the study. The medium age was 51.3 years (17-95). Ninety-six (32%) patients had organic dyspepsia (ulcer, oesophagitis, cancer). Of 192 (46%) patients selected for early gastroscopy, 88 (46%) were assigned to early examination solely because of age > 45 years, and 21 (11%) solely because of alarm symptoms. All the patients with information about ASA/NSAID medication were older than 45 years. The diagnosis of cancer and ulcer was significantly more often found in the group of patients selected for early gastroscopy 31/192, as compared with the waiting list patients 9/107 (p = 0.004). DISCUSSION: The guidelines for distribution to early and waiting list endoscopy proved to be well suited for priority selection of patients with the highest risk of organic dyspepsia.