Sensitized rotatory motion perception and increased susceptibility to motion sickness in vestibular migraine: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Vestibular migraine (VM) patients are ictally and interictally hypersensitive for self-motion and visual perception. Increased cortical excitability of the vestibular system represented by lowered motion perception thresholds might play an important role in the pathophysiology of VM. We aimed to compare motion perception thresholds and the vegetative response to rotatory motion, as well as the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) during rotation in VM patients compared to healthy controls (HC). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 28 female VM patients in the interictal state and 33 age- and gender-matched HC were investigated sitting in a motorized rotary chair shielded regarding visual and acoustic stimuli for 20 min with slowly increasing velocity (maximum = 72°/s). The motion perception threshold was indicated by the participants by pushing a button. During and after rotation, participants rated the presence and extent of motion sickness using a sickness rating scale. RESULTS: We detected lower motion perception thresholds (7.54°/s vs. 23.49°/s; p < 0.001) in VM patients compared to HC but no difference at the basic VOR thresholds. Furthermore, the patients showed enhanced susceptibility to motion sickness during and after the rotation. CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence for decreased motion perception thresholds and pronounced susceptibility to motion sickness in VM patients in the interictal state, which could indicate alterations in higher levels of vestibular processing. Future studies should determine whether this could be the pathophysiological hallmark of VM either as a unique disease entity or in differentiation from other forms of migraine.

Reduced vestibular perception thresholds in persistent postural-perceptual dizziness- a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is the most common functional vestibular disorder. A multisensory mismatch altered by psychological influences is considered to be an important pathophysiological mechanism. Increased cortical and subcortical excitability may play a role in the pathophysiology of PPPD. We hypothesized that decreased motion perception thresholds reflect one mechanism of the abnormal vestibular responsiveness in this disorder. We investigated the vestibular perception thresholds and the vestibular ocular reflex with a rotatory chair experiment to gain insights in the processing and adaption to vestibular provocation. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study 26 female PPPD patients and 33 healthy female age matched controls (HC) were investigated sitting in a motorized rotary chair shielded regarding visual and acoustic stimuli. The chair was rotated for 20 minutes with slowly increasing velocity to a maximum of 72°/s. We functionally tested motion perception thresholds and vegetative responses to rotation as well as vestibular-ocular reflex thresholds. We additionally investigated several psychological comorbidities (i.e. depression, anxiety, somatosensory amplification) using validated scores. Conventional dizziness scores were obtained to quantify the experienced dizziness and impact on daily life. RESULTS: PPPD patients showed a significant reduced vestibulo-perceptual threshold (PPPD: 10.9°/s vs. HC: 29.5°/s; p<0.001) with increased motion sensitivity and concomitant vegetative response during and after the chair rotation compared to healthy controls. The extent of increased vestibular sensitivity was in correlation with the duration of the disease (p=0.043). No significant difference was measured regarding nystagmus parameters between both groups. CONCLUSION: PPPD patients showed increased vegetative response as well as decreased vestibulo-perceptual thresholds which are related to disease duration. This is of interest as PPPD might be sustained by increased vestibular excitability leading to motion intolerance and induction of dizziness when exposed to movement.

Brain 11ß-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Occupancy by Xanamem™ Assessed by PET in Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitively Normal Individuals.

BACKGROUND: 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11ß-HSD1) regulates intracellular cortisol and its inhibition by the small molecule inhibitor, Xanamem™, may provide a disease-modifying strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Animal models suggest a range of 30-60% enzyme inhibition may suffice to provide neuroprotection. OBJECTIVE: To determine the regional brain occupancy of 11ß-HSD1 by Xanamem™ in cognitively normal participants (CN) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/mild AD patients to investigate potential dosing ranges for future efficacy studies. METHODS: Seventeen MCI/AD and 23 CN were included. Regional brain time-activity curves (TAC), standardized uptake values (SUV40-60) and volume of distribution (VT) from Logan plot with image derived input function from 11C-TARACT positron emission tomography (PET) were used to assess the degree of 11ß-HSD1 occupancy by increasing doses of Xanamem™ (5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg or 30 mg daily for 7 days). RESULTS: All measures showed high 11ß-HSD1 occupancy with Xanamem to similar degree in CN and MCI/AD. The dose-response relationship was relatively flat above 5 mg. Respective median (interquartile range [Q1-Q3]) 11ß-HSD1 occupancy in the MCI/AD and CN groups after treatment with 10 mg Xanamem were 80% [79-81%] and 75% [71-76%] in the neocortex, 69% [64-70%] and 61% [52-63%] in the medial temporal lobe, 80% [79-80%] and 73% [68-73%] in the basal ganglia, and 71% [67-75%] and 66% [62-68%] in the cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: TAC, SUV40-60, and VT measures indicate Xanamem achieves high target occupancy levels with near saturation at 10 mg daily. These data support exploration of doses of≤10 mg daily in future clinical studies.