H. Schuermann, R. von Rennenberg, C. Riegler, I. Rangus, S. Litmeier, J. Scheitz, W. Doehner, H. Audebert, T. B. Braemswig, C. Nolte
{"title":"Characteristics associated with occurrence of stroke in patients with infective endocarditis – a retrospective cohort study","authors":"H. Schuermann, R. von Rennenberg, C. Riegler, I. Rangus, S. Litmeier, J. Scheitz, W. Doehner, H. Audebert, T. B. Braemswig, C. Nolte","doi":"10.1186/s42466-024-00317-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42466-024-00317-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94156,"journal":{"name":"Neurological research and practice","volume":"50 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140713603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. V., A. Pattanaik, Srilatha Marate, Reeta S Mani, A. Pai, Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay
{"title":"Guillain-barré syndrome (GBS) with antecedent chikungunya infection: a case report and literature review","authors":"S. V., A. Pattanaik, Srilatha Marate, Reeta S Mani, A. Pai, Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay","doi":"10.1186/s42466-024-00315-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42466-024-00315-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94156,"journal":{"name":"Neurological research and practice","volume":"8 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140715787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Johanna K Rickel, Daria Zeeb, S. Knake, H. Urban, J. Konczalla, Katharina J Weber, P. Zeiner, Axel Pagenstecher, E. Hattingen, André Kemmling, Emmanouil Fokas, Sebastian Adeberg, Robert Wolff, Martin Sebastian, Tillmann Rusch, M. Ronellenfitsch, K. Menzler, L. Habermehl, L. Möller, M. Czabanka, Christopher Nimsky, Lars Timmermann, Christian Grefkes, Joachim P Steinbach, Felix Rosenow, Leena Kämppi, Adam Strzelczyk
{"title":"Status epilepticus in patients with brain tumors and metastases: A multicenter cohort study of 208 patients and literature review","authors":"Johanna K Rickel, Daria Zeeb, S. Knake, H. Urban, J. Konczalla, Katharina J Weber, P. Zeiner, Axel Pagenstecher, E. Hattingen, André Kemmling, Emmanouil Fokas, Sebastian Adeberg, Robert Wolff, Martin Sebastian, Tillmann Rusch, M. Ronellenfitsch, K. Menzler, L. Habermehl, L. Möller, M. Czabanka, Christopher Nimsky, Lars Timmermann, Christian Grefkes, Joachim P Steinbach, Felix Rosenow, Leena Kämppi, Adam Strzelczyk","doi":"10.1186/s42466-024-00314-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42466-024-00314-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94156,"journal":{"name":"Neurological research and practice","volume":"25 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140742330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Louise Linka, Benedikt Magnus, Nabard Faiz, Lena Habermehl, Panagiota-Eleni Tsalouchidou, Felix Zahnert, Leona Moeller, Kristina Krause, Susanne Knake, Katja Menzler
{"title":"First seizure in elderly patients: Need to treat? Evidence from a retrospective study.","authors":"Louise Linka, Benedikt Magnus, Nabard Faiz, Lena Habermehl, Panagiota-Eleni Tsalouchidou, Felix Zahnert, Leona Moeller, Kristina Krause, Susanne Knake, Katja Menzler","doi":"10.1186/s42466-024-00313-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42466-024-00313-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The risk of seizure recurrence after a first unprovoked epileptic seizure is reported to be approximately 40%. Little is known about the recurrence risk after a first seizure in elderly patients, who may be at higher risk due to an increased rate of structural lesions, encephalopathy, subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy or brain atrophy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a retrospective approach, the recurrence rate in 304 patients aged 60 years and above who presented with a first seizure between 2004 and 2017 was analyzed. Hierarchical Cox regression was used to investigate the impact of EEG and neuroimaging results, age or the prescription of anti-seizure medication (ASM) on seizure recurrence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Seizure recurrence rates were 24.5% and 34.4% after one and two years, respectively. Anti-seizure medication was started in 87.8% of patients, in 28.8% despite the absence of clear epileptogenic lesions on neuroimaging or epileptiform potentials in the EEG. Medical treatment significantly reduced the risk of recurrence (hazard ratio = 0.47). Epileptiform potentials in the EEG, epileptogenic lesions in neuroimaging and age had no significant effect on seizure recurrence. Age and the presence of neurodegenerative and psychiatric comorbidities showed a significant association with ASM prescription.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The present data show a strong protective effect of ASM on seizure recurrence in patients above the age of 60, even in the absence of pathologic neuroimaging or EEG results needed for the diagnosis of epilepsy. Treatment with ASM therefore seems beneficial for reducing the recurrence risk in elderly patients. The lack of a significant association between seizure recurrence and epileptogenic lesions might be related to other confounding factors like encephalopathy, subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy, neurodegenerative diseases or brain atrophy.</p>","PeriodicalId":94156,"journal":{"name":"Neurological research and practice","volume":"6 1","pages":"20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10976763/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140308456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Brivaracetam and topiramate serum levels during pregnancy and delivery: a case report and a review of literature.","authors":"Wiebke Hahn, Leona Möller, Katja Menzler, Tobias Poeplau, Uwe Wagner, Susanne Knake","doi":"10.1186/s42466-024-00312-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42466-024-00312-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>An increasing use of newer antiseizure medication (ASM) such as SV2A ligand brivaracetam is observed. However, data on newer antiseizure medication and therapeutic drug monitoring during pregnancy is scarce.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Therapeutic drug monitoring of brivaracetam (BRV) and topiramate (TPM) serum levels were performed during pregnancy, delivery and in the umbilical cord blood at delivery in a 34-year-old female patient with severe drug-resistant epilepsy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>During pregnancy, the serum levels of brivaracetam and topiramate remained stable. At 39th week of pregnancy, the patient gave birth to a healthy daughter. 1.5 h after the last ASM intake, the penetration rate measured in umbilical cord blood was 45% lower for BRV and 35% lower for TPM.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While the pharmacokinetics of topiramate are well known and its use during pregnancy should only be undertaken under special circumstances, there have been few studies on newer ASM in pregnancy such as brivaracetam. Based on our results and other case reports of BRV use during pregnancy, further studies are necessary to confirm its pharmacokinetics and safety during pregnancy.</p>","PeriodicalId":94156,"journal":{"name":"Neurological research and practice","volume":"6 1","pages":"17"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10956312/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140178413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christiana Franke, Vanessa Raeder, Fabian Boesl, Benno Bremer, Lucas C Adam, Ameli Gerhard, Irina Eckert, Anneke Quitschau, Anne Pohrt, Susen Burock, Lisa Bruckert, Carmen Scheibenbogen, Harald Prüß, Heinrich J Audebert
{"title":"Randomized controlled double-blind trial of methylprednisolone versus placebo in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome and cognitive deficits: study protocol of the post-corona-virus immune treatment (PoCoVIT) trial.","authors":"Christiana Franke, Vanessa Raeder, Fabian Boesl, Benno Bremer, Lucas C Adam, Ameli Gerhard, Irina Eckert, Anneke Quitschau, Anne Pohrt, Susen Burock, Lisa Bruckert, Carmen Scheibenbogen, Harald Prüß, Heinrich J Audebert","doi":"10.1186/s42466-024-00311-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42466-024-00311-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Post-COVID-19 Syndrome (PCS) includes neurological manifestations, especially fatigue and cognitive deficits. Immune dysregulation, autoimmunity, endothelial dysfunction, viral persistence, and viral reactivation are discussed as potential pathophysiological mechanisms. The post-corona-virus immune treatment (PoCoVIT) trial is a phase 2a randomized, controlled, double-blind trial designed to evaluate the effect of methylprednisolone versus placebo on cognitive impairment in PCS. This trial is designed based on the hypothesised autoimmunological pathogenesis and positive aberrations, employing a series of off-label applications.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Recruitment criteria include a diagnosis of PCS, a minimum age of 18 years and self-reported cognitive deficits at screening. A total of 418 participants will be randomly assigned to either verum or placebo intervention in the first phase of the trial. The trial will consist of a first trial phase intervention with methylprednisolone versus placebo for six weeks, followed by a six-week treatment interruption period. Subsequently, an open second phase will offer methylprednisolone to all participants for six weeks. Outpatient follow-up visits will take place two weeks after each trial medication cessation. The third and final follow-up, at week 52, will be conducted through a telephone interview. The primary outcome measures an intra-patient change of 15 or more points in the memory satisfaction subscale of the Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ) from baseline to follow-up 1 (week 8). Key secondary outcomes include long-term intra-patient changes in memory satisfaction from baseline to follow-up 2 (week 20), changes in other MMQ subscales (follow-up 1 and 2), and changes in neuropsychological and cognitive scores, along with assessments through questionnaires focusing on quality of life, fatigue, and mood over the same periods. Exploratory outcomes involve molecular biomarkers variations in serum and cerebrospinal fluid, as well as structural and functional brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters changes related to cognition.</p><p><strong>Perspective: </strong>This trial aims to contribute novel evidence for treating patients with PCS, with a primary focus on those manifesting cognitive deficits. By doing so, it may enhance comprehension of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, thereby facilitating biomarker research to advance our understanding and treatment of patients with PCS.</p>","PeriodicalId":94156,"journal":{"name":"Neurological research and practice","volume":"6 1","pages":"16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10956230/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140178414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christine Daniels, Jon Rodríguez-Antigüedad, Elisabeth Jentschke, Jaime Kulisevsky, Jens Volkmann
{"title":"Cognitive disorders in advanced Parkinson's disease: challenges in the diagnosis of delirium.","authors":"Christine Daniels, Jon Rodríguez-Antigüedad, Elisabeth Jentschke, Jaime Kulisevsky, Jens Volkmann","doi":"10.1186/s42466-024-00309-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42466-024-00309-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition that is frequently associated with cognitive disorders. These can arise directly from the primary disease, or be triggered by external factors in susceptible individuals due to PD or other predisposing factors. The cognitive disorders encompass PD-associated cognitive impairment (PD-CI), delirium, PD treatment-associated cognitive side effects, cognitive non-motor fluctuations, and PD-associated psychosis. Accurate diagnosis of delirium is crucial because it often stems from an underlying disease that may be severe and require specific treatment. However, overlapping molecular mechanisms are thought to be involved in both delirium and PD, leading to similar clinical symptoms. Additionally, there is a bidirectional interaction between delirium and PD-CI, resulting in frequent concurrent processes that further complicate diagnosis. No reliable biomarker is currently available for delirium, and the diagnosis is primarily based on clinical criteria. However, the screening tools validated for diagnosing delirium in the general population have not been specifically validated for PD. Our review addresses the current challenges in the diagnosis of these cognitive disorders and highlights existing gaps within this field.</p>","PeriodicalId":94156,"journal":{"name":"Neurological research and practice","volume":"6 1","pages":"14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10938698/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140121715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Matthias Hans Belau, Björn Misselwitz, Uta Meyding-Lamadé, Burc Bassa
{"title":"Trends in stroke severity at hospital admission and rehabilitation discharge before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hesse, Germany: a register-based study.","authors":"Matthias Hans Belau, Björn Misselwitz, Uta Meyding-Lamadé, Burc Bassa","doi":"10.1186/s42466-024-00308-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42466-024-00308-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic has affected acute stroke care, resulting in a decrease in stroke admissions worldwide. We examined trends in stroke severity at hospital admission, including (1) probable need for rehabilitation (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score > 6 points) and (2) probable need for assistance (modified Rankin Scale score > 2 points), and discharge to rehabilitation after acute care among inpatients with acute ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We compared quality assurance data for acute ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage during the pandemic with the period before the pandemic in Hesse, Germany, using logistic regression analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fewer inpatients with a probable need for rehabilitation were present at the beginning of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020 (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.85, 95% CI [0.73, 0.99]), at the end of the second national lockdown in May 2021 (aOR 0.81, 95% CI [0.70, 0.94]), and at the approaching peak of COVID-19 wave 4 in November 2021 (aOR 0.79, 95% CI [0.68, 091]). Rates of probable need for assistance were significantly lower at the beginning of COVID-19 wave 2 in August 2020 (aOR 0.87, 95% CI [0.77, 0.99]) and at the beginning of COVID-19 wave 3 in March 2021 (aOR 0.80, 95% CI [0.71, 0.91]). Rates of discharge to rehabilitation were lower from the beginning in October 2020 to the peak of COVID-19 wave 2 in December 2020 (aOR 0.83, 95% CI [0.77, 0.90]), at the beginning and end of COVID-19 wave 3 in March 2021 and May 2021 (aOR 0.86, 95% CI [0.79, 0.92]), respectively, and at the beginning of COVID-19 wave 4 in October 2021 (aOR 0.86, 95% CI [0.76, 0.98]).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on stroke management during the pandemic, but the absolute difference in stroke severity at hospital admission and discharge to rehabilitation was small.</p>","PeriodicalId":94156,"journal":{"name":"Neurological research and practice","volume":"6 1","pages":"18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10918907/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140051361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Antonios Bayas, Ulrich Mansmann, Begum Irmak Ön, Verena S Hoffmann, Achim Berthele, Mark Mühlau, Markus C Kowarik, Markus Krumbholz, Makbule Senel, Verena Steuerwald, Markus Naumann, Julia Hartberger, Martin Kerschensteiner, Eva Oswald, Christoph Ruschil, Ulf Ziemann, Hayrettin Tumani, Ioannis Vardakas, Fady Albashiti, Frank Kramer, Iñaki Soto-Rey, Helmut Spengler, Gerhard Mayer, Hans Armin Kestler, Oliver Kohlbacher, Marlien Hagedorn, Martin Boeker, Klaus Kuhn, Stefan Buchka, Florian Kohlmayer, Jan S Kirschke, Lars Behrens, Hanna Zimmermann, Benjamin Bender, Nico Sollmann, Joachim Havla, Bernhard Hemmer
{"title":"Prospective study validating a multidimensional treatment decision score predicting the 24-month outcome in untreated patients with clinically isolated syndrome and early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, the ProVal-MS study.","authors":"Antonios Bayas, Ulrich Mansmann, Begum Irmak Ön, Verena S Hoffmann, Achim Berthele, Mark Mühlau, Markus C Kowarik, Markus Krumbholz, Makbule Senel, Verena Steuerwald, Markus Naumann, Julia Hartberger, Martin Kerschensteiner, Eva Oswald, Christoph Ruschil, Ulf Ziemann, Hayrettin Tumani, Ioannis Vardakas, Fady Albashiti, Frank Kramer, Iñaki Soto-Rey, Helmut Spengler, Gerhard Mayer, Hans Armin Kestler, Oliver Kohlbacher, Marlien Hagedorn, Martin Boeker, Klaus Kuhn, Stefan Buchka, Florian Kohlmayer, Jan S Kirschke, Lars Behrens, Hanna Zimmermann, Benjamin Bender, Nico Sollmann, Joachim Havla, Bernhard Hemmer","doi":"10.1186/s42466-024-00310-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42466-024-00310-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>In Multiple Sclerosis (MS), patients´ characteristics and (bio)markers that reliably predict the individual disease prognosis at disease onset are lacking. Cohort studies allow a close follow-up of MS histories and a thorough phenotyping of patients. Therefore, a multicenter cohort study was initiated to implement a wide spectrum of data and (bio)markers in newly diagnosed patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>ProVal-MS (Prospective study to validate a multidimensional decision score that predicts treatment outcome at 24 months in untreated patients with clinically isolated syndrome or early Relapsing-Remitting-MS) is a prospective cohort study in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or Relapsing-Remitting (RR)-MS (McDonald 2017 criteria), diagnosed within the last two years, conducted at five academic centers in Southern Germany. The collection of clinical, laboratory, imaging, and paraclinical data as well as biosamples is harmonized across centers. The primary goal is to validate (discrimination and calibration) the previously published DIFUTURE MS-Treatment Decision score (MS-TDS). The score supports clinical decision-making regarding the options of early (within 6 months after study baseline) platform medication (Interferon beta, glatiramer acetate, dimethyl/diroximel fumarate, teriflunomide), or no immediate treatment (> 6 months after baseline) of patients with early RR-MS and CIS by predicting the probability of new or enlarging lesions in cerebral magnetic resonance images (MRIs) between 6 and 24 months. Further objectives are refining the MS-TDS score and providing data to identify new markers reflecting disease course and severity. The project also provides a technical evaluation of the ProVal-MS cohort within the IT-infrastructure of the DIFUTURE consortium (Data Integration for Future Medicine) and assesses the efficacy of the data sharing techniques developed.</p><p><strong>Perspective: </strong>Clinical cohorts provide the infrastructure to discover and to validate relevant disease-specific findings. A successful validation of the MS-TDS will add a new clinical decision tool to the armamentarium of practicing MS neurologists from which newly diagnosed MS patients may take advantage. Trial registration ProVal-MS has been registered in the German Clinical Trials Register, `Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien` (DRKS)-ID: DRKS00014034, date of registration: 21 December 2018; https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00014034.</p>","PeriodicalId":94156,"journal":{"name":"Neurological research and practice","volume":"6 1","pages":"15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10918966/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140051360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Theres Bastgen, Janis Evers, Christiane Oedekoven, Caroline Weide, Lars Herzog, Nicholas Ashton, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, Alexandra Albus, Natasha Vidovic, Oliver Kraff, Cornelius Deuschl, Richard Dodel, J Alexander Ross
{"title":"Repetitive head injuries in German American football players do not change blood-based biomarker candidates for CTE during a single season.","authors":"Theres Bastgen, Janis Evers, Christiane Oedekoven, Caroline Weide, Lars Herzog, Nicholas Ashton, Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow, Alexandra Albus, Natasha Vidovic, Oliver Kraff, Cornelius Deuschl, Richard Dodel, J Alexander Ross","doi":"10.1186/s42466-024-00307-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42466-024-00307-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Repetitive traumatic brain injuries in American football players (AFPs) can lead to the neurodegenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Clinical symptoms of CTE range from mood and behavioral changes to cognitive impairment, depression, and suicidality. So far, CTE cannot be diagnosed in vivo and thus specific diagnostic parameters for CTE need to be found, to observe and treat exposed athletes as early as possible. Promising blood-based biomarkers for CTE include total tau (tTau), hyperphosphorylated tau (pTau), neurofilament light protein (NF-L), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), amyloid-β<sub>40</sub> (Aβ<sub>40</sub>), amyloid-β<sub>42</sub> (Aβ<sub>42</sub>) and calcium-binding protein B (S100-B). Previous studies have found elevated levels of these biomarkers in subjects exposed to TBIs, whereas cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of Aβ<sub>40</sub> and Aβ<sub>42</sub> were decreased in CTE subjects. Here, we investigated whether young AFPs already exhibit changes of these biomarker candidates during the course of a single active season.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Blood samples were drawn from n = 18 American Football Players before and after a full season and n = 18 male age-matched control subjects. The plasma titers of tTau, pTau, NF-L, GFAP, Aβ<sub>40</sub>, Aβ<sub>42</sub> and S100-B were determined. Additionally, Apathy, Depression, and Health status as well as the concussion history and medical care were assessed and analyzed for correlations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Here we show, that the selected biomarker candidates for CTE do not change significantly during the seven-month period of a single active season of American Football in blood samples of AFPs compared to healthy controls. But interestingly, they exhibit generally elevated pTau titers. Furthermore, we found correlations of depression, quality-of-life, career length, training participation and training continuation with headache after concussion with various titers.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our data indicates, that changes of CTE marker candidates either occur slowly over several active seasons of American Football or are exclusively found in CSF. Nevertheless, our results underline the importance of a long-term assessment of these biomarker candidates, which might be possible through repeated blood biomarker monitoring in exposed athletes in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":94156,"journal":{"name":"Neurological research and practice","volume":"6 1","pages":"13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10903054/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139992250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}