Cyanobacteria produce many neurotoxins including beta-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) that has been liked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and neurodegenerative disease. A number of ALS cases have been diagnosed among residents of Enfield, NH, a town encompassing a lake with a history of cyanobacteria algal blooms. To investigate an association between toxic cyanobacterial blooms in New Hampshire and development of ALS, we reviewed records from our institution and other community databases to obtain demographic information on patients diagnosed with ALS within New England. We identified nine ALS patients who lived near Lake Mascoma in Enfield, NH, an incidence of sporadic ALS that is 10 to 25 times the expected incidence of 2/100,000/year. We suggest that the high incidence of ALS in this potential cluster could be directly related to chronic exposure to cyanobacterial neurotoxins such as BMAA. Possible routes of toxin exposure include inhalation of aerosolized toxins, consuming fish, or ingestion of lake water. Further investigation, including analysis of brain tissue for cyanobacterial toxins, will be helpful to test for an association between BMAA and ALS.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/17482960903278485 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
A Wonderful Journey: The Diverse Roles of Adenosine Deaminase Action on RNA 1 (ADAR1) in Central Nervous System Diseases.
CNS Neurosci Ther
January 2025
Jiujiang Clinical Precision Medicine Research Center, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China.
Background: Adenosine deaminase action on RNA 1 (ADAR1) can convert the adenosine in double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules into inosine in a process known as A-to-I RNA editing. ADAR1 regulates gene expression output by interacting with RNA and other proteins; plays important roles in development, including growth; and is linked to innate immunity, tumors, and central nervous system (CNS) diseases.
Results: In recent years, the role of ADAR1 in tumors has been widely discussed, but its role in CNS diseases has not been reviewed.
High-density multielectrode arrays bring cellular resolution to neuronal activity and network analyses of corticospinal motor neurons.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E. Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
Corticospinal motor neurons (CSMN), located in the motor cortex of the brain, are one of the key components of the motor neuron circuitry. They are in part responsible for the initiation and modulation of voluntary movement, and their degeneration is the hallmark for numerous diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), hereditary spastic paraplegia, and primary lateral sclerosis. Cortical hyperexcitation followed by in-excitability suggests the early involvement of cortical dysfunction in ALS pathology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAddressing inter individual variability in CSF levels of brain derived proteins across neurodegenerative diseases.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Protein Science, SciLifeLab, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Accurate diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases require reliable biomarkers. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins are promising candidates for reflecting brain pathology; however, their diagnostic utility may be compromised by natural variability between individuals, weakening their association with disease. Here, we measured the levels of 69 pre-selected proteins in cerebrospinal fluid using antibody-based suspension bead array technology in a multi-disease cohort of 499 individuals with neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD), behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, primary progressive aphasias, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), corticobasal syndrome, primary supranuclear palsy, along with healthy controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAltered mitochondria-associated ER membrane (MAM) function shifts mitochondrial metabolism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Nat Commun
January 2025
Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Mitochondrial function is modulated by its interaction with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Recent research indicates that these contacts are disrupted in familial models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We report here that this impairment in the crosstalk between mitochondria and the ER impedes the use of glucose-derived pyruvate as mitochondrial fuel, causing a shift to fatty acids to sustain energy production.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecular aspects of cytoprotection by Optineurin during stress and disease.
Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res
January 2025
CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 500007, India; Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port Saint Lucie, FL 34987, USA. Electronic address:
Optineurin/OPTN is an adapter protein that plays a crucial role in mediating many cellular functions, including autophagy, vesicle trafficking, and various signalling pathways. Mutations of OPTN are linked with neurodegenerative disorders, glaucoma, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recent work has shown that OPTN provides cytoprotection from many types of stress, including oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, protein homeostasis stress, tumour necrosis factor α, and microbial infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!