N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis is a newly defined type of autoimmune encephalitis. Two girls (age 3 years, case 1, and 7 years, case 2) with relapsing NMDA receptor encephalitis each had the classic clinical features of encephalopathy, movement disorders, psychiatric symptoms, seizures, insomnia, and mild autonomic dysfunction. Both patients had persistent neuropsychiatric disability, despite immune therapies. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans were performed during clinical relapse at 6 weeks (case 1) and 5 months (case 2). In both cases, the scans demonstrated reduced fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism in the cerebral cortex, with the temporal regions being most affected. PET imaging was more sensitive than magnetic resonance imaging in these patients. In contrast, the one previous report of acute NMDA receptor encephalitis indicated cortical hypermetabolism. Thus, NMDA receptor encephalitis may be associated with variable PET findings, possibly dependent upon the timing of the study, or other factors. Future studies should investigate whether cortical hypometabolism is associated with a relapsing course, and whether it is predictive of a poorer outcome in NMDA receptor encephalitis.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2010.04.019 | DOI Listing |
Am J Psychiatry
January 2025
Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Section, NIDA, Baltimore (Levinstein, Budinich, Michaelides); Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona (Bonaventura); Neuropharmacology and Pain Group, Neuroscience Program, IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona (Bonaventura); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford (Schatzberg); Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, NIMH, Bethesda (Zarate); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore (Michaelides).
Ketamine is a racemic compound and medication comprised of ()-ketamine and ()-ketamine enantiomers and its metabolites. It has been used for decades as a dissociative anesthetic, analgesic, and recreational drug. More recently, ketamine, its enantiomers, and its metabolites have been used or are being investigated for the treatment of refractory depression, as well as for comorbid disorders such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and opioid use disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Res Ther
January 2025
Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Via Cherasco 15, Turin, 10126, Italy.
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with both genetic and environmental factors contributing to its pathogenesis. While early-onset AD has well-established genetic determinants, the genetic basis for late-onset AD remains less clear. This study investigates a large Italian family with late-onset autosomal dominant AD, identifying a novel rare missense variant in GRIN2C gene associated with the disease, and evaluates the functional impact of this variant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neuroinflammation
January 2025
Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
The thrombolytic protease tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is expressed in the CNS, where it regulates diverse functions including neuronal plasticity, neuroinflammation, and blood-brain-barrier integrity. However, its role in different brain regions such as the substantia nigra (SN) is largely unexplored. In this study, we characterize tPA expression, activity, and localization in the SN using a combination of retrograde tracing and β-galactosidase tPA reporter mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chem Inf Model
January 2025
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 West Culture Road, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China.
-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, a subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors in the central nervous system (CNS), have garnered attention for their role in brain disorders. Specifically, GluN2A-containing NMDA receptors have emerged as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of depressive disorders and epilepsy. However, the development of GluN2A-containing NMDA receptor-selective antagonists, represented by -(4-(2-benzoylhydrazine-1-carbonyl)benzyl)-3-chloro-4-fluorobenzenesulfonamide (TCN-201) and its derivatives, faces a significant challenge due to their limited ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), hampering their characterization and further advancement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuroscience
January 2025
Narula Research, LLC, 107 Boulder Bluff, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA.
Neurological disorders significantly impact the central nervous system, contributing to a growing public health crisis globally. The spectrum of these disorders includes neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. This manuscript reviews the crucial roles of cellular signalling pathways in the pathophysiology of these conditions, focusing primarily on glutaminase/glutamate/NMDA receptor signalling, alongside the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways-ERK1/2, C-JNK, and P38 MAPK.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!