Nodding syndrome: A role for environmental biotoxins that dysregulate MECP2 expression?

J Neurol Sci

Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Gulu University School of Medicine, Gulu, Uganda.

Published: July 2024

Nodding syndrome is an epileptic encephalopathy associated with neuroinflammation and tauopathy. This initially pediatric brain disease, which has some clinical overlap with Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) Duplication Syndrome, has impacted certain impoverished East African communities coincident with local civil conflict and internal displacement, conditions that forced dependence on contaminated food and water. A potential role in Nodding syndrome for certain biotoxins (freshwater cyanotoxins plus/minus mycotoxins) with neuroinflammatory, excitotoxic, tauopathic, and MECP2-dysregulating properties, is considered here for the first time.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2024.123077DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

nodding syndrome
12
syndrome role
4
role environmental
4
environmental biotoxins
4
biotoxins dysregulate
4
dysregulate mecp2
4
mecp2 expression?
4
expression? nodding
4
syndrome epileptic
4
epileptic encephalopathy
4

Similar Publications

Introduction: Raga County is an onchocerciasis-endemic area in the Western Bahr El Ghazal state of South Sudan, known to have a high prevalence of blindness. The objective of this study was to determine the causes of eye disease and blindness in Raga County as well as to assess the relationship of eye diseases with other prevalent conditions like onchocerciasis and epilepsy.

Methods: We reviewed unpublished pre-community directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) data about eye disease and onchocerciasis in Western Bahr El Ghazal including Raga.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: In onchocerciasis-endemic areas, limited access to antiseizure medications (ASMs) contributes to a high epilepsy burden. This study evaluated the impact of a community-based epilepsy care program in Mahenge, Tanzania, an onchocerciasis-endemic area with high epilepsy prevalence.

Methods: A baseline survey (2017-2018) identified persons with epilepsy (PWE) in four rural villages.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: Epilepsy is a major public health issue in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly among children, due to limited healthcare resources, socioeconomic inequalities, and cultural stigma that often result in underdiagnosis and undertreatment. This review examines pediatric epilepsy's diagnosis, classification, and management in this setting, highlighting the need for culturally appropriate interventions to improve care quality and address these challenges. : A review of the literature was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases to identify pertinent studies published between 2013 and 2024.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Onchocerca volvulus is responsible for serious health issues, including blindness and neurological diseases, and current treatments like ivermectin can't be safely used in pregnant women or those co-infected with Loa loa.
  • Researchers at the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease have successfully produced and crystallized a potential drug target called OvMIF-1, which has a unique jellyfish-like structure.
  • The study suggests that deleting its N-terminal tag could reveal a larger cavity for drug targeting, indicating the need for further analysis to confirm the true biological structure of OvMIF-1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want 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!