Targeted long-read sequencing to quantify methylation of the C9orf72 repeat expansion.

Background: The gene C9orf72 harbors a non-coding hexanucleotide repeat expansion known to cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. While previous studies have estimated the length of this repeat expansion in multiple tissues, technological limitations have impeded researchers from exploring additional features, such as methylation levels.

Methods: We aimed to characterize C9orf72 repeat expansions using a targeted, amplification-free long-read sequencing method.

CHMP2B promotes CHMP7 mediated nuclear pore complex injury in sporadic ALS.

Alterations to the composition and function of neuronal nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) have been documented in multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Moreover, recent work has suggested that injury to the NPC can at least in part contribute to TDP-43 loss of function and mislocalization, a pathological hallmark of ALS and related neurodegenerative diseases. Collectively, these studies highlight a role for disruptions in NPC homeostasis and surveillance as a significant pathophysiologic event in neurodegeneration.

Advances in Disease-Modifying Therapeutics for Chronic Neuromuscular Disorders.

Neuromuscular disorders can cause respiratory impairment by affecting the muscle fibers, neuromuscular junction, or innervation of respiratory muscles, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Over the past few years, new disease-modifying therapies have been developed and made available for treating different neuromuscular disorders. Some of these therapies have remarkable effectiveness, resulting in the prevention and reduction of respiratory complications.

Free-living monitoring of ALS progression in upper limbs using wearable accelerometers.

Background: Wearable technology offers objective and remote quantification of disease progression in neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Large population studies are needed to determine generalization and reproducibility of findings from pilot studies.

Methods: A large cohort of patients with ALS (N = 202) wore wearable accelerometers on their dominant and non-dominant wrists for a week every two to four weeks and self-entered the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-RSE) in similar time intervals.

Spinal muscular atrophy is also a disorder of spermatogenesis.

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients benefit from pre-mRNA splicing modifiers targeting the SMN2 gene, which aims to increase functional SMN production. The animal toxicity affecting spermatogenesis associated with one such treatment raised questions about male SMA patients' spermatogenesis.

Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2022 to July 2023.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by SOD1 variants: from genetic discovery to disease prevention.

Pathogenic variants in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene were the first identified genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in 1993. This discovery enabled the development of transgenic rodent models for studying the biology of SOD1 ALS. The understanding that SOD1 ALS is driven by a toxic gain-of-function mutation has led to therapeutic strategies that aim to lower concentrations of SOD1 protein, an endeavour that has been complicated by the phenotypic heterogeneity of SOD1 ALS.

A self-reported Brazilian registry of 5q-spinal muscular atrophy: data on natural history, genetic characteristics, and multidisciplinary care.

Background:  Spinal muscular atrophy linked to chromosome 5q (SMA-5q) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by mutations in the gene.

Objective:  To describe the key demographic, clinical and genetic characteristics, as well as natural history data of patients with SMA-5q.

Methods:  Up to January 2022, 706 patients with confirmed genetic diagnosis of SMA-5q, or their parents, completed a self-reported questionnaire on natural history, genetic characteristics, drug treatments, and multidisciplinary care.

Swift induction of human spinal lower motor neurons and robust ALS cell screening via single-cell imaging.

This study introduces a novel method for rapidly and efficiently inducing human spinal lower motor neurons (LMNs) from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to eventually elucidate the pathomechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and facilitate drug screening. Previous methods were limited by low induction efficiency, poor LMN purity, or labor-intensive induction and evaluation processes. Our protocol overcomes these challenges, achieving around 80% induction efficiency within just two weeks by combining a small molecule-based approach with transcription factor transduction.

Evaluation of pediatric spinal ependymomas: A 25-year retrospective observational study.

This study aims to evaluate the clinical and radiological features, histopathological characteristics, treatment modalities, and their effectiveness, as well as long-term follow-up results of pediatric spinal ependymomas treated at a single institution. In this retrospective study, medical records of 14 pediatric patients (3 females and 11 males) who were surgically treated for spinal ependymoma in our institution between 1995 and 2020 were reviewed. Data regarding age, gender, presenting symptoms and signs, radiological findings, postoperative status, extent of resection, histopathological grading, recurrence, tumor growth, seeding, and adjuvant treatment were collected and analyzed.

Methods to normalize surface electromyography in respiratory muscles: Is it similar between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and healthy people?

The normalization process is important to determine the best approach for normalizing electromyographic signals from respiratory muscles in healthy subjects and those with ALS. The aim of this study is to compare different methods of normalizing the sEMG signal of respiratory muscles in both healthy subjects and those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This cross-sectional study was conducted in 67 subjects (50 healthy and 17 with ALS).

Spinal TNF-α receptor 1 is differentially required for phrenic long-term facilitation (pLTF) over the course of motor neuron death in adult rats.

Introduction: Intrapleural injections of cholera toxin B conjugated to saporin (CTB-SAP) result in selective respiratory (, phrenic) motor neuron death and mimics aspects of motor neuron disease [(, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)], such as breathing deficits. This rodent model allows us to study the impact motor neuron death has on the output of surviving phrenic motor neurons as well as the compensatory mechanisms that are recruited. Microglial density in the phrenic motor nucleus as well as cervical gene expression of markers associated with inflammation (.

C21ORF2 mutations point towards primary cilia dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Progressive loss of motor neurons is the hallmark of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but the underlying disease mechanisms remain incompletely understood. In this study, we investigate the effects of C21ORF2 mutations, a gene recently linked to ALS, and find that primary cilia are dysfunctional. Human patient-derived mutant C21ORF2 motor neurons have a reduced ciliary frequency and length.

Investigating a Domain Adaptation Approach for Integrating Different Measurement Instruments in a Longitudinal Clinical Registry.

In a longitudinal clinical registry, different measurement instruments might have been used for assessing individuals at different time points. To combine them, we investigate deep learning techniques for obtaining a joint latent representation, to which the items of different measurement instruments are mapped. This corresponds to domain adaptation, an established concept in computer science for image data.

Interleukin-3 Modulates Macrophage Phagocytic Activity and Promotes Spinal Cord Injury Repair.

Background: Effective clearance of lipid-rich debris by macrophages is critical for neural repair and regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). Interleukin-3 (IL-3) has been implicated in programming microglia to cluster and clear pathological aggregates in neurodegenerative disease. Yet, the influence of IL-3 on lipid debris clearance post-SCI is not well characterized.

[Analysis of clinical characteristics of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients initially diagnosed with abnormal laryngeal function].

To study the laryngeal functional characteristics of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)disease diagnosed at the voice clinic. A retrospective analysis(case series study) was conducted on the laryngeal functional characteristics of 7 patients [2 males, 5 females, age ranged from 43 to 76(60.85±13.

Offering reproductive genetic carrier screening for cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy and fragile X syndrome: Views of Victorian general practitioners.

Background And Objectives: The Royal Australian College of General Practice recommends that all women contemplating pregnancy or in early pregnancy should be offered reproductive genetic carrier screening (RGCS). In November 2023, a new Medicare item number was introduced for RGCS to detect cystic fibrosis (CF), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and fragile X syndrome (FXS) carrier status. The role of general practice in offering RGCS is recognised as being of crucial importance, but only a minority of general practitioners (GPs) are offering such screening.

CMT2 and distal hereditary motor neuropathy associated with VRK1 variants: Case series.

Axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT2) and distal hereditary motor neuropathy (dHMN) are associated with a heterogeneous group of genes encoding proteins that are involved in axonal transport, control of RNA metabolism, mitochondrial dynamics and DNA repair. VRK1 (vaccinia-related kinase 1) is a serine/threonine kinase which is widely expressed in human tissue and plays a role in RNA maturation and processing and in DNA damage response. Variants of VRK1 have been associated with neurodevelopmental and neuromuscular disorders including pontocerebellar hypoplasia, motor neuron disorders and distal hereditary motor neuropathy.

A dataset profiling the multiomic landscape of the prefrontal cortex in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neuron disease, which still lacks effective disease-modifying therapies. Similar to other neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer and Parkinson disease, ALS pathology is presumed to propagate over time, originating from the motor cortex and spreading to other cortical regions. Exploring early disease stages is crucial to understand the causative molecular changes underlying the pathology.

Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin gonadal extract mitigates neurotoxicity and inflammatory signaling in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

The present study investigates the neuroprotective effects of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus gonadal extract on rotenone-induced neurotoxicity in a Parkinson's disease (PD) rat model. Parkinson's disease, characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), is exacerbated by oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. The study involved fifty Wistar rats divided into five groups: control, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) control, Paracentrotus lividus gonadal extract-treated, rotenone-treated, and combined rotenone with Paracentrotus lividus gonadal extract-treated.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a tricenarian female.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease characterized by the progressive degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons. This disease is mostly observed in patients of the 6th decade or above, and it is extremely rare to observe this pathology in patients less than 50 years of age. This manuscript depicts the magnetic resonance imaging findings of ALS showing a wine glass sign in a 31-year-old female from a rural area with complaints of progressive limb weakness and muscle wasting.

Modulation of the central nervous system immune response and neuroinflammation via Wnt signaling in health and neurodegenerative diseases.

The immune response in the central nervous system (CNS) is a highly specialized and tightly regulated process essential for maintaining neural health and protecting against pathogens and injuries. The primary immune cells within the CNS include microglia, astrocytes, T cells, and B cells. They work together, continuously monitor the CNS environment for signs of infection, injury, or disease, and respond by phagocytosing debris, releasing cytokines, and recruiting other immune cells.

Motor pool selectivity of neuromuscular degeneration in type I spinal muscular atrophy is conserved between human and mouse.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by low levels of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. Even though SMN is ubiquitously expressed, the disease selectively affects motor neurons, leading to progressive muscle weakness. Even among motor neurons, certain motor units appear more clinically resistant to SMA.

[Natural history of spinal muscular atrophy type I].

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a group of genetically heterogeneous neuromuscular diseases characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons in the anterior horns of the spinal cord. The prevalence of SMA is approximately 1 in 10.000 live births.

Statistical examination of shared loci in neuropsychiatric diseases using genome-wide association study summary statistics.

Continued methodological advances have enabled numerous statistical approaches for the analysis of summary statistics from genome-wide association studies. Genetic correlation analysis within specific regions enables a new strategy for identifying pleiotropy. Genomic regions with significant 'local' genetic correlations can be investigated further using state-of-the-art methodologies for statistical fine-mapping and variant colocalisation.