Person:

Anderson, Matthew

Evolutionarily old and conserved homeostatic systems in the brain, including hypothalamus, are organized into nuclear structures of heterogeneous and diverse neuron populations. To investigate whether such circuits can be functionally reconstituted by synaptic integration of similarly diverse populations of neurons, we generated physically chimeric hypothalami by micro-transplanting small numbers of embryonic enhanced green fluorescent protein-expressing, leptin-responsive hypothalamic cells into hypothalami of postnatal leptin receptor-deficient (db/db) mice that develop morbid obesity. Donor neurons differentiated and integrated as four distinct hypothalamic neuron subtypes, formed functional excitatory and inhibitory synapses, partially restored leptin responsiveness, and ameliorated hyperglycemia and obesity in db/db mice. These experiments serve as proof of concept that transplanted neurons can functionally reconstitute complex neuronal circuitry in the mammalian brain.

Background: Gorham’s disease is a rare osteolytic disorder characterized by progressive resorption of bone and replacement of osseous matrix by a proliferative non-neoplastic vascular or lymphatic tissue. A standardized treatment protocol has not yet been defined due to the unpredictable natural history of the disease and variable clinical presentations. No single treatment has proven to be superior in arresting the course of the disease. Trials have included surgery, radiation and medical therapies using drugs such as calcium salts, vitamin D supplements and hormones. We report on our advantageous experience in the management of this osteolyic disorder in a case when it affected only the skull vault. A brief review of pertinent literature about Gorham’s disease with skull involvement is provided. Case presentation: A 25-year-old Caucasian male presented with a skull depression over the left fronto-temporal region. He noticed progressive enlargement of the skull defect associated with local pain and mild headache. Physical examination revealed a tender palpable depression of the fronto-temporal convexity. Conventional X-ray of the skull showed widespread loss of bone substance. Subsequent CT scans showed features of patchy erosions indicative of an underlying osteolysis. MRI also revealed marginal enhancement at the site of the defect. The patient was in need of a pathological diagnosis as well as complex reconstruction of the afflicted area. A density graded CT scan was done to determine the variable degrees of osteolysis and a custom made allograft was designed for cranioplasty preoperatively to allow for a single step excisional craniectomy with synchronous skull repair. Gorham’s disease was diagnosed based on histopathological examination. No neurological deficit or wound complications were reported postoperatively. Over a two-year follow up period, the patient had no evidence of local recurrence or other systemic involvement. Conclusions: A single step excisional craniectomy and cranioplasty can be an effective treatment for patients with Gorham’s disease affecting the skull vault only. Preoperative planning by a density graded CT aids to design a synthetic bone flap and is beneficial in skull reconstruction. Systemic involvement is variable in this patient’s population.

Summary Maternally inherited 15q11-13 chromosomal triplications cause a frequent and highly penetrant autism linked to increased gene dosages of UBE3A, which both possesses ubiquitin-ligase and transcriptional co-regulatory functions. Here, using in vivo mouse genetics, we show that increasing UBE3A in the nucleus down-regulates glutamatergic synapse organizer cerebellin-1 (Cbln1) that is needed for sociability in mice. Epileptic seizures also repress Cbln1 and are found to expose sociability impairments in mice with asymptomatic increases of UBE3A. This Ube3a-seizure synergy maps to glutamate neurons of the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) where Cbln1 deletions impair sociability and weaken glutamatergic transmission. We provide preclinical evidence that viral-vector-based chemogenetic activations of, or Cbln1 restorations in VTA glutamatergic neurons rescues sociability deficits induced by Ube3a and/or seizures. Our results suggest a gene × seizure interaction in VTA glutamatergic neurons that impairs sociability by downregulating Cbln1, a key node in the expanding protein interaction network of autism genes.

Objective To determine the frequency of hyperintense cortical signal (HCS) on T1-weighted pre-contrast MRI in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) patients, its association with seizure risk and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), and its pathologic correlate.

Methods We reviewed clinical data including seizure history, presence of IRIS, and MRI scans from PML patients evaluated at our institution between 2003 and 2012. Cases that were diagnosed either by CSF JC Virus (JCV) PCR, brain biopsy or autopsy, and who had MRI images available were included in the analysis (n=49). We characterized pathologic findings in areas of the brain displaying HCS in two patients and compared them with isointense cortex in the same individuals.

Results Of 49 patients, 17 (34.7%) had seizures and 30 (61.2%) had HCS adjacent to subcortical PML lesions on MRI. Of the 17 PML patients with seizures, 15 (88.2%) had HCS compared to 15/32 (46.9%) patients without seizures (p= 0.006). HCS was associated with seizure development with a relative risk (RR) of 4.75 (95% confidence interval of 1.2 to 18.5; p=0.006). Of the 20 patients with IRIS, 16 (80.0%) had HCS compared to 14/29 (49.3%) of those without IRIS (p=0.04). On histological examination, HCS areas were associated with striking JCV-associated demyelination of cortical and sub-cortical U-fibers, significant macrophage infiltration and a pronounced reactive gliosis in the deep cortical layers.

Interpretation Seizures are a frequent complication in PML. HCS is associated with seizures as well as IRIS, and correlates histologically with JCV focal leukocortical encephalitis (JCV FLE).