Hideji Hattori

Brain magnetic resonance imaging in 23 patients with mucopolysaccharidoses and the effect of bone marrow transplantation.

A longitudinal study of cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was carried out in 23 patients with mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS); 1 each of types IH, VI, and VII; 2 of type IS; 10 of type II; and 4 each of types IIIB and IVA. Six types of distinct abnormalities were 1) cribriform changes or spotty changes in the corpus callosum, basal ganglia, and white matter; 2) high‐intensity signal in the white matter on T2‐weighted image; 3) ventriculomegaly; 4) diffuse cerebral cortical atrophy; 5) spinal cord compression; and 6) megacisterna magna. The cribriform changes that corresponded to dilated perivascular spaces were found in the patients with MPS IS, II, and VI. The patchy and diffuse intensity changes were found in the patient with MPS II and IIIB, respectively. MPS IH and the severe type of MPS II showed marked ventriculomegaly. Marked cerebral atrophy was observed in all MPS IIIB patients and in the severe type of MPS II patients. Spinal cord compression was a feature usually observed in MPS IH, IVA, VI, and VII. Megacisterna magna was frequent in the patients with MPS II (6/10). In 2 of 5 patients, the therapeutic effect of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was remarkable. Both the cribriform changes and the intensity change of the white matter in a MPS VI patient disappeared 8 years after the BMT. Slight improvement of cribriform change was noted in 1 patient with MPS II 3 years after the BMT. MRS was not sufficient to estimate the accumulation of glycosaminoglycans but was useful for evaluating neuronal damages.

Frequency of choroidal abnormalities in neurofibromatosis type 1

BACKGROUND Choroidal neurofibromatosis is thought to be a rare form of neurofibromatosis that involves the eyes. The development of infrared light examination with a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) and indocyanine-green fundus angiography has allowed examination of the choroid. We studied choroidal abnormalities in patients with neurofibromatosis 1 and compared their frequency with that of other ocular abnormalities. METHODS We examined 33 eyes of 17 consecutive patients diagnosed with neurofibromatosis 1 by conventional ophthalmoscopy and by non-invasive infrared monochromatic light with confocal SLO. 76 eyes of 39 age-matched controls were examined similarly by confocal SLO. 21 digital fluorescein and indocyanine-green angiographies were obtained from 11 adult patients, and 77 angiograms were obtained from age-matched controls. FINDINGS Infrared monochromatic light examination by confocal SLO showed bright multiple patchy regions at and around the entire posterior pole of all 33 eyes examined. All bright patchy regions seen in adult patients corresponded to hypofluorescent areas on their indocyanine-green angiograms. However, no abnormalities were noted in any patient at corresponding areas under conventional ophthalmoscopic examination or fluorescein angiography. In SLO and indocyanine-green studies, controls and control angiograms showed no choroidal abnormalities. Iris nodules were noted in 25 eyes (76%) of 14 patients (82%) and eyelid neurofibroma in five patients (29%). INTERPRETATION The bright patchy regions noted under infrared fundus examination and the corresponding hypofluorescent areas seen on indocyanine-green angiograms are probably of choroidal origin. The high frequency (100%) of these abnormalities suggests that the choroid is one of the structures most commonly affected by neurofibromatosis 1.

Sequential MRI, SPECT and PET in respiratory syncytial virus encephalitis.

Abstract We report on a 3-year-old girl with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) encephalitis manifested by disturbance of consciousness, conjugate eye deviation, anuria, truncal ataxia and intention tremor. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed hyperintense areas in the cerebellar cortex. No lesion was detected in the cerebral cortex, pons or spinal cord. The hyperintense areas in the cerebellar cortex diminished with recovery from the clinical manifestations and had resolved 2 months after onset. The MRI lesions in the cerebellum were considered to be due to oedema. SPECT and positron emission tomography (PET), performed 3 months after onset, disclosed areas of hypoperfusion and hypometabolism at the same sites. One year after onset, MRI showed mild atrophy of the cerebellum. Hypoperfusion on SPECT and hypometabolism on PET remained. Neuroimaging showed that ataxia and tremor in this case were the result of cerebellitis. The patient has no neurological deficit except for mild truncal ataxia. This patient is a rare example of RSV encephalitis.

Expression of estrogen receptor α and β in reactive astrocytes at the male rat hippocampus after status epilepticus

Estrogen is neuroprotective against status epilepticus (SE)‐induced hippocampal damage in female animals. In male animals, estrogen is converted from testosterone via aromatization the activity of which is upregulated by brain damage. However, it is controversial whether estrogen is neuroprotective or neuroinvasive against male hippocampal damage after SE. In order to understand the role of estrogen, it is important to elucidate the distribution manner of estrogen receptor (ER)α and β as the targets of estrogen. In this study, we examined the time course changes of ERs in adult male rat hippocampus after SE using anti‐ERα antibodies (MC‐20 and PA1‐309) and anti‐ERβ antibodies (PA1‐310B and PA1‐311). In control rats, both ERα and β were expressed in the pyramidal cells predominantly at CA1 and CA3. ERα was expressed in the cytoplasm and the nucleus, whereas ERβ was expressed in the cytoplasm of the pyramidal cells. After SE, according to the pyramidal cell loss at CA1, the number of ERα‐ and β‐immunoreactive pyramidal cells decreased up to day 21. On the other hand, reactive astrocytes, which newly appeared after SE and formed gliosis at CA1, were confirmed to express both ERs in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and process. There were no differences in immunoreactivity between antibodies. Our results indicate that endogenous estrogen affects the pyramidal cells through ERα and β under normal circumstances in adult male rats, whereas the targets of estrogen shift to the reactive astrocytes through ERα and β after SE.

Effectiveness of lidocaine infusion for status epilepticus in childhood: A retrospective multi-institutional study in Japan

We evaluated the usefulness of intravenous lidocaine therapy for managing of status epilepticus (SE) during childhood in a retrospective multi-institutional study. Questionnaires were sent to 28 hospitals concerning patients admitted for SE who were managed with lidocaine, assessing patient characteristics, treatment protocols and efficacy. In 279 treated patients, 261 SE occurrences at ages between 1 month and 15 years were analyzed. SE was classified as showing continuous, clustered, or frequently repeated seizures. Considering efficacy and side effects in combination, the usefulness of lidocaine was classified into six categories: extremely useful, useful, slightly useful, not useful, associated with deterioration, or unevaluated. In 148 SE cases (56.7%), lidocaine was rated as useful or extremely useful. Multivariate analysis indicated lidocaine was to be useful in SE with clustered and frequently repeated seizures, and SE attributable to certain acute illnesses, such as convulsions with mild gastroenteritis. Efficacy was poor when SE caused by central nervous system (CNS) infectious disease. Standard doses (approximately 2mg/kg as a bolus, 2mg/kg/h as maintenance) produced better outcomes than lower or higher doses. Poor responders to the initial bolus injection of lidocaine were less likely to respond to subsequent continuous infusion than good initial responders. We recommend lidocaine for use in SE with clustered or frequently repeated seizures, and in SE associated with benign infantile convulsion and convulsions with mild gastroenteritis. Lidocaine should be initiated with a bolus of 2mg/kg. If SE is arrested by the bolus, continuous maintenance infusion should follow; treatment should proceed to different measures when SE shows a poor response to the initial bolus of lidocaine.

Kainic acid dose affects delayed cell death mechanism after status epilepticus

Kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus (SE) produces hippocampal neuronal death, which varies from necrosis to apoptosis or programmed cell death (PCD). We examined whether the type of neuronal death was dependent on KA dose. Adult rats were induced SE by intraperitoneal injection of KA at 9 mg/kg (K9) or 12 mg/kg (K12). Hippocampal neuronal death was assessed by TUNEL staining, electron microscopy, and Western blotting of caspase-3 on days 1, 3 and 7 after SE induction. K12 rats showed higher a mortality rate and shorter latency to the onset of SE when compared with K9 rats. In both groups, acidophilic and pyknotic neurons were evident in CA1 at 24h after SE and neuronal loss developed from day 3. The degenerated neurons became TUNEL-positive on days 3 and 7 in K9 rats but not in K12 rats. Caspase-3 activation was detected on days 3 and 7 in K9 rats but was undetectable in K12 rats. Ultrastructural study revealed shrunken neurons exhibiting pyknotic nuclei containing small and dispersed chromatin clumps 24h after SE in CA1. No cells exhibited apoptosis. On days 3 and 7, the degenerated neurons were necrotic with high electron density and small chromatin clumps. There were no ultrastructural differences between the K9 and K12 groups. These results revealed that differences in KA dose affected the delayed cell death (3 and 7 days after SE); however, no effect was seen on the early cell death (24h after SE). Moderate-dose KA induced necrosis, while low-dose KA induced PCD.

Efficient isolation of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis virus from patient brains by reference to magnetic resonance and computed tomographic images

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis virus has been isolated with difficulty from brains of infected patients. More strains are needed for the study of the pathogenesis of this virus. To make the isolation more efficient, we selected portions to be examined from the brains of three patients with reference to findings of repeated magnetic resonance and computed tomographic imaging. Three cell lines susceptible to measles virus field strains were used. In all three cases viruses were isolated most effectively from recent lesions and with Vero cells. Our results suggested that these imaging methods and Vero cells could be used for improvement in the efficiency of isolation of this virus from patient brains.

Determining the appropriate stimulus intensity for studying the dipole moment in somatosensory evoked fields: a preliminary study

OBJECTIVE To establish a simple method of determining the appropriate stimulus intensity for studying the dipole moment in somatosensory evoked fields. METHODS In 17 patients (20 hemispheres), the authors studied the relationship between the dipole moment and stimulus intensity, which was quantified using the threshold of thenar muscle twitch (TMT). The dipole moment was measured at 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 TMT. Two measurements were obtained at 1.5 TMT to determine the procedures margin of error. RESULTS There was no significant difference between the dipole moments measured at 1.5 and 2.0 TMT. CONCLUSIONS Setting the stimulus intensity at 1.5 TMT or more ensures a consistent response.

Interictal Patterns of Cerebral Glucose Metabolism, Perfusion, and Magnetic Field in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Summary:  Purpose: To characterize the epileptogenic condition of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, the interictal patterns of glucose metabolism, perfusion, and magnetic field in the temporal lobe were evaluated by using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography, [99mTc]‐ethylcysteinate dimer–single photon emission computed tomography, and magnetoencephalography (MEG).

A case of TUBA1A mutation presenting with lissencephaly and Hirschsprung disease

Gene mutation of tubulin alpha-1A (TUBA1A), a critical component of microtubules of the cytoskeleton, impairs neural migration and causes lissencephaly (LIS). The approximately 45 cases of disease-associated TUBA1A mutations reported to date demonstrate a wide spectrum of phenotypes. Here we describe an 8-year-old girl with lissencephaly, microcephaly, and early-onset epileptic seizures associated with a novel mutation in the TUBA1A gene. The patient developed Hirschsprung disease and the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), which had not previously been described in TUBA1A mutation-associated disease. Our case provides new insight into the wide spectrum of disease phenotypes associated with TUBA1A mutation.