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Fulminant multiple system atrophy in a young adult presenting as motor neuron disease.

A 34-year-old man demonstrated rapidly progressive motor neuron disease and, late in his 9-month clinical course, exhibited ophthalmoplegia and dysautonomic symptoms. Neuropathology showed spinal and bulbar motor neuron disease with severe involvement of extraocular motor nuclei, degeneration of spinal sympathetic and bulbar parasympathetic nuclei, striatonigral degeneration, and early olivopontocerebellar atrophy. This case underscores the diversity of multiple system atrophy and demonstrates an unusually rapid course in a young patient.

Adult↗

Normal cerebrospinal fluid glutathione concentrations in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and multiple system atrophy.

We measured total glutathione concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of non-demented Parkinson's disease patients (PD; n=71), demented PD patients (PDD; n=13), multiple system atrophy patients (MSA; n=10), Alzheimer's disease patients (AD; n=17) and age-matched controls (n=21). No statistically significant differences in the mean total CSF glutathione concentrations were found between groups and dopaminomimetic treatment was not found to have any effect on total CSF glutathione levels. Our main conclusion is that total glutathione is not useful as a CSF marker for assumed oxidative stress in patients with PD, MSA or AD.

Aged↗

Influence of a tumor necrosis factor gene polymorphism in Japanese patients with multiple system atrophy.

We studied promoter region polymorphisms in the tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 genes in Japanese patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) (n=122) and normal controls (n=277). The frequency of the TNF-1031C, a high producer allele of TNF, was increased significantly in MSA patients compared with controls (chi2=12.36, P=0.0021, Pc=0.0084). In contrast, there was no difference in the genotype or allele frequency in the other cytokine gene polymorphisms. We also failed to detect any difference in the disease onset between each genotype of the polymorphisms examined. Our findings suggest that TNF might have a toxic effect in MSA.

Adult↗

Occupational therapy in multiple system atrophy: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

There is some evidence that rehabilitation therapies may be useful in progressive neurological conditions, but this usefulness has not been studied in multiple system atrophy (MSA) to date. The aim of this small pilot study was to identify the feasibility of a larger randomized controlled trial of occupational therapy and to report preliminary data on the impact of occupational therapy on disability, mood, and health-related quality of life in patients with MSA. Patient groups were comparable for age, gender distribution, type of MSA, and severity. The active occupational therapy intervention group experienced a significant reduction of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (total score and Activities of Daily Living [ADL] section), and PDQ-39 scores (total scores and ADL subsection). An occupational therapy program may improve functional abilities in patients with mild to moderate MSA. A larger multicenter study is needed.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Quantitative study of lateral horn cells in 15 cases of multiple system atrophy.

Nerve cell counts of the lateral horns of the spinal cord were performed in 15 cases of multiple system atrophy (MSA) and three age- and sex-matched controls. The patients with MSA were comprised of eight with severe postural hypotension, three with orthostatic hypotension and little or no disability and four without any signs of autonomic failure. All cases of MSA had lost more than half their lateral horn cells but nerve cell loss could not be correlated with the degree of dysautonomia. These results confirm the involvement of the intermediolateral columns of the spinal cord in MSA. However, the lack of correlation between cell loss and severity of autonomic failure in our cases, suggests that lesions of other sites, such as sympathetic ganglia or the dorsal vagal nuclei, are also implicated in dysautonomia.

Aged↗

Pain in multiple system atrophy.

Pain is a recognized feature of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) but has never been studied in multiple system atrophy (MSA), the commonest cause of atypical parkinsonism. We retrospectively analysed histories of pain in 100 consecutive cases of clinically probable MSA. Details were obtained from the medical records of 100 patients with MSA, comprising 82 with the striatonigral degeneration (SND) type and 18 with the olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) type of MSA. Pain was reported in 47% of the MSA patients. It was classified as rheumatic in 64% of MSA patients reporting pain, sensory in 28%, dystonic in 21%, and levodopa-related in 16%, mostly related to off-period or diphasic dystonias. There was a mixed pain syndrome in 19% of these patients. Pain was significantly more commonly reported by females (P = 0.02), and by patients with levodopa-induced dyskinesias (P = 0.02). No other clinical feature differentiated MSA patients who reported pain from those who did not. The mean delay between disease onset and onset of pain was 2.9 years, but pain was reported at the time of, or before, disease onset in about 30% of patients. The overall prevalence of pain in MSA was similar to that reported in IPD, but the distribution of pain categories was different.

Adult↗

Vocal cord abductor paralysis (VCAP) in Parkinson's disease: difference from VCAP in multiple system atrophy.

Vocal cord abductor paralysis (VCAP) is rare in Parkinson's disease (PD), while it is frequent in multiple system atrophy (MSA). Although VCAP is a life-threatening complication it has not yet been clarified whether there is any difference in the mechanism of VCAP between PD and MSA. Examining 3 autopsy-proven PD patients who developed severe VCAP requiring tracheostomy, we found the following differences in the mechanism of VCAP between MSA and PD: (1) clinical and laryngofiberscopic examination showed that VCAP in PD was not exacerbated during sleep, unlike in MSA; (2) On histological examination of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles, the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle demonstrated no abnormalities in PD, while the muscle showed characteristic neurogenic atrophy in MSA. There seemed to be two types of VCAP, namely the nonparalytic type observed in PD, and the paralytic type observed in MSA. Severe dysphagia requiring tube-feeding was common among PD patients who presented with VCAP. Although the relationship between VCAP and dysphagia is unknown, one should be aware of the possibility of fatal VCAP in PD patients with severe dysphagia.

Aged↗

Neuronal inclusions in the dentate fascia in patients with multiple system atrophy.

Ubiquitin-immunoreactive neuronal inclusions in the granular cells in the dentate fascia (UNIDs) of patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) were examined for immunohistochemical and ultrastructural characterization especially in comparison with those which were recently reported for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with dementia (ALS-D). Eight of 23 MSA patients had UNIDs which were also identified by Gallyas-Braak impregnation but immunonegative for other antibodies including against tau, neurofilaments, and alphaB crystallin. Ultrastructurally, loosely aggregated fibrils without limiting membrane located around the nucleus, which was confirmed by the results of ubiquitin-immunoelectron microscopy. The formation of UNIDs in MSA and ALS-D was suggested to be caused by different types of degeneration because UNIDs in MSA differ from these in ALS-D in terms of their stainability by Gallyas-Braak impregnation and ultrastructurally. In this study hippocampal involvement in MSA differing from ALS-D was clarified.

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Multiple system atrophy.

The past year has seen advances in delineating the clinical features, natural history and imaging characteristics of multiple system atrophy. The initiating pathogenetic mechanisms remain unknown. However, any aetiological or pathophysiological hypothesis must consider not only neuronal loss and gliosis but also the recently described characteristic oligodendrolial cytoplasmic inclusions.

Brain↗

A study of parkinsonism in multiple system atrophy: clinical and MRI correlation.

We investigated clinical and MRI correlation in 18 patients with clinically-diagnosed multiple system atrophy (MSA) and 16 age-matched controls, using 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We evaluated the severity of parkinsonism in each MSA patient. In assessing the MRI findings, we examined three parameters quantitatively: width of the pars compacta of the substantia nigra (SNc); putaminal hypointensity on T2-weighted images; and putaminal atrophy. As in previous studies, SNc width was narrowed and the putaminal signal intensity was decreased in patients with MSA compared with controls. The clinical severity of parkinsonism did not correlate significantly with the SNc width or the score of putaminal hypointensity in MSA. However, not only did putaminal atrophy occur, but correlated well with the severity of parkinsonism in MSA. A significant correlation could not be established between narrowing of SNc and shrinkage of the putamen. These findings suggest that putaminal atrophy is associated with the clinical manifestations of parkinsonism and do not support the hypothesis that transsynaptic degeneration occurs in MSA.

Adult↗

[Vocal cord abductor paralysis in multiple system atrophy--paradoxical movement of vocal cords during sleep].

Bilateral vocal cord abductor paralysis (VCAP) is frequently associated with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and the early clinical manifestation of VCAP is nocturnal inspiratory stridor simulating heavy snoring observed in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. We examined six MSA patients with nocturnal stridor and four disease controls including sleep apnea syndrome. Vocal cord movements were analyzed by laryngofiberscopy during both wakefulness and sleep induced by intravenous administration of diazepam. The results were as follows: First, the stenotic portion in the upper airway tract was the larynx (the vocal cords) in MSA patients with stridor, while the soft palate or the pharynx in the disease controls. Second, in the MSA patients, while awake-laryngofiberscopy showed abduction restriction suggestive of VCAP in only one of the six patients, sleep-laryngofiberscopy showed obvious paradoxical movement of the vocal cord in all the rests, where the vocal cords abducted in expiration and adducted in inspiration. In addition, there were two patterns in the inspiratory vocal cord position during sleep: one pattern where vocal glottis was still opening at the posterior one-third area and the other pattern where vocal glottis was almost completely closed through total length of the cords. Tracheostomy should be considered in the latter stage of VCAP.

Aged↗

Progression of putaminal degeneration in multiple system atrophy: a serial diffusion MR study.

By using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), we have recently shown abnormal diffusivity in the putamen of patients with the Parkinson variant of multiple system atrophy (MSA-P) which also correlated with disease severity, indicating the capability of putaminal diffusivity to serve as a marker for disease progression. We therefore performed a serial DWI study in 10 patients with MSA-P compared to 10 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) to evaluate the dynamic evolution of diffusion properties in the basal ganglia including putamen, caudate nucleus and globus pallidum by means of the trace of the diffusion tensor (Trace(D)). For comparison, we have also analyzed the frequency and semiquantitative grading of MSA-P-related structural changes on conventional MRI including putaminal atrophy, lateral hyperintense margination of the putamen and putaminal signal hypointensity relative to the globus pallidum on T2 MR images. None of the Trace(D) values in the basal ganglia regions in the PD group changed significantly at follow-up compared to baseline. In MSA-P, a significant increase of the Trace(D) was found in the putamen, which correlated with motor progression as assessed by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). No significant change of any of the abnormal putaminal findings on routine MRI was obtained. We suggest that abnormal diffusivity in the putamen is sensitive to change over time in MSA-P and correlates with motor progression indicating that DWI may serve to monitor disease progression in MSA-P in an objective and quantitative manner.

Aged↗

Sequential constriction of upper airway and vocal cords in sleep apnoea of multiple system atrophy: low field magnetic resonance fluoroscopic study.

Low field magnetic resonance fluoroscopy was used to clarify temporal and spatial features of airway obstruction in sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) in multiple system atrophy (MSA), as well as in obstructive SAS (OSAS). 20 patients with OSAS with severe obesity (mean (SD) age 66 (10) years; 16 men, 4 women) and 6 patients with SAS related to probable MSA (60 (9) years; 4 men, 2 women) were studied. In the OSAS group, body mass index, apnoea index, and desaturation index were significantly higher than in the MSA group. In OSAS, simultaneous obstruction extended from the retropalatal pharynx to the retroglossal during sleep on low field magnetic resonance fluoroscopy. In MSA, obstruction of upper airway followed a similar distribution, but obstruction of vocal cords followed upper airway obstruction. In contrast to OSAS, sequentially acting neural mechanisms are suspected in SAS with MSA.

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Silver staining method for demonstrating Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease and argyrophilic oligodendrocytes in multiple system atrophy.

A reliable and economical silver staining method is recommended for demonstration of Lewy bodies (LB) and Lewy neurites (LN) in Parkinson's disease (PD) and of argyrophilic oligodendrocytes in multiple system atrophy (MSA). The technique can be applied to routinely formalin-fixed autopsy material and does not require particular skills. It permits processing of frozen sections and sections from polyethylene glycol or paraffin embedded material. It takes advantage of the physical development of nucleation sites and thereby permits tight control of the entire staining procedure.

Brain↗

Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation for laryngeal contraction disorder during sleep in multiple system atrophy.

We examined the usefulness of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) in the management of nocturnal laryngeal stridor associated with vocal cord dysfunction in five cases of multiple system atrophy (MSA). First, the patients were investigated during sleep induced by a minimal dose of propofol. Laryngoscopy showed paradoxical vocal cord movement resulting in inspiratory stridor. Electromyographic (EMG) study revealed synchronized bursts in the thyroarytenoid muscles and diaphragm in every inspiratory phase whenever the stridor emerged. NPPV was initiated after paradoxical movement was recognized with laryngoscopy. The NPPV mask was equipped with an additional channel for laryngoscopic monitoring. The optimal pressure for treatment was determined according to laryngoscopic and EMG findings. Next, NPPV was applied to natural sleep using the conditions determined in propofol-induced sleep. In all cases, NPPV eliminated nocturnal stridor and oxygen desaturation during natural sleep. Laryngoscopic observation during induced sleep is recommended as a useful procedure to titrate the optimal pressure for NPPV therapy. Since central hypoventilation progresses in the course of MSA, the choice of NPPV rather than continuous positive airway pressure should be encouraged to treat laryngeal contraction disorder associated with MSA.

Aged↗

Quantitative simultaneous (99m)Tc-ECD/123I-FP-CIT SPECT in Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and utility of dual-isotope SPECT for differential diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). METHODS: Simultaneous (99m)Tc-ECD/123I-FP-CIT studies were performed in nine normal controls, five IPD patients, and five MSA patients. Projections were corrected for scatter, cross-talk, and high-energy penetration, and iteratively reconstructed while correcting for patient-specific attenuation and variable collimator response. Perfusion and dopamine transporter (DAT) function were assessed using voxel-based statistical parametric mapping (SPM2) and volume of interest quantitation. DAT binding potential (BP) and asymmetry index (AI) were estimated in the putamen and caudate nucleus. RESULTS: Striatal BP was lower in IPD (55%) and MSA (23%) compared to normal controls (p<0.01) , and in IPD compared to MSA (p<0.05). AI was greater for IPD than for MSA and controls in both the caudate nucleus and the putamen (p<0.05). There was significantly decreased perfusion in the left and right nucleus lentiformis in MSA compared to IPD and controls (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Dual-isotope studies are both feasible in and promising for the diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes.

Cysteine↗

Multiple regional 1H-MR spectroscopy in multiple system atrophy: NAA/Cr reduction in pontine base as a valuable diagnostic marker.

OBJECTIVE: We performed (1)H-MR spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) on multiple brain regions to determine the metabolite pattern and diagnostic utility of (1)H-MRS in multiple system atrophy (MSA). METHODS: Examining single voxels at 3.0 T, we studied metabolic findings of the putamen, pontine base, and cerebral white matter in 24 MSA patients (predominant cerebellar ataxia (MSA-C), n = 13), parkinsonism (MSA-P), n = 11), in 11 age and duration matched Parkinson's disease patients (PD) and in 18 age matched control subjects. RESULTS: The N-acetylaspartate to creatine ratio (NAA/Cr) in MSA patients showed a significant reduction in the pontine base (p<0.0001) and putamen (p = 0.02) compared with controls. NAA/Cr in cerebral white matter also tended to decline in long standing cases. NAA/Cr reduction in the pontine base was prominent in both MSA-P (p<0.0001) and MSA-C (p<0.0001), and putaminal NAA/Cr reduction was significant in MSA-P (p = 0.009). It was also significant in patients who were in an early phase of their disease, and in those who showed no ataxic symptoms or parkinsonism, or did not show any MRI abnormality of the "hot cross bun" sign or hyperintense putaminal rims. NAA/Cr in MSA-P patients was significantly reduced in the pontine base (p = 0.001) and putamen (p = 0.002) compared with PD patients. The combined (1)H-MRS in the putamen and pontine base served to distinguish patients with MSA-P from PD more clearly. CONCLUSIONS: (1)H-MRS showed widespread neuronal and axonal involvement in MSA. The NAA/Cr reduction in the pontine base proved highly informative in the early diagnosis of MSA prior to MRI changes and even before any clinical manifestation of symptoms.

Aspartic Acid↗

REM sleep motor dysfunction in multiple system atrophy: with special emphasis on sleep talk as its early clinical manifestation.

Various neurodegenerative diseases involving brainstem structures as one of the main pathological lesions are reported to be associated with REM sleep behaviour disorder. Full blown REM sleep behaviour disorder can be diagnosed clinically, but REM sleep motor dysfunction, a pathophysiological basis of REM sleep behaviour disorder, is difficult to detect without all night polysomnography. Twenty one consecutive patients with multiple system atrophy with no complaints of nocturnal abnormal behaviours were clinically evaluated to determine the presence of sleep related symptoms. All night polysomnography with video monitoring was performed to investigate REM sleep characteristics and patients' behaviours. In 85.7% (18 of 21) of the patients' sleep talk started or increased around or after the clinical onset of the primary diseases. REM sleep without atonia occupied more than 15% (16.2%-100%) of the REM sleep time in all but one patient. In 90.5% (19 of 21) of patients, motor events such as sleep talk and various combinations of craniofacial, orofacial, or limb movements occurred at various frequencies mostly during REM sleep without atonia. In patients with multiple system atrophy, REM sleep motor dysfunction is a common polysomnographic finding which is otherwise overlooked, and sleep talk may be its early clinical manifestation.

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