@article{UeceylerTopuzoğluSchiesseretal.2011, author = {{\"U}{\c{c}}eyler, Nurcan and Topuzoğlu, Teng{\"u} and Schießer, Peter and Hahnenkamp, Saskia and Sommer, Claudia}, title = {IL-4 Deficiency Is Associated with Mechanical Hypersensitivity in Mice}, series = {PLoS One}, volume = {6}, journal = {PLoS One}, number = {12}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0028205}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137924}, pages = {e28205}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic cytokine that induces opioid receptor transcription. We investigated IL-4 knockout (ko) mice to characterize their pain behavior before and after chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve as a model for neuropathic pain. We investigated opioid responsivity and measured cytokine and opioid receptor gene expression in the peripheral and central nervous system (PNS, CNS) of IL-4 ko mice in comparison with wildtype (wt) mice. Na{\"i}ve IL-4 ko mice displayed tactile allodynia (wt: 0.45 g; ko: 0.18 g; p<0.001), while responses to heat and cold stimuli and to muscle pressure were not different. No compensatory changes in the gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), IL-1β, IL-10, and IL-13 were found in the PNS and CNS of na{\"i}ve IL-4 ko mice. However, IL-1β gene expression was stronger in the sciatic nerve of IL-4 ko mice (p<0.001) 28 days after CCI and only IL-4 ko mice had elevated IL-10 gene expression (p = 0.014). Remarkably, CCI induced TNF (p<0.01), IL-1β (p<0.05), IL-10 (p<0.05), and IL-13 (p<0.001) gene expression exclusively in the ipsilateral spinal cord of IL-4 ko mice. The compensatory overexpression of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic cytokines IL-10 and IL-13 in the spinal cord of IL-4 ko mice may explain the lack of genotype differences for pain behavior after CCI. Additionally, CCI induced gene expression of μ, κ, and δ opioid receptors in the contralateral cortex and thalamus of IL-4 ko mice, paralleled by fast onset of morphine analgesia, but not in wt mice. We conclude that a lack of IL-4 leads to mechanical sensitivity; the compensatory hyperexpression of analgesic cytokines and opioid receptors after CCI, in turn, protects IL-4 ko mice from enhanced pain behavior after nerve lesion.}, language = {en} } @article{UeceylerHaeuserSommer2011, author = {{\"U}ceyler, Nurcan and H{\"a}user, Winfried and Sommer, Claudia}, title = {Systematic review with meta-analysis: Cytokines in fibromyalgia syndrome}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69189}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on cytokine levels in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Methods: Through December 2010 we systematically reviewed the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO and screened the reference lists of 22 review articles for suitable original articles. Original articles investigating cytokines in patients with FMS were included. Data were extracted by two independent authors. Differences of the cytokine levels of FMS patients and controls were summarized by standardized mean differences (SMD) using a random effects model. Study quality was assessed applying methodological scores: modified Center of Evidence Based Medicine, Newcastle-Ottawa-Scale, and W{\"u}rzburg Methodological Quality Score. Results: Twenty-five articles were included investigating 1255 FMS patients and 800 healthy controls. Data of 13/25 studies entered meta-analysis. The overall methodological quality of studies was low. The results of the majority of studies were not comparable because methods, investigated material, and investigated target cytokines differed. Systematic review of the selected 25 articles revealed that FMS patients had higher serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist, IL-6, and IL-8, and higher plasma levels of IL-8. Meta-analysis of eligible studies showed that FMS patients had higher plasma IL-6 levels compared to controls (SMD = -0.34 [-0.64, -0.03] 95\% CI; p = 0.03). The majority of investigated cytokines were not different between patients and controls. Conclusions: The pathophysiological role of cytokines in FMS is still unclear. Studies of higher quality and with higher numbers of subjects are needed.}, subject = {Fibromyalgie}, language = {en} } @article{WeiseBasseLuesebrinkKleinschnitzetal.2011, author = {Weise, Gesa and Basse-L{\"u}sebrink, Thomas C. and Kleinschnitz, Christoph and Kampf, Thomas and Jakob, Peter M. and Stoll, Guido}, title = {In Vivo Imaging of Stepwise Vessel Occlusion in Cerebral Photothrombosis of Mice by \(^{19}\)F MRI}, series = {PLoS One}, volume = {6}, journal = {PLoS One}, number = {12}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0028143}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137792}, pages = {e28143}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background \(^{19}\)F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was recently introduced as a promising technique for in vivo cell tracking. In the present study we compared \(^{19}\)F MRI with iron-enhanced MRI in mice with photothrombosis (PT) at 7 Tesla. PT represents a model of focal cerebral ischemia exhibiting acute vessel occlusion and delayed neuroinflammation. Methods/Principal Findings Perfluorocarbons (PFC) or superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) were injected intravenously at different time points after photothrombotic infarction. While administration of PFC directly after PT induction led to a strong \(^{19}\)F signal throughout the entire lesion, two hours delayed application resulted in a rim-like \(^{19}\)F signal at the outer edge of the lesion. These findings closely resembled the distribution of signal loss on T2-weighted MRI seen after SPIO injection reflecting intravascular accumulation of iron particles trapped in vessel thrombi as confirmed histologically. By sequential administration of two chemically shifted PFC compounds 0 and 2 hours after illumination the different spatial distribution of the \(^{19}\)F markers (infarct core/rim) could be visualized in the same animal. When PFC were applied at day 6 the fluorine marker was only detected after long acquisition times ex vivo. SPIO-enhanced MRI showed slight signal loss in vivo which was much more prominent ex vivo indicative for neuroinflammation at this late lesion stage. Conclusion Our study shows that vessel occlusion can be followed in vivo by \(^{19}\)F and SPIO-enhanced high-field MRI while in vivo imaging of neuroinflammation remains challenging. The timing of contrast agent application was the major determinant of the underlying processes depicted by both imaging techniques. Importantly, sequential application of different PFC compounds allowed depiction of ongoing vessel occlusion from the core to the margin of the ischemic lesions in a single MRI measurement.}, language = {en} } @article{TonyBurmesterSchulzeKoopsetal.2011, author = {Tony, Hans-Peter and Burmester, Gerd and Schulze-Koops, Hendrik and Grunke, Mathias and Henes, Joerg and K{\"o}tter, Ina and Haas, Judith and Unger, Leonore and Lovric, Svjetlana and Haubitz, Marion and Fischer-Betz, Rebecca and Chehab, Gamal and Rubbert-Roth, Andrea and Specker, Christof and Weinerth, Jutta and Holle, Julia and M{\"u}ller-Ladner, Ulf and K{\"o}nig, Ramona and Fiehn, Christoph and Burgwinkel, Philip and Budde, Klemens and S{\"o}rensen, Helmut and Meurer, Michael and Aringer, Martin and Kieseier, Bernd and Erfurt-Berge, Cornelia and Sticherling, Michael and Veelken, Roland and Ziemann, Ulf and Strutz, Frank and von Wussow, Praxis and Meier, Florian MP and Hunzelmann, Nico and Schmidt, Enno and Bergner, Raoul and Schwarting, Andreas and Eming, R{\"u}diger and Schwarz-Eywill, Michael and Wassenberg, Siegfried and Fleck, Martin and Metzler, Claudia and Zettl, Uwe and Westphal, Jens and Heitmann, Stefan and Herzog, Anna L. and Wiendl, Heinz and Jakob, Waltraud and Schmidt, Elvira and Freivogel, Klaus and D{\"o}rner, Thomas and Hertl, Michael and Stadler, Rudolf}, title = {Safety and clinical outcomes of rituximab therapy in patients with different autoimmune diseases: experience from a national registry (GRAID)}, series = {Arthritis Research \& Therapy}, volume = {13}, journal = {Arthritis Research \& Therapy}, number = {R75}, doi = {10.1186/ar3337}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142856}, pages = {1-14}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Introduction: Evidence from a number of open-label, uncontrolled studies has suggested that rituximab may benefit patients with autoimmune diseases who are refractory to standard-of-care. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and clinical outcomes of rituximab in several standard-of-care-refractory autoimmune diseases (within rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology and neurology) other than rheumatoid arthritis or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a real-life clinical setting. Methods: Patients who received rituximab having shown an inadequate response to standard-of-care had their safety and clinical outcomes data retrospectively analysed as part of the German Registry of Autoimmune Diseases. The main outcome measures were safety and clinical response, as judged at the discretion of the investigators. Results: A total of 370 patients (299 patient-years) with various autoimmune diseases (23.0\% with systemic lupus erythematosus, 15.7\% antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated granulomatous vasculitides, 15.1\% multiple sclerosis and 10.0\% pemphigus) from 42 centres received a mean dose of 2,440 mg of rituximab over a median (range) of 194 (180 to 1,407) days. The overall rate of serious infections was 5.3 per 100 patient-years during rituximab therapy. Opportunistic infections were infrequent across the whole study population, and mostly occurred in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. There were 11 deaths (3.0\% of patients) after rituximab treatment (mean 11.6 months after first infusion, range 0.8 to 31.3 months), with most of the deaths caused by infections. Overall (n = 293), 13.3\% of patients showed no response, 45.1\% showed a partial response and 41.6\% showed a complete response. Responses were also reflected by reduced use of glucocorticoids and various immunosuppressives during rituximab therapy and follow-up compared with before rituximab. Rituximab generally had a positive effect on patient well-being (physician's visual analogue scale; mean improvement from baseline of 12.1 mm)}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Subramanian2011, author = {Subramanian, Narayan}, title = {Role of NaV1.9 in activity dependent axon growth in embryonic cultured motoneurons}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-57536}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Spontaneous neural activity has been shown to regulate crucial events in neurite growth including axonal branching and path finding. In animal models of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) cultured embryonic mouse motoneurons show distinct defect in axon elongation and neural activity. This defect is governed by abnormal clustering of Ca2+ channels in the axonal regions and the protruding growth cone area. The mechanisms that regulate the opening of calcium channels in developing motoneurons are not yet clear. The question was addressed by blocking neural activity in embryonic cultured motoneurons by pharmacological inhibition of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC) by saxitoxin (STX) and tetrodotoxin (TTX). Low dosages of STX resulted in significant reduction of axon growth and neural activity in cultured motoneurons. This pharmacological treatment did not affect survival of motoneurons in comparison to control motoneurons that was grown in the presence of survival neurotrophic factors BDNF and CNTF. It was also found that STX was 10 times more potent than TTX a common inhibitor of VGSC with a reduced activity on the TTX-insensitive sodium channels NaV1.5, NaV1.8 and NaV1.9. Reverse Transcriptase-PCR experiments revealed the presence of NaV1.9 as the likely candidate that begins to express from embryonic stage sixteen in the mouse spinal cord. Immunolabelling experiments showed that the channel is expressed in the axonal compartments and axonal growth cones in cultured motoneurons. Suppression of NaV1.9 in cultured motoneurons by lentivirus mediated short hairpin-RNA (shRNA) resulted in shorter axon length in comparison with uninfected and scrambled constructs. Further, embryonic motoneurons cultured from NaV1.9 knockout mice also showed a significant reduction in neural activity and axon growth. The findings of this work highlight the role of NaV1.9 as an important contender in regulating activity dependent axon growth in embryonic cultured motoneurons. NaV1.9 could therefore be considered as a prospective molecule that could play an important role in regulating axon growth in motoneuron disease models like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).}, subject = {Axon}, language = {en} } @article{SommerRichterRogauschetal.2011, author = {Sommer, Claudia and Richter, Helmut and Rogausch, Jan P. and Frettloh, Jule and Lungenhausen, Margitta and Maier, Christoph}, title = {A modified score to identify and discriminate neuropathic pain: a study on the German version of the neuropathic pain symptom inventory (NPSI)}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68716}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: Neuropathic pain must be correctly diagnosed for optimal treatment. The questionnaire named Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI) was developed in its original French version to evaluate the different symptoms of neuropathic pain. We hypothesized that the NPSI might also be used to differentiate neuropathic from non-neuropathic pain. Methods: We translated the NPSI into German using a standard forward-backward translation and administered it in a case-control design to patients with neuropathic (n = 68) and non-neuropathic pain (headache and osteoarthritis, n = 169) to validate it and to analyze its discriminant properties, its sensitivity to change, and to detect neuropathic pain subgroups with distinct profiles. Results: Using a sum score (the NPSI-G score), we found sensitivity to change (r between 0.37 and 0.5 for pain items of the graded chronic pain scale) and could distinguish between neuropathic and other pain on a group basis, but not for individual patients. Post hoc development of a discriminant score with optimized diagnostic properties to distinguish neuropathic pain from non-neuropathic pain resulted in an instrument with high sensitivity (91\%) and acceptable specificity (70\%). We detected six different pain profiles in the patient group with neuropathic pain; three profiles were found to be distinct. Conclusions: The NPSI-G potentially combines the properties of a diagnostic tool and an instrument to identify subtypes of neuropathic pain.}, subject = {Neuralgie}, language = {en} } @article{QuartaVoglConstantinetal.2011, author = {Quarta, Serena and Vogl, Christian and Constantin, Cristina E. and {\"U}{\c{c}}eyler, Nurcan and Sommer, Claudia and Kress, Michaela}, title = {Genetic evidence for an essential role of neuronally expressed IL-6 signal transducer gp130 in the induction and maintenance of experimentally induced mechanical hypersensitivity \(in\) \(vivo\) and \(in\) \(vitro\)}, series = {Molecular Pain}, volume = {7,73}, journal = {Molecular Pain}, doi = {10.1186/1744-8069-7-73}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140380}, pages = {1-9}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Tenderness and mechanical allodynia are key symptoms of malignant tumor, inflammation and neuropathy. The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is causally involved in all three pathologies. IL-6 not only regulates innate immunity and inflammation but also causes nociceptor sensitization and hyperalgesia. In general and in most cell types including immune cells and sensory neurons, IL-6 binds soluble mu receptor subunits which heteromerizes with membrane bound IL-6 signal transducer gp130. In the present study, we used a conditional knock-out strategy to investigate the importance of signal transducer gp130 expressed in C nociceptors for the generation and maintenance of mechanical hypersensitivity. Nociceptors were sensitized to mechanical stimuli by experimental tumor and this nociceptor sensitization was preserved at later stages of the pathology in control mice. However, in mice with a conditional deletion of gp130 in Nav1.8 expressing nociceptors mechanical hypersensitivity by experimental tumor, nerve injury or inflammation recovery was not preserved in the maintenance phase and nociceptors exhibited normal mechanical thresholds comparable to untreated mice. Together, the results argue for IL-6 signal transducer gp130 as an essential prerequisite in nociceptors for long-term mechanical hypersensitivity associated with cancer, inflammation and nerve injury.}, language = {en} } @article{PuschmannSommer2011, author = {Puschmann, Anne-Katrin and Sommer, Claudia}, title = {Hypervigilance or avoidance of trigger related cues in migraineurs? - A case-control study using the emotional stroop task}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69103}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: "Negative affect" is one of the major migraine triggers. The aim of the study was to assess attentional biases for negative affective stimuli that might be related to migraine triggers in migraine patients with either few or frequent migraine and healthy controls. Methods: Thirty-three subjects with frequent migraine (FM) or with less frequent episodic migraine, and 20 healthy controls conducted two emotional Stroop tasks in the interictal period. In task 1, general affective words and in task 2, pictures of affective faces (angry, neutral, happy) were used. For each task we calculated two emotional Stroop indices. Groups were compared using one-way ANOVAs. Results: The expected attentional bias in migraine patients was not found. However, in task 2 the controls showed a significant attentional bias to negative faces, whereas the FM group showed indices near zero. Thus, the FM group responded faster to negative than to positive stimuli. The difference between the groups was statistically significant. Conclusions: The findings in the FM group may reflect a learned avoidance mechanism away from affective migraine triggers.}, subject = {Migr{\"a}ne}, language = {en} } @article{PuschmannSommer2011, author = {Puschmann, Anne-Katrin and Sommer, Claudia}, title = {Hypervigilance or avoidance of trigger related cues in migraineurs? - A case-control study using the emotional stroop task}, series = {BMC Neurology}, volume = {11}, journal = {BMC Neurology}, number = {141}, doi = {10.1186/1471-2377-11-141}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137750}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background "Negative affect" is one of the major migraine triggers. The aim of the study was to assess attentional biases for negative affective stimuli that might be related to migraine triggers in migraine patients with either few or frequent migraine and healthy controls. Methods Thirty-three subjects with frequent migraine (FM) or with less frequent episodic migraine, and 20 healthy controls conducted two emotional Stroop tasks in the interictal period. In task 1, general affective words and in task 2, pictures of affective faces (angry, neutral, happy) were used. For each task we calculated two emotional Stroop indices. Groups were compared using one-way ANOVAs. Results The expected attentional bias in migraine patients was not found. However, in task 2 the controls showed a significant attentional bias to negative faces, whereas the FM group showed indices near zero. Thus, the FM group responded faster to negative than to positive stimuli. The difference between the groups was statistically significant. Conclusions The findings in the FM group may reflect a learned avoidance mechanism away from affective migraine triggers.}, language = {en} } @article{PhamHelluyKleinschnitzetal.2011, author = {Pham, Mirko and Helluy, Xavier and Kleinschnitz, Christoph and Kraft, Peter and Bartsch, Andreas J. and Jakob, Peter and Nieswandt, Bernhard and Bendszus, Martin and Guido, Stoll}, title = {Sustained Reperfusion after Blockade of Glycoprotein-Receptor-Ib in Focal Cerebral Ischemia: An MRI Study at 17.6 Tesla}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {6}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {4}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0018386}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142608}, pages = {e18386}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: Inhibition of early platelet adhesion by blockade of glycoprotein-IB (GPIb) protects mice from ischemic stroke. To elucidate underlying mechanisms in-vivo, infarct development was followed by ultra-high field MRI at 17.6 Tesla. Methods: Cerebral infarction was induced by transient-middle-cerebral-artery-occlusion (tMCAO) for 1 hour in C57/BL6 control mice (N = 10) and mice treated with 100 mg Fab-fragments of the GPIb blocking antibody p0p/B 1 h after tMCAO (N = 10). To control for the effect of reperfusion, additional mice underwent permanent occlusion and received anti-GPIb treatment (N = 6; pMCAO) or remained without treatment (N = 3; pMCAO). MRI 2 h and 24 h after MCAO measured cerebral-blood-flow (CBF) by continuous arterial-spin labelling, the apparent-diffusion-coefficient (ADC), quantitative-T2 and T2-weighted imaging. All images were registered to a standard mouse brain MRI atlas and statistically analysed voxel-wise, and by cortico-subcortical ROI analysis. Results: Anti-GPIb treatment led to a relative increase of postischemic CBF vs. controls in the cortical territory of the MCA (2 h: 44.2 +/- 6.9 ml/100g/min versus 24 h: 60.5 +/- 8.4; p = 0.0012, F((1,18)) = 14.63) after tMCAO. Subcortical CBF 2 h after tMCAO was higher in anti-GPIb treated animals (45.3 +/- 5.9 vs. controls: 33.6 +/- 4.3; p = 0.04). In both regions, CBF findings were clearly related to a lower probability of infarction (Cortex/Subcortex of treated group: 35\%/65\% vs. controls: 95\%/100\%) and improved quantitative-T2 and ADC. After pMCAO, anti-GPIb treated mice developed similar infarcts preceded by severe irreversible hypoperfusion as controls after tMCAO indicating dependency of stroke protection on reperfusion. Conclusion: Blockade of platelet adhesion by anti-GPIb-Fab-fragments results in substantially improved CBF early during reperfusion. This finding was in exact spatial correspondence with the prevention of cerebral infarction and indicates in-vivo an increased patency of the microcirculation. Thus, progression of infarction during early ischemia and reperfusion can be mitigated by anti-platelet treatment.}, language = {en} } @techreport{MagnusLinkerMeuthetal.2011, author = {Magnus, Tim and Linker, Ralf A. and Meuth, Sven G. and Kleinschnitz, Christoph and Korn, Thomas}, title = {Report on the 2nd scientific meeting of the "Verein zur Foerderung des Wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses in der Neurologie" (NEUROWIND e.V.) held in Motzen, Germany, Oct. 29'th - Oct. 31'st, 2010}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68789}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Summary of the scientific contributions to the NEUROWIND meeting 2010: Contributions in the fields of neuroimmunology and neurodegeneration}, subject = {Wissenschaftlicher Nachwuchs}, language = {en} } @article{KreisslStoutWongetal.2011, author = {Kreissl, Michael C. and Stout, David B. and Wong, Koon-Pong and Wu, Hsiao-Ming and Caglayan, Evren and Ladno, Waldemar and Zhang, Xiaoli and Prior, John and Reiners, Christoph and Huang, Sung-Cheng and Schelbert, Heinrich R.}, title = {Influence of Dietary Interventions and Insulin on Myocardial, Skeletal Muscle and Brain [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose Kinetics in Mice}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68775}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: We evaluated the effect of insulin stimulation and dietary changes on myocardial, skeletal muscle and brain [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) kinetics and uptake in vivo in intact mice. Methods: Mice were anesthetized with isoflurane and imaged under different conditions: non-fasted (n = 7; "controls"), non-fasted with insulin (2 IU/kg body weight) injected subcutaneously immediately prior to FDG (n = 6), fasted (n = 5), and fasted with insulin injection (n = 5). A 60-min small-animal PET with serial blood sampling and kinetic modeling was performed. Results: We found comparable FDG standardized uptake values (SUVs) in myocardium in the non-fasted controls and non-fasted-insulin injected group (SUV 45-60 min, 9.58 ± 1.62 vs. 9.98 ± 2.44; p = 0.74), a lower myocardial SUV was noted in the fasted group (3.48 ± 1.73; p < 0.001). In contrast, the FDG uptake rate constant (Ki) for myocardium increased significantly by 47\% in non-fasted mice by insulin (13.4 ± 3.9 ml/min/100 g vs. 19.8 ± 3.3 ml/min/100 g; p = 0.030); in fasted mice, a lower myocardial Ki as compared to controls was observed (3.3 ± 1.9 ml/min/100 g; p < 0.001). Skeletal muscle SUVs and Ki values were increased by insulin independent of dietary state, whereas in the brain, those parameters were not influenced by fasting or administration of insulin. Fasting led to a reduction in glucose metabolic rate in the myocardium (19.41 ± 5.39 vs. 3.26 ± 1.97 mg/min/100 g; p < 0.001), the skeletal muscle (1.06 ± 0.34 vs. 0.34 ± 0.08 mg/min/100 g; p = 0.001) but not the brain (3.21 ± 0.53 vs. 2.85 ± 0.25 mg/min/100 g; p = 0.19). Conclusions: Changes in organ SUVs, uptake rate constants and metabolic rates induced by fasting and insulin administration as observed in intact mice by small-animal PET imaging are consistent with those observed in isolated heart/muscle preparations and, more importantly, in vivo studies in larger animals and in humans. When assessing the effect of insulin on the myocardial glucose metabolism of non-fasted mice, it is not sufficient to just calculate the SUV - dynamic imaging with kinetic modeling is necessary.}, subject = {Insulin}, language = {en} } @article{HopfnerSchormairKnaufetal.2011, author = {Hopfner, Franziska and Schormair, Barbara and Knauf, Franziska and Berthele, Achim and T{\"o}lle, Thomas R. and Baron, Ralf and Maier, Christoph and Treede, Rolf-Detlef and Binder, Andreas and Sommer, Claudia and Maih{\"o}fner, Christian and Kunz, Wolfram and Zimprich, Friedrich and Heemann, Uwe and Pfeufer, Arne and N{\"a}bauer, Michael and K{\"a}{\"a}b, Stefan and Nowak, Barbara and Gieger, Christian and Lichtner, Peter and Trenkwalder, Claudia and Oexle, Konrad and Winkelmann, Juliane}, title = {Novel SCARB2 mutation in Action Myoclonus-Renal Failure syndrome and evaluation of SCARB2 mutations in isolated AMRF features}, series = {BMC Neurology}, volume = {11}, journal = {BMC Neurology}, number = {134}, doi = {10.1186/1471-2377-11-134}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141209}, pages = {1-8}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: Action myoclonus-renal failure syndrome is a hereditary form of progressive myoclonus epilepsy associated with renal failure. It is considered to be an autosomal-recessive disease related to loss-of-function mutations in SCARB2. We studied a German AMRF family, additionally showing signs of demyelinating polyneuropathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. To test the hypothesis whether isolated appearance of individual AMRF syndrome features could be related to heterozygote SCARB2 mutations, we screened for SCARB2 mutations in unrelated patients showing isolated AMRF features. Methods: In the AMRF family all exons of SCARB2 were analyzed by Sanger sequencing. The mutation screening of unrelated patients with isolated AMRF features affected by either epilepsy (n = 103, progressive myoclonus epilepsy or generalized epilepsy), demyelinating polyneuropathy (n = 103), renal failure (n = 192) or dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 85) was performed as high resolution melting curve analysis of the SCARB2 exons. Results: A novel homozygous 1 bp deletion (c.111delC) in SCARB2 was found by sequencing three affected homozygous siblings of the affected family. A heterozygous sister showed generalized seizures and reduction of nerve conduction velocity in her legs. No mutations were found in the epilepsy, renal failure or dilated cardiomyopathy samples. In the polyneuropathy sample two individuals with demyelinating disease were found to be carriers of a SCARB2 frameshift mutation (c.666delCCTTA). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that demyelinating polyneuropathy and dilated cardiomyopathy are part of the action myoclonus-renal failure syndrome. Moreover, they raise the possibility that in rare cases heterozygous SCARB2 mutations may be associated with PNP features.}, language = {en} } @article{GeisWeishauptGruenewaldetal.2011, author = {Geis, Christian and Weishaupt, Andreas and Gr{\"u}newald, Benedikt and Wultsch, Thomas and Reif, Andreas and Gerlach, Manfred and Dirkx, Ron and Solimena, Michele and Toyka, Klaus V and Folli, Franco and Perani, Daniela and Heckmann, Manfred and Sommer, Claudia}, title = {Human Stiff-Person Syndrome IgG Induces Anxious Behavior in Rats}, series = {Plos One}, volume = {6}, journal = {Plos One}, number = {2}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0016775}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140506}, pages = {e16775}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: Anxiety is a heterogeneous behavioral domain playing a role in a variety of neuropsychiatric diseases. While anxiety is the cardinal symptom in disorders such as panic disorder, co-morbid anxious behavior can occur in a variety of diseases. Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a CNS disorder characterized by increased muscle tone and prominent agoraphobia and anxiety. Most patients have high-titer antibodies against glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) 65. The pathogenic role of these autoantibodies is unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: We re-investigated a 53 year old woman with SPS and profound anxiety for GABA-A receptor binding in the amygdala with (11) C-flumazenil PET scan and studied the potential pathogenic role of purified IgG from her plasma filtrates containing high-titer antibodies against GAD 65. We passively transferred the IgG fraction intrathecally into rats and analyzed the effects using behavioral and in vivo electrophysiological methods. In cell culture, we measured the effect of patient IgG on GABA release from hippocampal neurons. Repetitive intrathecal application of purified patient IgG in rats resulted in an anxious phenotype resembling the core symptoms of the patient. Patient IgG selectively bound to rat amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortical areas. In cultured rat hippocampal neurons, patient IgG inhibited GABA release. In line with these experimental results, the GABA-A receptor binding potential was reduced in the patient's amygdala/hippocampus complex. No motor abnormalities were found in recipient rats. Conclusion/Significance: The observations in rats after passive transfer lead us to propose that anxiety-like behavior can be induced in rats by passive transfer of IgG from a SPS patient positive for anti-GAD 65 antibodies. Anxiety, in this case, thus may be an antibody-mediated phenomenon with consecutive disturbance of GABAergic signaling in the amygdala region.}, language = {en} } @article{GeisWeishauptGruenewaldetal.2011, author = {Geis, Christian and Weishaupt, Andreas and Gr{\"u}newald, Benedikt and Wultsch, Thomas and Reif, Andreas and Gerlach, Manfred and Dirkx, Ron and Solimena, Michele and Perani, Daniela and Heckmann, Manfred and Toyka, Klaus V. and Folli, Franco and Sommer, Claudia}, title = {Human Stiff-Person Syndrome IgG Induces Anxious Behavior in Rats}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-74757}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: Anxiety is a heterogeneous behavioral domain playing a role in a variety of neuropsychiatric diseases. While anxiety is the cardinal symptom in disorders such as panic disorder, co-morbid anxious behavior can occur in a variety of diseases. Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a CNS disorder characterized by increased muscle tone and prominent agoraphobia and anxiety. Most patients have high-titer antibodies against glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) 65. The pathogenic role of these autoantibodies is unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: We re-investigated a 53 year old woman with SPS and profound anxiety for GABA-A receptor binding in the amygdala with (11)C-flumazenil PET scan and studied the potential pathogenic role of purified IgG from her plasma filtrates containing high-titer antibodies against GAD 65. We passively transferred the IgG fraction intrathecally into rats and analyzed the effects using behavioral and in vivo electrophysiological methods. In cell culture, we measured the effect of patient IgG on GABA release from hippocampal neurons. Repetitive intrathecal application of purified patient IgG in rats resulted in an anxious phenotype resembling the core symptoms of the patient. Patient IgG selectively bound to rat amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortical areas. In cultured rat hippocampal neurons, patient IgG inhibited GABA release. In line with these experimental results, the GABA-A receptor binding potential was reduced in the patient's amygdala/hippocampus complex. No motor abnormalities were found in recipient rats. Conclusion/Significance: The observations in rats after passive transfer lead us to propose that anxiety-like behavior can be induced in rats by passive transfer of IgG from a SPS patient positive for anti-GAD 65 antibodies. Anxiety, in this case, thus may be an antibody-mediated phenomenon with consecutive disturbance of GABAergic signaling in the amygdala region.}, subject = {Medizin}, language = {en} } @article{ChenPalmLeschetal.2011, author = {Chen, Y. and Palm, F. and Lesch, K. P. and Gerlach, M. and Moessner, R. and Sommer, C.}, title = {5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA), a main metabolite of serotonin, is responsible for complete Freund's adjuvant-induced thermal hyperalgesia in mice}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68858}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: The role of serotonin (5-hydroxytrptamine, 5-HT) in the modulation of pain has been widely studied. Previous work led to the hypothesis that 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA), a main metabolite of serotonin, might by itself influence pain thresholds. Results: In the present study, we investigated the role of 5-HIAA in inflammatory pain induced by intraplantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the hind paw of mice. Wild-type mice were compared to mice deficient of the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT-/- mice) using behavioral tests for hyperalgesia and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine tissue levels of 5-HIAA. Wild-type mice reproducibly developed thermal hyperalgesia and paw edema for 5 days after CFA injection. 5-HTT-/- mice treated with CFA had reduced thermal hyperalgesia on day 1 after CFA injection and normal responses to heat hereafter. The 5-HIAA levels in spinal cord and sciatic nerve as measured with HPLC were lower in 5-HTT-/- mice than in wild-type mice after CFA injection. Pretreatment of wild-type mice with intraperitoneal injection of para-chlorophenylalanine (p-CPA), a serotonin synthesis inhibitor, resulted in depletion of the 5-HIAA content in spinal cord and sciatic nerve and decrease in thermal hyperalgesia in CFA injected mice. The application of exogenous 5-HIAA resulted in potentiation of thermal hyperalgesia induced by CFA in 5-HTT-/- mice and in wild-type mice pretreated with p- CPA, but not in wild-type mice without p-CPA pretreatment. Further, methysergide, a broad-spectrum serotonin receptor antagonist, had no effect on 5-HIAA-induced potentiation of thermal hyperalgesia in CFA-treated wildtype mice. Conclusion: Taken together, the present results suggest that 5-HIAA plays an important role in modulating peripheral thermal hyperalgesia in CFA induced inflammation, probably via a non-serotonin receptor mechanism.}, subject = {Medizin}, language = {en} } @article{BurlinaSimsPoliteietal.2011, author = {Burlina, Alessandro P. and Sims, Katherine B. and Politei, Juan M. and Bennett, Gary J. and Baron, Ralf and Sommer, Claudia and Moller, Anette Torvin and Hilz, Max J.}, title = {Early diagnosis of peripheral nervous system involvement in Fabry disease and treatment of neuropathic pain: the report of an expert panel}, series = {BMC Neurology}, volume = {11}, journal = {BMC Neurology}, number = {61}, doi = {10.1186/1471-2377-11-61}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-135309}, pages = {1-11}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: Fabry disease is an inherited metabolic disorder characterized by progressive lysosomal accumulation of lipids in a variety of cell types, including neural cells. Small, unmyelinated nerve fibers are particularly affected and small fiber peripheral neuropathy often clinically manifests at young age. Peripheral pain can be chronic and/or occur as provoked attacks of excruciating pain. Manifestations of dysfunction of small autonomic fibers may include, among others, impaired sweating, gastrointestinal dysmotility, and abnormal pain perception. Patients with Fabry disease often remain undiagnosed until severe complications involving the kidney, heart, peripheral nerves and/or brain have arisen. Methods: An international expert panel convened with the goal to provide guidance to clinicians who may encounter unrecognized patients with Fabry disease on how to diagnose these patients early using simple diagnostic tests. A further aim was to offer recommendations to control neuropathic pain. Results: We describe the neuropathy in Fabry disease, focusing on peripheral small fiber dysfunction - the hallmark of early neurologic involvement in this disorder. The clinical course of peripheral pain is summarized, and the importance of medical history-taking, including family history, is highlighted. A thorough physical examination (e. g., angiokeratoma, corneal opacities) and simple non-invasive sensory perception tests could provide clues to the diagnosis of Fabry disease. Reported early clinical benefits of enzyme replacement therapy include reduction of neuropathic pain, and adequate management of residual pain to a tolerable and functional level can substantially improve the quality of life for patients. Conclusions: Our recommendations can assist in diagnosing Fabry small fiber neuropathy early, and offer clinicians guidance in controlling peripheral pain. This is particularly important since management of pain in young patients with Fabry disease appears to be inadequate.}, language = {en} } @article{BittnerBobakFeuchtenbergeretal.2011, author = {Bittner, Stefan and Bobak, Nicole and Feuchtenberger, Martin and Herrmann, Alexander M and G{\"o}bel, Kerstin and Kinne, Raimund W and Hansen, Anker J and Budde, Thomas and Kleinschnitz, Christoph and Frey, Oliver and Tony, Hans-Peter and Wiendl, Heinz and Meuth, Sven G}, title = {Expression of K\(_2\)\(_P\)5.1 potassium channels on CD4\(^+\)T lymphocytes correlates with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients}, series = {Arthritis Research \& Therapy}, volume = {13}, journal = {Arthritis Research \& Therapy}, number = {R21}, doi = {10.1186/ar3245}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-139334}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Introduction CD4+ T cells express K2P5.1 (TWIK-related acid-sensitive potassium channel 2 (TASK2); KCNK5), a member of the two-pore domain potassium channel family, which has been shown to influence T cell effector functions. Recently, it was shown that K2P5.1 is upregulated upon (autoimmune) T cell stimulation. The aim of this study was to correlate expression levels of K2P5.1 on T cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to disease activity in these patients. Methods Expression levels of K2P5.1 were measured by RT-PCR in the peripheral blood of 58 patients with RA and correlated with disease activity parameters (C-reactive protein levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, disease activity score (DAS28) scores). Twenty patients undergoing therapy change were followed-up for six months. Additionally, synovial fluid and synovial biopsies were investigated for T lymphocytes expressing K2P5.1. Results K2P5.1 expression levels in CD4+ T cells show a strong correlation to DAS28 scores in RA patients. Similar correlations were found for serological inflammatory parameters (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein). In addition, K2P5.1 expression levels of synovial fluid-derived T cells are higher compared to peripheral blood T cells. Prospective data in individual patients show a parallel behaviour of K2P5.1 expression to disease activity parameters during a longitudinal follow-up for six months. Conclusions Disease activity in RA patients correlates strongly with K2P5.1 expression levels in CD4+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood in cross-sectional as well as in longitudinal observations. Further studies are needed to investigate the exact pathophysiological mechanisms and to evaluate the possible use of K2P5.1 as a potential biomarker for disease activity and differential diagnosis.}, language = {en} } @article{BinderMayBaronetal.2011, author = {Binder, Andreas and May, Denisa and Baron, Ralf and Maier, Christoph and T{\"o}lle, Thomas R. and Treede, Rolf-Detlef and Berthele, Achim and Faltraco, Frank and Flor, Herta and Gierthm{\"u}hlen, Janne and Haenisch, Sierk and Huge, Volker and Magerl, Walter and Maih{\"o}fner, Christian and Richter, Helmut and Rolke, Roman and Scherens, Andrea and {\"U}{\c{c}}eyler, Nurcan and Ufer, Mike and Wasner, Gunnar and Zhu, Jihong and Cascorbi, Ingolf}, title = {Transient Receptor Potential Channel Polymorphisms Are Associated with the Somatosensory Function in Neuropathic Pain Patients}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {6}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0017387}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142782}, pages = {e17387}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Transient receptor potential channels are important mediators of thermal and mechanical stimuli and play an important role in neuropathic pain. The contribution of hereditary variants in the genes of transient receptor potential channels to neuropathic pain is unknown. We investigated the frequency of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1, transient receptor potential melastin 8 and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 single nucleotide polymorphisms and their impact on somatosensory abnormalities in neuropathic pain patients. Within the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (Deutscher Forscbungsverbund Neuropathischer Schmerz) 371 neuropathic pain patients were phenotypically characterized using standardized quantitative sensory testing. Pyrosequencing was employed to determine a total of eleven single nucleotide polymorphisms in transient receptor potential channel genes of the neuropathic pain patients and a cohort of 253 German healthy volunteers. Associations of quantitative sensory testing parameters and single nucleotide polymorphisms between and within groups and subgroups, based on sensory phenotypes, were analyzed. Single nucleotide polymorphisms frequencies did not differ between both the cohorts. However, in neuropathic pain patients transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 710G>A (rs920829, E179K) was associated with the presence of paradoxical heat sensation (p=0.03), and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 1911A>G (rs8065080, I585V) with cold hypoalgesia (p=0.0035). Two main subgroups characterized by preserved (1) and impaired (2) sensory function were identified. In subgroup 1 transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 1911A>G led to significantly less heat hyperalgesia, pinprick hyperalgesia and mechanical hypaesthesia (p=0.006, p=0.005 and p<0.001) and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 1103C>G (rs222747, M315I) to cold hypaesthesia (p=0.002), but there was absence of associations in subgroup 2. In this study we found no evidence that genetic variants of transient receptor potential channels are involved in the expression of neuropathic pain, but transient receptor potential channel polymorphisms contributed significantly to the somatosensory abnormalities of neuropathic pain patients.}, language = {en} }