TY - JOUR A1 - Karl, Franziska A1 - Nandini Colaço, Maria B. A1 - Schulte, Annemarie A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan T1 - Affective and cognitive behavior is not altered by chronic constriction injury in B7-H1 deficient and wildtype mice JF - BMC Neuroscience N2 - Background Chronic neuropathic pain is often associated with anxiety, depressive symptoms, and cognitive impairment with relevant impact on patients` health related quality of life. To investigate the influence of a pro-inflammatory phenotype on affective and cognitive behavior under neuropathic pain conditions, we assessed mice deficient of the B7 homolog 1 (B7-H1), a major inhibitor of inflammatory response. Results Adult B7-H1 ko mice and wildtype littermates (WT) received a chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve, and we assessed mechanical and thermal sensitivity at selected time points. Both genotypes developed mechanical (p < 0.001) and heat hypersensitivity (p < 0.01) 7, 14, and 20 days after surgery. We performed three tests for anxiety-like behavior: the light–dark box, the elevated plus maze, and the open field. As supported by the results of these tests for anxiety-like behavior, no relevant differences were found between genotypes after CCI. Depression-like behavior was assessed using the forced swim test. Also, CCI had no effect on depression like behavior. For cognitive behavior, we applied the Morris water maze for spatial learning and memory and the novel object recognition test for object recognition, long-, and short-term memory. Learning and memory did not differ in B7-H1 ko and WT mice after CCI. Conclusions Our study reveals that the impact of B7-H1 on affective-, depression-like- and learning-behavior, and memory performance might play a subordinate role in mice after nerve lesion. KW - B7-H1 KW - Immune system KW - CCI KW - Anxiety KW - Cognitive behavior Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-200540 VL - 20 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gutknecht, Lise A1 - Popp, Sandy A1 - Waider, Jonas A1 - Sommerlandt, Frank M. J. A1 - Göppner, Corinna A1 - Post, Antonia A1 - Reif, Andreas A1 - van den Hove, Daniel A1 - Strekalova, Tatyana A1 - Schmitt, Angelika A1 - Colaςo, Maria B. N. A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Palme, Rupert A1 - Lesch, Klaus-Peter T1 - Interaction of brain 5-HT synthesis deficiency, chronic stress and sex differentially impact emotional behavior in Tph2 knockout mice JF - Psychopharmacology N2 - Rationale While brain serotonin (5-HT) function is implicated in gene-by-environment interaction (GxE) impacting the vulnerability-resilience continuum in neuropsychiatric disorders, it remains elusive how the interplay of altered 5-HT synthesis and environmental stressors is linked to failure in emotion regulation. Objective Here, we investigated the effect of constitutively impaired 5-HT synthesis on behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to unpredictable chronic mild stress (CMS) using a mouse model of brain 5-HT deficiency resulting from targeted inactivation of the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (Tph2) gene. Results Locomotor activity and anxiety- and depression-like behavior as well as conditioned fear responses were differentially affected by Tph2 genotype, sex, and CMS. Tph2 null mutants (Tph2\(^{−/−}\)) displayed increased general metabolism, marginally reduced anxiety- and depression-like behavior but strikingly increased conditioned fear responses. Behavioral modifications were associated with sex-specific hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system alterations as indicated by plasma corticosterone and fecal corticosterone metabolite concentrations. Tph2\(^{−/−}\) males displayed increased impulsivity and high aggressiveness. Tph2\(^{−/−}\) females displayed greater emotional reactivity to aversive conditions as reflected by changes in behaviors at baseline including increased freezing and decreased locomotion in novel environments. However, both Tph2\(^{−/−}\) male and female mice were resilient to CMS-induced hyperlocomotion, while CMS intensified conditioned fear responses in a GxE-dependent manner. Conclusions Our results indicate that 5-HT mediates behavioral responses to environmental adversity by facilitating the encoding of stress effects leading to increased vulnerability for negative emotionality. KW - Serotonin KW - Tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (Tph2) KW - chronic stress KW - gene-by-environment interaction KW - anxiety KW - fear KW - depression KW - aggression Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-154586 VL - 232 SP - 2429 EP - 2441 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kress, Michaela A1 - Hüttenhofer, Alexander A1 - Landry, Marc A1 - Kuner, Rohini A1 - Favereaux, Alexandre A1 - Greenberg, David A1 - Bednarik, Josef A1 - Heppenstall, Paul A1 - Kronenberg, Florian A1 - Malcangio, Marzia A1 - Rittner, Heike A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Trajanoski, Zlatko A1 - Mouritzen, Peter A1 - Birklein, Frank A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Soreq, Hermona T1 - microRNAs in nociceptive circuits as predictors of future clinical applications JF - Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience N2 - Neuro-immune alterations in the peripheral and central nervous system play a role in the pathophysiology of chronic pain, and non-coding RNAs – and microRNAs (miRNAs) in particular – regulate both immune and neuronal processes. Specifically, miRNAs control macromolecular complexes in neurons, glia and immune cells and regulate signals used for neuro-immune communication in the pain pathway. Therefore, miRNAs may be hypothesized as critically important master switches modulating chronic pain. In particular, understanding the concerted function of miRNA in the regulation of nociception and endogenous analgesia and defining the importance of miRNAs in the circuitries and cognitive, emotional and behavioral components involved in pain is expected to shed new light on the enigmatic pathophysiology of neuropathic pain, migraine and complex regional pain syndrome. Specific miRNAs may evolve as new druggable molecular targets for pain prevention and relief. Furthermore, predisposing miRNA expression patterns and inter-individual variations and polymorphisms in miRNAs and/or their binding sites may serve as biomarkers for pain and help to predict individual risks for certain types of pain and responsiveness to analgesic drugs. miRNA-based diagnostics are expected to develop into hands-on tools that allow better patient stratification, improved mechanism-based treatment, and targeted prevention strategies for high risk individuals. KW - chronic pain KW - biomarker KW - polymorphism KW - miRNA-based diagnostics KW - miRNA expression patterns KW - miRNA polymorphisms KW - antagomir KW - miRNA-based analgesic Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-154597 VL - 6 IS - 33 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Biko, Lydia A1 - Hose, Dorothea A1 - Hoffmann, Lukas A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Comprehensive and differential long-term characterization of the alpha-galactosidase A deficient mouse model of Fabry disease focusing on the sensory system and pain development JF - Molecular Pain N2 - Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder due to impaired activity of alpha-galactosidase A with intracellular accumulation of globotriaosylceramide. Associated small fiber pathology leads to characteristic pain in Fabry disease. We systematically assessed sensory system, physical activity, metabolic parameters, and morphology of male and female mice with alpha-galactosidase A deficiency (Fabry ko) from 2 to 27 months of age and compared results with those of age- and gender-matched wild-type littermates of C57Bl/6J background. Results From the age of two months, male and female Fabry mice showed mechanical hypersensitivity (p < 0.001 each) compared to wild-type littermates. Young Fabry ko mice of both genders were hypersensitive to heat stimulation (p < 0.01) and developed heat hyposensitivity with aging (p < 0.05), while cold hyposensitivity was present constantly in young (p < 0.01) and old (p < 0.05) Fabry ko mice compared to wild-type littermates. Stride angle increased only in male Fabry ko mice with aging (p < 0.01) in comparison to wild-type littermates. Except for young female mice, male (p < 0.05) and female (p < 0.01) Fabry ko mice had a higher body weight than wild-type littermates. Old male Fabry ko mice were physically less active than their wild-type littermates (p < 0.05), had lower chow intake (p < 0.001), and lost more weight (p < 0.001) in a one-week treadmill experiment than wild-type littermates. Also, Fabry ko mice showed spontaneous pain protective behavior and developed orofacial dysmorphism resembling patients with Fabry disease. Conclusions. Mice with alpha-galactosidase A deficiency show age-dependent and distinct deficits of the sensory system. alpha-galactosidase A-deficient mice seem to model human Fabry disease and may be helpful when studying the pathophysiology of Fabry-associated pain. KW - Fabry disease KW - alpha-galactosidase A KW - mouse model KW - pain Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-147562 VL - 12 IS - 1744806916646370 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Quarta, Serena A1 - Vogl, Christian A1 - Constantin, Cristina E. A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Kress, Michaela T1 - 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 \(in\) \(vitro\) JF - Molecular Pain N2 - 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. KW - Leukemia Inhibitory Factor KW - Mediated Inflammatory Hyperalgesia KW - Necrosis-factor-Alpha KW - Oncostatin-M-Receptor KW - Rat Sensory Neurons KW - Rheumatoid-Arthritis KW - Interleukin-6-Deficient mice KW - Peripheral Inflammation KW - Thermal Hyperalgesia KW - Heat Hyperalgesia KW - proinflammatory cytokine KW - Interleukin-6 KW - chronic pain KW - nociceptor sensitization KW - hyperalgesia KW - allodynia Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140380 VL - 7,73 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hopfner, Franziska A1 - Schormair, Barbara A1 - Knauf, Franziska A1 - Berthele, Achim A1 - Tölle, Thomas R. A1 - Baron, Ralf A1 - Maier, Christoph A1 - Treede, Rolf-Detlef A1 - Binder, Andreas A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Maihöfner, Christian A1 - Kunz, Wolfram A1 - Zimprich, Friedrich A1 - Heemann, Uwe A1 - Pfeufer, Arne A1 - Näbauer, Michael A1 - Kääb, Stefan A1 - Nowak, Barbara A1 - Gieger, Christian A1 - Lichtner, Peter A1 - Trenkwalder, Claudia A1 - Oexle, Konrad A1 - Winkelmann, Juliane T1 - Novel SCARB2 mutation in Action Myoclonus-Renal Failure syndrome and evaluation of SCARB2 mutations in isolated AMRF features JF - BMC Neurology N2 - 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. KW - Demyelinating peripheral neuropathy KW - Beta-glucocerebrosidase KW - Epilepsy KW - LIMP-2 KW - Mice Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141209 VL - 11 IS - 134 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Geis, Christian A1 - Weishaupt, Andreas A1 - Grünewald, Benedikt A1 - Wultsch, Thomas A1 - Reif, Andreas A1 - Gerlach, Manfred A1 - Dirkx, Ron A1 - Solimena, Michele A1 - Toyka, Klaus V A1 - Folli, Franco A1 - Perani, Daniela A1 - Heckmann, Manfred A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Human Stiff-Person Syndrome IgG Induces Anxious Behavior in Rats JF - Plos One N2 - 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. KW - Glutamic-acid decarboxylase anxiety KW - spinal-cord-injury KW - presynaptic inhibition KW - 65-kda isoform KW - fear memory KW - antibodies KW - disorder KW - neurons KW - anxiety KW - autoantibodies Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140506 VL - 6 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Magg, Barbara A1 - Riegler, Christoph A1 - Wiedmann, Silke A1 - Heuschmann, Peter A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan T1 - Self-administered version of the Fabry-associated pain questionnaire for adult patients JF - Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases N2 - Background Fabry-associated pain may be the first symptom of Fabry disease (FD) and presents with a unique phenotype including mostly acral burning triggerable pain attacks, evoked pain, pain crises, and permanent pain. We recently developed and validated the first Fabry Pain Questionnaire (FPQ) for adult patients. Here we report on the validation of the self-administered version of the FPQ that no longer requires a face-to-face interview but can be filled in by the patients themselves allowing more flexible data collection. Methods At our Würzburg Fabry Center for Interdisciplinary Treatment, Germany, we have developed the self-administered version of the FPQ by adapting the questionnaire to a self-report version. To do this, consecutive Fabry patients with current or past pain history (n = 56) were first interviewed face-to-face. Two weeks later patients’ self-reported questionnaire results were collected by mail (n = 55). We validated the self-administered version of the FPQ by assessing the inter-rater reliability agreement of scores obtained by supervised administration and self-administration of the FPQ. Results The FPQ contains 15 questions on the different pain phenotypes, on pain development during life with and without therapy, and on impairment due to pain. Statistical analysis showed that the majority of questions were answered in high agreement in both sessions with a mean AC1-statistic of 0.857 for 55 nominal-scaled items and a mean ICC of 0.587 for 9 scores. Conclusions This self-administered version of the first pain questionnaire for adult Fabry patients is a useful tool to assess Fabry-associated pain without a time-consuming face-to-face interview but via a self-reporting survey allowing more flexible usage. KW - Fabry disease KW - Fabry-associated pain KW - pain questionnaire Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-145294 VL - 10 IS - 113 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ueceyler, Nurcan A1 - Biko, Lydia A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - MDL-28170 Has No Analgesic Effect on CCI Induced Neuropathic Pain in Mice N2 - The calpain inhibitor MDL-28710 blocks the early local pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression in mice after chronic constriction nerve injury (CCI). Onehundred- thirteen wild type mice of C57Bl/6J background received CCI of the right sciatic nerve. Mechanical paw withdrawal thresholds and thermal withdrawal latencies were investigated at baseline and at 1, 3, and 7 days after CCI. Three application regimens were used for MDL-28170: a) single injection 40 min before CCI; b) serial injections of MDL- 28170 40 min before and up to day three after CCI; c) sustained application via intraperitoneal osmotic pumps. The control animals received the vehicle DMSO/PEG 400. The tolerable dose of MDL-28170 for mice was 30 mg/kg body weight, higher doses were lethal within the first hours after application. Mechanical withdrawal thresholds and thermal withdrawal latencies were reduced after CCI and did not normalize after single or serial injections, nor with application of MDL-28170 via osmotic pumps. Although the calpain inhibitor MDL-28170 inhibits the early local cytokine upregulation in the sciatic nerve after CCI, pain behavior is not altered. This finding implies that local cytokine upregulation after nerve injury alone is only one factor in the induction and maintenance of neuropathic pain. KW - Medizin KW - calpain KW - neuropathic pain KW - MDL-28170 KW - chronic constriction nerve injury (CCI) Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68359 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Geis, Christian A1 - Weishaupt, Andreas A1 - Grünewald, Benedikt A1 - Wultsch, Thomas A1 - Reif, Andreas A1 - Gerlach, Manfred A1 - Dirkx, Ron A1 - Solimena, Michele A1 - Perani, Daniela A1 - Heckmann, Manfred A1 - Toyka, Klaus V. A1 - Folli, Franco A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Human Stiff-Person Syndrome IgG Induces Anxious Behavior in Rats N2 - 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. KW - Medizin Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-74757 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üceyler, Nurcan A1 - Häuser, Winfried A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Systematic review with meta-analysis: Cytokines in fibromyalgia syndrome N2 - 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 Würzburg 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. KW - Fibromyalgie Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69189 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chen, Yong A1 - Boettger, Michael K. A1 - Reif, Andreas A1 - Schmitt, Angelika A1 - Ueceyler, Nurcan A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Nitric oxide synthase modulates CFA-induced thermal hyperalgesia through cytokine regulation in mice N2 - Background: Although it has been largely demonstrated that nitric oxide synthase (NOS), a key enzyme for nitric oxide (NO) production, modulates inflammatory pain, the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects remain to be clarified. Here we asked whether cytokines, which have well-described roles in inflammatory pain, are downstream targets of NO in inflammatory pain and which of the isoforms of NOS are involved in this process. Results: Intraperitoneal (i.p.) pretreatment with 7-nitroindazole sodium salt (7-NINA, a selective neuronal NOS inhibitor), aminoguanidine hydrochloride (AG, a selective inducible NOS inhibitor), L-N(G)-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME, a non-selective NOS inhibitor), but not L-N(5)-(1-iminoethyl)-ornithine (L-NIO, a selective endothelial NOS inhibitor), significantly attenuated thermal hyperalgesia induced by intraplantar (i.pl.) injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA). Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed a significant increase of nNOS, iNOS, and eNOS gene expression, as well as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1b), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene expression in plantar skin, following CFA. Pretreatment with the NOS inhibitors prevented the CFA-induced increase of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF and IL-1b. The increase of the antiinflammatory cytokine IL-10 was augmented in mice pretreated with 7-NINA or L-NAME, but reduced in mice receiving AG or L-NIO. NNOS-, iNOS- or eNOS-knockout (KO) mice had lower gene expression of TNF, IL-1b, and IL-10 following CFA, overall corroborating the inhibitor data. Conclusion: These findings lead us to propose that inhibition of NOS modulates inflammatory thermal hyperalgesia by regulating cytokine expression. KW - Medizin Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68349 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Richter, Helmut A1 - Rogausch, Jan P. A1 - Frettloh, Jule A1 - Lungenhausen, Margitta A1 - Maier, Christoph T1 - A modified score to identify and discriminate neuropathic pain: a study on the German version of the neuropathic pain symptom inventory (NPSI) N2 - 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. KW - Neuralgie KW - NPSI Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68716 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Puschmann, Anne-Katrin A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Hypervigilance or avoidance of trigger related cues in migraineurs? - A case-control study using the emotional stroop task N2 - 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. KW - Migräne Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69103 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Häuser, Winfried A1 - Walitt, Brian A1 - Fitzcharles, Mary-Ann A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Review of pharmacological therapies in fibromyalgia syndrome JF - Arthritis Research & Therapy N2 - This review addresses the current status of drug therapy for the management of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and is based on interdisciplinary FMS management guidelines, meta-analyses of drug trial data, and observational studies. In the absence of a single gold-standard medication, patients are treated with a variety of drugs from different categories, often with limited evidence. Drug therapy is not mandatory for the management of FMS. Pregabalin, duloxetine, milnacipran, and amitriptyline are the current first-line prescribed agents but have had a mostly modest effect. With only a minority of patients expected to experience substantial benefit, most will discontinue therapy because of either a lack of efficacy or tolerability problems. Many drug treatments have undergone limited study and have had negative results. It is unlikely that these failed pilot trials will undergo future study. However, medications, though imperfect, will continue to be a component of treatment strategy for these patients. Both the potential for medication therapy to relieve symptoms and the potential to cause harm should be carefully considered in their administration. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121598 SN - 1465-9913 VL - 16 IS - 201 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ablin, Jacob A1 - Fitzcharles, Mary-Ann A1 - Buskila, Dan A1 - Shir, Yoram A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Häuser, Winfried T1 - Treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Recommendations of Recent Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Guidelines with Special Emphasis on Complementary and Alternative Therapies JF - Evidence-Bayed Complementary and Alternative Medicine N2 - Objective. Current evidence indicates that there is no single ideal treatment for fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). First choice treatment options remain debatable, especially concerning the importance of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments. Methods. Three evidence-based interdisciplinary guidelines on FMS in Canada, Germany, and Israel were compared for their first choice and CAM-recommendations. Results. All three guidelines emphasized a patient-tailored approach according to the key symptoms. Aerobic exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, and multicomponent therapy were first choice treatments. The guidelines differed in the grade of recommendation for drug treatment. Anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin) and serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (duloxetine, milnacipran) were strongly recommended by the Canadian and the Israeli guidelines. These drugs received only a weak recommendation by the German guideline. In consideration of CAM-treatments, acupuncture, hypnosis/guided imagery, and Tai Chi were recommended by the German and Israeli guidelines. The Canadian guidelines did not recommend any CAM therapy. Discussion. Recent evidence-based interdisciplinary guidelines concur on the importance of treatment tailored to the individual patient and further emphasize the need of self-management strategies (exercise, and psychological techniques). KW - metaanalysis KW - management KW - care Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122235 SN - 1741-427X ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Homola, György A. A1 - González, Hans Guerrero A1 - Kramer, Daniela A1 - Wanner, Christoph A1 - Weidemann, Frank A1 - Solymosi, László A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Increased Arterial Diameters in the Posterior Cerebral Circulation in Men with Fabry Disease N2 - A high load of white matter lesions and enlarged basilar arteries have been shown in selected patients with Fabry disease, a disorder associated with an increased stroke risk. We studied a large cohort of patients with Fabry disease to differentially investigate white matter lesion load and cerebral artery diameters. We retrospectively analyzed cranial magnetic resonance imaging scans of 87 consecutive Fabry patients, 20 patients with ischemic stroke, and 36 controls. We determined the white matter lesion load applying the Fazekas score on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences and measured the diameters of cerebral arteries on 3D-reconstructions of the time-of-flight-MR-angiography scans. Data of different Fabry patient subgroups (males – females; normal – impaired renal function) were compared with data of patients with stroke and controls. A history of stroke or transient ischemic attacks was present in 4/30 males (13%) and 5/57 (9%) females with Fabry disease, all in the anterior circulation. Only one man with Fabry disease showed confluent cerebral white matter lesions in the Fazekas score assessment (1%). Male Fabry patients had a larger basilar artery (p<0.01) and posterior cerebral artery diameter (p<0.05) compared to male controls. This was independent of disease severity as measured by renal function and did not lead to changes in arterial blood flow properties. A basilar artery diameter of >3.2 mm distinguished between men with Fabry disease and controls (sensitivity: 87%, specificity: 86%, p<0.001), but not from stroke patients. Enlarged arterial diameters of the posterior circulation are present only in men with Fabry disease independent of disease severity. KW - Arterial Diameters KW - ischemic stroke KW - magnetic resonance imaging KW - stroke KW - cerebral arteries KW - renal system KW - central nervous system KW - blood flow KW - lesions Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-112614 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - High-Dose Capsaicin for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain: What We Know and What We Need to Know JF - Pain and Therapy N2 - Neuropathic pain is a frequent and disabling condition with diverse underlying etiologies and is often difficult to treat. Systemic drug treatment is often limited in efficacy. Furthermore, adverse effects may be a limiting factor when trying to reach the necessary dose. Analgesics that can be applied topically have the potential to largely overcome this problem. They may be of particular advantage in localized neuropathic pain syndromes such as postherpetic neuralgia or small fiber neuropathy. Capsaicin, the pungent component of chili peppers, is a natural ligand of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channel and has long been used as topically applicable cream with concentrations of 0.025 to 0.075%. In 2009, a high-concentration transdermal capsaicin 8% patch (Qutenza ; Acorda Therapeutics, Inc., Ardsley, NY, USA; Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., Chertsey, Surrey, UK) was introduced for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain syndromes other than of diabetic origin in adults. It has since been widely used in diverse neuropathic pain disorders. In this review article, we summarize current knowledge on Qutenza, its advantages and problems, and expose unmet needs. KW - transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) KW - analgesia KW - capsaicin KW - neuropathic pain KW - qutenza Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-120669 SN - 2193-651X VL - 3 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Doppler, Kathrin A1 - Appeltshauser, Luise A1 - Krämer, Heidrun H. A1 - King Man Ng, Judy A1 - Meinl, Edgar A1 - Villmann, Carmen A1 - Brophy, Peter A1 - Dib-Hajj, Sulayman D. A1 - Waxman, Stephen G. A1 - Weishaupt, Andreas A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Contactin-1 and Neurofascin-155/-186 Are Not Targets of Auto-Antibodies in Multifocal Motor Neuropathy JF - PLoS One N2 - Multifocal motor neuropathy is an immune mediated disease presenting with multifocal muscle weakness and conduction block. IgM auto-antibodies against the ganglioside GM1 are detectable in about 50% of the patients. Auto-antibodies against the paranodal proteins contactin-1 and neurofascin-155 and the nodal protein neurofascin-186 have been detected in subgroups of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Recently, auto-antibodies against neurofascin-186 and gliomedin were described in more than 60% of patients with multifocal motor neuropathy. In the current study, we aimed to validate this finding, using a combination of different assays for auto-antibody detection. In addition we intended to detect further auto-antibodies against paranodal proteins, specifically contactin-1 and neurofascin-155 in multifocal motor neuropathy patients’ sera. We analyzed sera of 33 patients with well-characterized multifocal motor neuropathy for IgM or IgG anti-contactin-1, anti-neurofascin-155 or -186 antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, binding assays with transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells and murine teased fibers. We did not detect any IgM or IgG auto-antibodies against contactin-1, neurofascin-155 or -186 in any of our multifocal motor neuropathy patients. We conclude that auto-antibodies against contactin-1, neurofascin-155 and -186 do not play a relevant role in the pathogenesis in this cohort with multifocal motor neuropathy. KW - motor proteins KW - enzyme-linked immunoassays KW - binding analysis KW - neuropathy KW - nerve fibers KW - cell binding assay KW - antibodies KW - enzyme assays Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-126156 VL - 10 IS - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Kewenig, Susanne A1 - Kittel-Schneider, Sarah A1 - Fallgatter, Andreas J. A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Increased cortical activation upon painful stimulation in fibromyalgia syndrome JF - BMC Neurology N2 - Background Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain and associated symptoms. We investigated cerebral activation in FMS patients by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods Two stimulation paradigms were applied: a) painful pressure stimulation at the dorsal forearm; b) verbal fluency test (VFT). We prospectively recruited 25 FMS patients, ten patients with unipolar major depression (MD) without pain, and 35 healthy controls. All patients underwent neurological examination and all subjects were investigated with questionnaires (pain, depression, FMS, empathy). Results FMS patients had lower pressure pain thresholds than patients with MD and controls (p < 0.001) and reported higher pain intensity (p < 0.001). Upon unilateral pressure pain stimulation fNIRS recordings revealed increased bilateral cortical activation in FMS patients compared to controls (p < 0.05). FMS patients also displayed a stronger contralateral activity over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in direct comparison to patients with MD (p < 0.05). While all three groups performed equally well in the VFT, a frontal deficit in cortical activation was only found in patients with depression (p < 0.05). Performance and cortical activation correlated negatively in FMS patients (p < 0.05) and positively in patients with MD (p < 0.05). Conclusion Our data give further evidence for altered central nervous processing in patients with FMS and the distinction between FMS and MD. KW - fibromyalgia syndrome KW - depression KW - cortical activation KW - pain KW - near-infrared spectroscopy Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-125230 VL - 15 IS - 210 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hansen, Niels A1 - Kahn, Ann-Kathrin A1 - Zeller, Daniel A1 - Katsarava, Zaza A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan T1 - Amplitudes of pain-related evoked potentials are useful to detect small fiber involvement in painful mixed fiber neuropathies in addition to quantitative sensory testing – an electrophysiological study JF - Frontiers in Neurology N2 - To investigate the usefulness of pain-related evoked potentials (PREP) elicited by electrical stimulation for the identification of small fiber involvement in patients with mixed fiber neuropathy (MFN). Eleven MFN patients with clinical signs of large fiber impairment and neuropathic pain and ten healthy controls underwent clinical and electrophysiological evaluation. Small fiber function, electrical conductivity and morphology were examined by quantitative sensory testing (QST), PREP, and skin punch biopsy. MFN was diagnosed following clinical and electrophysiological examination (chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy: n = 6; vasculitic neuropathy: n = 3; chronic axonal ­neuropathy: n = 2). The majority of patients with MFN characterized their pain by descriptors that mainly represent C-fiber-mediated pain. In QST, patients displayed elevated cold, warm, mechanical, and vibration detection thresholds and cold pain thresholds indicative of MFN. PREP amplitudes in patients correlated with cold (p < 0.05) and warm detection thresholds (p < 0.05). Burning pain and the presence of par-/dysesthesias correlated negatively with PREP amplitudes (p < 0.05). PREP amplitudes correlating with cold and warm detection thresholds, burning pain, and par-/dysesthesias support employing PREP amplitudes as an additional tool in conjunction with QST for detecting small fiber impairment in patients with MFN. KW - burning pain KW - quantitative sensory testing KW - mixed fiber neuropathy KW - pain-related evoked potentials KW - Aδ- and C-fibers KW - neuropathic pain Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-124824 VL - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Puschmann, Anne-Katrin A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Hypervigilance or avoidance of trigger related cues in migraineurs? - A case-control study using the emotional stroop task JF - BMC Neurology N2 - 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. KW - migraineur KW - cue Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137750 VL - 11 IS - 141 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Topuzoğlu, Tengü A1 - Schießer, Peter A1 - Hahnenkamp, Saskia A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - IL-4 Deficiency Is Associated with Mechanical Hypersensitivity in Mice JF - PLoS One N2 - 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. Naïve 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 naïve 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. KW - mouse models KW - animal behavior KW - sciatic nerves KW - spinal cord KW - opioids KW - cytokines KW - gene expression KW - mice Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137924 VL - 6 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ruck, Tobias A1 - Bittner, Stefan A1 - Afzali, Ali Maisam A1 - Göbel, Kerstin A1 - Glumm, Sarah A1 - Kraft, Peter A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Kleinschnitz, Christoph A1 - Preusse, Corinna A1 - Stenzel, Werner A1 - Wiendl, Heinz A1 - Meuth, Sven G. T1 - The NKG2D-IL-15 signaling pathway contributes to T-cell mediated pathology in inflammatory myopathies JF - Oncotarget N2 - NKG2D is an activating receptor on T cells, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. T cells are critically involved in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and have been proposed as specific therapeutic targets. However, the mechanisms underlying T cell-mediated progressive muscle destruction in IIM remain to be elucidated. We here determined the involvement of the NKG2D - IL-15 signaling pathway. Primary human myoblasts expressed NKG2D ligands, which were further upregulated upon inflammatory stimuli. In parallel, shedding of the soluble NKG2D ligand MICA (sMICA) decreased upon inflammation potentially diminishing inhibition of NKG2D signaling. Membrane-related expression of IL-15 by myoblasts induced differentiation of naive CD8\(^+\) T cells into highly activated, cytotoxic \(CD8^+NKG2D^{high}\) T cells demonstrating NKG2D-dependent lysis of myoblasts in vitro. \(CD8^+NKG2D^{high}\) T cell frequencies were increased in the peripheral blood of polymyositis (PM) patients and correlated with serum creatinine kinase concentrations, while serum sMICA levels were not significantly changed. In muscle biopsy specimens from PM patients expression of the NKG2D ligand MICA/B was upregulated, IL-15 was expressed by muscle cells, CD68\(^+\) macrophages as well as CD4\(^+\) T cells, and \(CD8^+NKG2D^+\) cells were frequently detected within inflammatory infiltrates arguing for a local signaling circuit in the inflammatory muscle milieu. In conclusion, the NKG2D - IL-15 signaling pathway contributes to progressive muscle destruction in IIM potentially opening new therapeutic avenues. KW - MIC ligands KW - pathology section KW - T cell activation KW - idiopathic inflammatory myopathies KW - polymyositis KW - IL-15 KW - NKG2D KW - receptor KW - expression KW - lymphokine-activated killer KW - human muscle-cells KW - multiple sclerosis KW - celiac disease KW - tumor immunity KW - NKG2D ligands KW - cutting edge Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-136047 VL - 6 IS - 41 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Burlina, Alessandro P. A1 - Sims, Katherine B. A1 - Politei, Juan M. A1 - Bennett, Gary J. A1 - Baron, Ralf A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Moller, Anette Torvin A1 - Hilz, Max J. T1 - Early diagnosis of peripheral nervous system involvement in Fabry disease and treatment of neuropathic pain: the report of an expert panel JF - BMC Neurology N2 - 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. KW - Enzyme replacement therapy KW - Quality of life KW - Small-fiber neuropathy KW - Rochester diabetic neuropathy KW - Randomized controlled trial KW - Agalsidase beta therapy KW - Outcome survey KW - Pharmacological management KW - Clinical manifestations KW - Alpha galactosidase KW - Diagnosis KW - Fabry KW - Disease KW - Neuropathy KW - Pain KW - Treatment Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-135309 VL - 11 IS - 61 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cruccu, Giorgio A1 - Pennisi, Elena M. A1 - Antonini, Giovanni A1 - Biasiotta, Antonella A1 - Di Stefano, Giulia A1 - La Cesa, Silvia A1 - Leone, Caterina A1 - Raffa, Salvatore A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Truini, Andrea T1 - Trigeminal isolated sensory neuropathy (TISN) and FOSMN syndrome: despite a dissimilar disease course do they share common pathophysiological mechanisms? JF - BMC Neurology N2 - Background: Patients presenting with bilateral trigeminal hypoesthesia may go on to have trigeminal isolated sensory neuropathy, a benign, purely trigeminal neuropathy, or facial-onset sensory motor neuronopathy (FOSMN), a malignant life-threatening condition. No diagnostic criteria can yet differentiate the two conditions at their onset. Nor is it clear whether the two diseases are distinct entities or share common pathophysiological mechanisms. Methods: Seeking pathophysiological and diagnostic information to distinguish these two conditions at their onset, in this neurophysiological and morphometric study we neurophysiologically assessed function in myelinated and unmyelinated fibres and histologically examined supraorbital nerve biopsy specimens with optic and electron microscopy in 13 consecutive patients with recent onset trigeminal hypoesthesia and pain. Results: The disease course distinctly differed in the 13 patients. During a mean 10 year follow-up whereas in eight patients the disease remained relatively stable, in the other five it progressed to possibly life-threatening motor disturbances and extra-trigeminal spread. From two to six years elapsed between the first sensory symptoms and the onset of motor disorders. In patients with trigeminal isolated sensory neuropathy (TISN) and in those with FOSMN neurophysiological and histological examination documented a neuronopathy manifesting with trigeminal nerve damage selectively affecting myelinated fibres, but sparing the Ia-fibre-mediated proprioceptive reflex. Conclusions: Although no clinical diagnostic criteria can distinguish the two conditions at onset, neurophysiological and nerve-biopsy findings specify that in both disorders trigeminal nerve damage manifests as a dissociated neuronopathy affecting myelinated and sparing unmyelinated fibres, thus suggesting similar pathophysiological mechanisms. KW - amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis KW - atrophy Kennedys-disease KW - trigeminal nerve KW - neuronopathy KW - trigeminal neuropathy KW - FOSMN KW - facial pain KW - Sjorgens-syndrome KW - reflex KW - afferents KW - neuralgia KW - pathways KW - humans KW - fibers Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-114249 SN - 1471-2377 VL - 14 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bischoff, Joakim M. A1 - Ringsted, Thomas K. A1 - Petersen, Marian A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Werner, Mads U. T1 - A Capsaicin (8%) Patch in the Treatment of Severe Persistent Inguinal Postherniorrhaphy Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Background: Persistent pain after inguinal herniorrhaphy is a disabling condition with a lack of evidence-based pharmacological treatment options. This randomized placebo-controlled trial investigated the efficacy of a capsaicin 8% cutaneous patch in the treatment of severe persistent inguinal postherniorrhaphy pain. Methods: Forty-six patients with persistent inguinal postherniorrhaphy pain were randomized to receive either a capsaicin 8% patch or a placebo patch. Pain intensity (Numerical Rating Scale [NRS 0-10]) was evaluated under standardized conditions (at rest, during movement, and during pressure) at baseline and at 1, 2 and 3 months after patch application. Skin punch biopsies for intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) measurements were taken at baseline and 1 month after patch application. Quantitative sensory testing was performed at baseline and at 1, 2, and 3 months after patch application. The primary outcome was comparisons of summed pain intensity differences (SPIDs) between capsaicin and placebo treatments at 1, 2 and 3 months after patch application (significance level P<0.01). Results: The maximum difference in SPID, between capsaicin and placebo treatments, was observed at 1 month after patch application, but the pain reduction was not significant (NRS, mean difference [95% CI]: 5.0 [0.09 to 9.9]; P=0.046). No differences in SPID between treatments were observed at 2 and 3 months after patch application. Changes in IENFD on the pain side, from baseline to 1 month after patch application, did not differ between capsaicin and placebo treatment: 1.9 [-0.1 to 3.9] and 0.6 [-1.2 to 2.5] fibers/mm, respectively (P=0.32). No significant changes in sensory function, sleep quality or psychological factors were associated with capsaicin patch treatment. Conclusions: The study did not demonstrate significant differences in pain relief between capsaicin and placebo treatment, although a trend toward pain improvement in capsaicin treated patients was observed 1 month after patch application. KW - postherpetic neuralgia KW - long-term pain KW - crossover trial KW - neuropathic pain KW - risk factors KW - cutaneous patch KW - scale KW - hernia repair KW - interference KW - validation Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-115198 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 9 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Valet, Michael A1 - Kafke, Waldemar A1 - Tölle, Thomas R. A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Local and Systemic Cytokine Expression in Patients with Postherpetic Neuralgia N2 - Background Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the painful complication of a varicella zoster virus reactivation. We investigated the systemic and local gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine expression in patients with PHN. Methods Thirteen patients with PHN at the torso (Th4-S1) were recruited. Skin punch biopsies were obtained from the painful and the contralateral painless body area for intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) and cytokine profiling. Additionally, blood was withdrawn for systemic cytokine expression and compared to blood values of healthy controls. We analyzed the gene expression of selected pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF] and interleukins [IL]-1β, IL-2, and IL-8). Results IENFD was lower in affected skin compared to unaffected skin (p<0.05), while local gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines did not differ except for two patients who had 7fold higher IL-6 and 10fold higher IL-10 gene expression in the affected skin compared to the contralateral unaffected skin sample. Also, the systemic expression of cytokines in patients with PHN and in healthy controls was similar. Conclusion While the systemic and local expression of the investigated pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines was not different from controls, this may have been influenced by study limitations like the low number of patients and different disease durations. Furthermore, other cytokines or pain mediators need to be considered. KW - neuropathic pain KW - cytokines KW - pain sensation KW - gene expression KW - nerve fibres KW - RNA extraction KW - shingles KW - skin tumors Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-113041 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Kahn, Ann-Kathrin A1 - Kramer, Daniela A1 - Zeller, Daniel A1 - Casanova-Molla, Jordi A1 - Wanner, Christoph A1 - Weidemann, Frank A1 - Katsarava, Zaza A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Impaired small fiber conduction in patients with Fabry disease: a neurophysiological case–control study JF - BMC Neurology N2 - Background Fabry disease is an inborn lysosomal storage disorder which is associated with small fiber neuropathy. We set out to investigate small fiber conduction in Fabry patients using pain-related evoked potentials (PREP). Methods In this case–control study we prospectively studied 76 consecutive Fabry patients for electrical small fiber conduction in correlation with small fiber function and morphology. Data were compared with healthy controls using non-parametric statistical tests. All patients underwent neurological examination and were investigated with pain and depression questionnaires. Small fiber function (quantitative sensory testing, QST), morphology (skin punch biopsy), and electrical conduction (PREP) were assessed and correlated. Patients were stratified for gender and disease severity as reflected by renal function. Results All Fabry patients (31 men, 45 women) had small fiber neuropathy. Men with Fabry disease showed impaired cold (p < 0.01) and warm perception (p < 0.05), while women did not differ from controls. Intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) was reduced at the lower leg (p < 0.001) and the back (p < 0.05) mainly of men with impaired renal function. When investigating A-delta fiber conduction with PREP, men but not women with Fabry disease had lower amplitudes upon stimulation at face (p < 0.01), hands (p < 0.05), and feet (p < 0.01) compared to controls. PREP amplitudes further decreased with advance in disease severity. PREP amplitudes and warm (p < 0.05) and cold detection thresholds (p < 0.01) at the feet correlated positively in male patients. Conclusion Small fiber conduction is impaired in men with Fabry disease and worsens with advanced disease severity. PREP are well-suited to measure A-delta fiber conduction. KW - Fabry disease KW - Pain-related evoked potentials KW - Small fiber neuropathy KW - A-delta fibers Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-96527 UR - http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2377/13/47 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Kewenig, Susanne A1 - Kafke, Waldemar A1 - Kittel-Schneider, Sarah A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Skin cytokine expression in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome is not different from controls N2 - Background Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain syndrome of unknown etiology. There is increasing evidence for small nerve fiber impairment in a subgroup of patients with FMS. We investigated whether skin cytokine and delta opioid receptor (DOR) gene expression in FMS patients differs from controls as one potential contributor to small nerve fiber sensitization. Methods We investigated skin punch biopsies of 25 FMS patients, ten patients with monopolar depression but no pain, and 35 healthy controls. Biopsies were obtained from the lateral upper thigh and lower calf. Gene expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 and of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR and normalizing data to 18sRNA as housekeeping gene. Additionally, we assessed DOR gene expression. Results All cytokines and DOR were detectable in skin samples of FMS patients, patients with depression, and healthy controls without intergroup difference. Also, gene expression was not different in skin of the upper and lower leg within and between the groups and in FMS patient subgroups. Conclusions Skin cytokine and DOR gene expression does not differ between patients with FMS and controls. Our results do not support a role of the investigated cytokines in sensitization of peripheral nerve fibers as a potential mechanism of small fiber pathology in FMS. KW - Fibromyalgia syndrome KW - Skin biopsy KW - Monopolar depression KW - Cytokines KW - Opioid receptor Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-110624 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Egenolf, Nadine A1 - Altenschildesche, Caren Meyer zu A1 - Kreß, Luisa A1 - Eggermann, Katja A1 - Namer, Barbara A1 - Gross, Franziska A1 - Klitsch, Alexander A1 - Malzacher, Tobias A1 - Kampik, Daniel A1 - Malik, Rayaz A. A1 - Kurth, Ingo A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan T1 - Diagnosing small fiber neuropathy in clinical practice: a deep phenotyping study JF - Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders N2 - Background and aims: Small fiber neuropathy (SFN) is increasingly suspected in patients with pain of uncertain origin, and making the diagnosis remains a challenge lacking a diagnostic gold standard. Methods: In this case–control study, we prospectively recruited 86 patients with a medical history and clinical phenotype suggestive of SFN. Patients underwent neurological examination, quantitative sensory testing (QST), and distal and proximal skin punch biopsy, and were tested for pain-associated gene loci. Fifty-five of these patients additionally underwent pain-related evoked potentials (PREP), corneal confocal microscopy (CCM), and a quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test (QSART). Results: Abnormal distal intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) (60/86, 70%) and neurological examination (53/86, 62%) most frequently reflected small fiber disease. Adding CCM and/or PREP further increased the number of patients with small fiber impairment to 47/55 (85%). Genetic testing revealed potentially pathogenic gene variants in 14/86 (16%) index patients. QST, QSART, and proximal IENFD were of lower impact. Conclusion: We propose to diagnose SFN primarily based on the results of neurological examination and distal IENFD, with more detailed phenotyping in specialized centers. KW - algorithm KW - diagnosis KW - neurological examination KW - skin punch biopsy KW - small fiber neuropathy Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232019 SN - 1756-2864 VL - 14 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rauschenberger, Vera A1 - von Wardenburg, Niels A1 - Schaefer, Natascha A1 - Ogino, Kazutoyo A1 - Hirata, Hiromi A1 - Lillesaar, Christina A1 - Kluck, Christoph J. A1 - Meinck, Hans‐Michael A1 - Borrmann, Marc A1 - Weishaupt, Andreas A1 - Doppler, Kathrin A1 - Wickel, Jonathan A1 - Geis, Christian A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Villmann, Carmen T1 - Glycine Receptor Autoantibodies Impair Receptor Function and Induce Motor Dysfunction JF - Annals of Neurology N2 - Objective Impairment of glycinergic neurotransmission leads to complex movement and behavioral disorders. Patients harboring glycine receptor autoantibodies suffer from stiff‐person syndrome or its severe variant progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus. Enhanced receptor internalization was proposed as the common molecular mechanism upon autoantibody binding. Although functional impairment of glycine receptors following autoantibody binding has recently been investigated, it is still incompletely understood. Methods A cell‐based assay was used for positive sample evaluation. Glycine receptor function was assessed by electrophysiological recordings and radioligand binding assays. The in vivo passive transfer of patient autoantibodies was done using the zebrafish animal model. Results Glycine receptor function as assessed by glycine dose–response curves showed significantly decreased glycine potency in the presence of patient sera. Upon binding of autoantibodies from 2 patients, a decreased fraction of desensitized receptors was observed, whereas closing of the ion channel remained fast. The glycine receptor N‐terminal residues \(^{29}\)A to \(^{62}\)G were mapped as a common epitope of glycine receptor autoantibodies. An in vivo transfer into the zebrafish animal model generated a phenotype with disturbed escape behavior accompanied by a reduced number of glycine receptor clusters in the spinal cord of affected animals. Interpretation Autoantibodies against the extracellular domain mediate alterations of glycine receptor physiology. Moreover, our in vivo data demonstrate that the autoantibodies are a direct cause of the disease, because the transfer of human glycine receptor autoantibodies to zebrafish larvae generated impaired escape behavior in the animal model compatible with abnormal startle response in stiff‐person syndrome or progressive encephalitis with rigidity and myoclonus patients. KW - glycine receptor autoantibodies KW - behavioral disorders KW - neurology Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-216005 VL - 88 IS - 3 SP - 544 EP - 561 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Saudek, František A1 - Cahová, Monika A1 - Havrdová, Terezie A1 - Zacharovová, Klára A1 - Daňková, Helena A1 - Voska, Luděk A1 - Lánská, Věra A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Preserved Expression of Skin Neurotrophic Factors in Advanced Diabetic Neuropathy Does Not Lead to Neural Regeneration despite Pancreas and Kidney Transplantation JF - Journal of Diabetes Research N2 - Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of diabetes with potential severe consequences. Its pathogenesis involves hyperglycemia-linked mechanisms, which may include changes in the expression of neurotrophic growth factors. We analyzed the expression of 29 factors potentially related to nerve degeneration and regeneration in skin biopsies from 13 type 1 diabetic pancreas and kidney recipients with severe DPN including severe depletion of intraepidermal nerve fibers (IENF) in lower limb skin biopsies (group Tx1 1st examination). The investigation was repeated after a median 28-month period of normoglycemia achieved by pancreas transplantation (group Tx1 2nd examination). The same tests were performed in 13 stable normoglycemic pancreas and kidney recipients 6-12 years posttransplantation (group Tx2), in 12 matched healthy controls (group HC), and in 12 type 1 diabetic subjects without severe DPN (group DM). Compared to DM and HC groups, we found a significantly higher (p < 0.05-0.001) expression of NGF (nerve growth factor), NGFR (NGF receptor), NTRK1 (neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 1), GDNF (glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor), GFRA1 (GDNF family receptor alpha 1), and GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein) in both transplant groups (Tx1 and Tx2). Enhanced expression of these factors was not normalized following the median 28-month period of normoglycemia (Tx1 2nd examination) and negatively correlated with IENF density and with electrophysiological indices of DPN (vibration perception threshold, electromyography, and autonomic tests). In contrast to our expectation, the expression of most of 29 selected factors related to neural regeneration was comparable in subjects with severe peripheral nerve fiber depletion and healthy controls and the expression of six factors was significantly upregulated. These findings may be important for better understanding the pathophysiology of nerve regeneration and for the development of intervention strategies. KW - Nerve growth-factorcopy KW - Corneal confocal microscopy KW - Factor messenger-RNA KW - Schwann-cells KW - Gene-expression KW - Receptors KW - Identification KW - Innervation KW - Mechanisms KW - Gland Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227469 VL - 2018 IS - 2309108 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kreß, Luisa A1 - Egenolf, Nadine A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan T1 - Cytokine expression profiles in white blood cells of patients with small fiber neuropathy JF - BMC Neuroscience N2 - Background The role of cytokines in the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and prognosis of small fiber neuropathy (SFN) is incompletely understood. We studied expression profiles of selected pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in RNA from white blood cells (WBC) of patients with a medical history and a clinical phenotype suggestive for SFN and compared data with healthy controls. Methods We prospectively recruited 52 patients and 21 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Study participants were characterized in detail and underwent complete neurological examination. Venous blood was drawn for routine and extended laboratory tests, and for WBC isolation. Systemic RNA expression profiles of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-2, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-10, transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF) were analyzed. Protein levels of IL-2, IL-8, and TNF were measured in serum of patients and controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC)-curve analysis was used to determine the accuracy of IL-2, IL-8, and TNF in differentiating patients and controls. To compare the potential discriminatory efficacy of single versus combined cytokines, equality of different AUCs was tested. Results WBC gene expression of IL-2, IL-8, and TNF was higher in patients compared to healthy controls (IL-2: p = 0.02; IL-8: p = 0.009; TNF: p = 0.03) and discriminated between the groups (area under the curve (AUC) ≥ 0.68 for each cytokine) with highest diagnostic accuracy reached by combining the three cytokines (AUC = 0.81, sensitivity = 70%, specificity = 86%). Subgroup analysis revealed the following differences: IL-8 and TNF gene expression levels were higher in female patients compared to female controls (IL-8: p = 0.01; TNF: p = 0.03). The combination of TNF with IL-2 and TNF with IL-2 and IL-8 discriminated best between the study groups. IL-2 was higher expressed in patients with moderate pain compared to those with severe pain (p = 0.02). Patients with acral pain showed higher IL-10 gene expression compared to patients with generalized pain (p = 0.004). We further found a negative correlation between the relative gene expression of IL-2 and current pain intensity (p = 0.02). Serum protein levels of IL-2, IL-8, and TNF did not differ between patients and controls. Conclusions We identified higher systemic gene expression of IL-2, IL-8, and TNF in SFN patients than in controls, which may be of potential relevance for diagnostics and patient stratification. KW - gene expression KW - small fiber neuropathy KW - cytokines KW - white blood cells Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300619 VL - 24 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Özdağ Acarlı, Ayşe Nur A1 - Klein, Thomas A1 - Egenolf, Nadine A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan T1 - Subepidermal Schwann cell counts correlate with skin innervation - an exploratory study JF - Muscle & Nerve N2 - Introduction/Aims Schwann cell clusters have been described at the murine dermis-epidermis border. We quantified dermal Schwann cells in the skin of patients with small-fiber neuropathy (SFN) compared with healthy controls to correlate with the clinical phenotype. Methods Skin punch biopsies from the lower legs of 28 patients with SFN (11 men, 17 women; median age, 54 [range, 19-73] years) and 9 healthy controls (five men, four women, median age, 34 [range, 25-69] years) were immunoreacted for S100 calcium-binding protein B as a Schwann cell marker, protein-gene product 9.5 as a pan-neuronal marker, and CD207 as a Langerhans cell marker. Intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) and subepidermal Schwann cell counts were determined. Results Skin samples of patients with SFN showed lower IENFD (P < .05), fewer Schwann cells per millimeter (P < .01), and fewer Schwann cell clusters per millimeter (P < .05) than controls. When comparing SFN patients with reduced (n = 13; median age, 53 [range, 19-73] years) and normal distal (n = 15, median age, 54 [range, 43-68] years) IENFD, the number of solitary Schwann cells per millimeter (p < .01) and subepidermal nerve fibers associated with Schwann cell branches (P < .05) were lower in patients with reduced IENFD. All three parameters correlated positively with distal IENFD (P < .05 to P < .01), whereas no correlation was found between Schwann cell counts and clinical pain characteristics. Discussion Our data raise questions about the mechanisms underlying the interdependence of dermal Schwann cells and skin innervation in SFN. The temporal course and functional impact of Schwann cell presence and kinetics need further investigation. KW - intraepidermal nerve fiber density KW - small-fiber neuropathy KW - skin punch biopsy KW - Schwann cell KW - neuropathic pain KW - innervation Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-318726 VL - 65 IS - 4 SP - 471 EP - 479 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Natural course of Guillain-Barré syndrome JF - European Journal of Neurology KW - Guillain-Barré syndrome KW - intravenous immunoglobulin KW - immunomodulation Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-318757 VL - 29 IS - 10 SP - 2881 EP - 2882 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Doppler, Kathrin A1 - Schuster, Yasmin A1 - Appeltshauser, Luise A1 - Biko, Lydia A1 - Villmann, Carmen A1 - Weishaupt, Andreas A1 - Werner, Christian A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Anti-CNTN1 IgG3 induces acute conduction block and motor deficits in a passive transfer rat model JF - Journal of Neuroinflammation N2 - Background: Autoantibodies against the paranodal protein contactin-1 have recently been described in patients with severe acute-onset autoimmune neuropathies and mainly belong to the IgG4 subclass that does not activate complement. IgG3 anti-contactin-1 autoantibodies are rare, but have been detected during the acute onset of disease in some cases. There is evidence that anti-contactin-1 prevents adhesive interaction, and chronic exposure to anti-contactin-1 IgG4 leads to structural changes at the nodes accompanied by neuropathic symptoms. However, the pathomechanism of acute onset of disease and the pathogenic role of IgG3 anti-contactin-1 is largely unknown. Methods: In the present study, we aimed to model acute autoantibody exposure by intraneural injection of IgG of patients with anti-contacin-1 autoantibodies to Lewis rats. Patient IgG obtained during acute onset of disease (IgG3 predominant) and IgG from the chronic phase of disease (IgG4 predominant) were studied in comparison. Results: Conduction blocks were measured in rats injected with the “acute” IgG more often than after injection of “chronic” IgG (83.3% versus 35%) and proved to be reversible within a week after injection. Impaired nerve conduction was accompanied by motor deficits in rats after injection of the “acute” IgG but only minor structural changes of the nodes. Paranodal complement deposition was detected after injection of the “acute IgG”. We did not detect any inflammatory infiltrates, arguing against an inflammatory cascade as cause of damage to the nerve. We also did not observe dispersion of paranodal proteins or sodium channels to the juxtaparanodes as seen in patients after chronic exposure to anti-contactin-1. Conclusions: Our data suggest that anti-contactin-1 IgG3 induces an acute conduction block that is most probably mediated by autoantibody binding and subsequent complement deposition and may account for acute onset of disease in these patients. This supports the notion of anti-contactin-1-associated neuropathy as a paranodopathy with the nodes of Ranvier as the site of pathogenesis. KW - complement deposition KW - paranodopathy KW - anti-contactin-1 KW - CIDP KW - passive transfer KW - autoantibody Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-200476 VL - 16 IS - 73 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oder, Daniel A1 - Üceyler, Nurcan A1 - Liu, Dan A1 - Hu, Kai A1 - Petritsch, Bernhard A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Ertl, Georg A1 - Wanner, Christoph A1 - Nordbeck, Peter T1 - Organ manifestations and long-term outcome of Fabry disease in patients with the GLA haplotype D313Y JF - BMJ Open N2 - Objectives: The severity of Fabry disease is dependent on the type of mutation in the α-galactosidase A (AgalA) encoding gene (GLA). This study focused on the impact of the GLA haplotype D313Y on long-term organ involvement and function. Setting and participants: In this monocentric study, all participants presenting with the D313Y haplotype between 2001 and 2015 were comprehensively clinically investigated at baseline and during a 4-year follow-up if available. Five females and one male were included. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Cardiac, nephrological, neurological, laboratory and quality of life data. Results: AgalA enzyme activity in leucocytes (0.3±0.9 nmol/min/mg protein (mean±SD)) and serum lyso-Gb3 (0.6±0.3 ng/mL at baseline) were in normal range in all patients. Cardiac morphology and function were normal (left-ventricular (LV) ejection fraction 66±8%; interventricular septum 7.7±1.4 mm; LV posterior wall 7.5±1.4 mm; normalised LV mass in MRI 52±9 g/m2; LV global longitudinal strain −21.6±1.9%) and there were no signs of myocardial fibrosis in cardiac MRI. Cardiospecific biomarkers were also in normal range. Renal function was not impaired (estimated glomerular filtration rate MDRD 103±15 mL/min; serum-creatinine 0.75±0.07 mg/dL; cystatin-c 0.71±0.12 mg/L). One female patient (also carrying a Factor V Leiden mutation) had a transitory ischaemic attack. One patient showed white matter lesions in brain MRI, but none had Fabry-associated pain attacks, pain crises, evoked pain or permanent pain. Health-related quality of life analysis revealed a reduction in individual well-being. At long-term follow-up after 4 years, no significant change was seen in any parameter. Conclusions: The results of the current study suggest that the D313Y genotype does not lead to severe organ manifestations as seen in genotypes known to be causal for classical FD." KW - inherited metabolic disorders KW - Anderson-Fabry Disease KW - D313Y genotype KW - Fabry cardiomyopathy KW - Fabry nephropathy KW - Fabry-associated pain Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-161210 VL - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Buchholz, Hans-Georg A1 - Kewenig, Susanne A1 - Ament, Stephan-Johann A1 - Birklein, Frank A1 - Schreckenberger, Mathias A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Cortical Binding Potential of Opioid Receptors in Patients With Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Reduced Systemic Interleukin-4 Levels – A Pilot Study JF - Frontiers in Neuroscience N2 - Objective: We investigated cerebral opioid receptor binding potential in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) using positron-emission-tomography (PET) and correlated our results with patients’ systemic interleukin-4 (IL-4) gene expression. Methods: In this pilot study, seven FMS patients (1 man, 6 women) agreed to participate in experimental PET scans. All patients underwent neurological examination, were investigated with questionnaires for pain, depression, and FMS symptoms. Additionally, blood for IL-4 gene expression analysis was withdrawn at two time points with a median latency of 1.3 years. Patients were investigated in a PET scanner using the opioid receptor ligand F-18-fluoro-ethyl-diprenorphine ([18F]FEDPN) and results were compared with laboratory normative values. Results: Neurological examination was normal in all FMS patients. Reduced opioid receptor binding was found in mid cingulate cortex compared to healthy controls (p < 0.005). Interestingly, three patients with high systemic IL-4 gene expression had increased opioid receptor binding in the fronto-basal cortex compared to those with low IL-4 gene expression (p < 0.005). Conclusion: Our data give further evidence for a reduction in cortical opioid receptor availability in FMS patients as another potential central nervous system contributor to pain in FMS. KW - fibromyalgia syndrome KW - PET KW - brain KW - opioid KW - IL-4 Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-204457 SN - 1662-453X VL - 14 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Simon, Christian M. A1 - Rauskolb, Stefanie A1 - Gunnersen, Jennifer M. A1 - Holtmann, Bettina A1 - Drepper, Carsten A1 - Dombert, Benjamin A1 - Braga, Massimiliano A1 - Wiese, Stefan A1 - Jablonka, Sibylle A1 - Pühringer, Dirk A1 - Zielasek, Jürgen A1 - Hoeflich, Andreas A1 - Silani, Vincenzo A1 - Wolf, Eckhard A1 - Kneitz, Susanne A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Toyka, Klaus V. A1 - Sendtner, Michael T1 - Dysregulated IGFBP5 expression causes axon degeneration and motoneuron loss in diabetic neuropathy JF - Acta Neuropathologica N2 - Diabetic neuropathy (DNP), afflicting sensory and motor nerve fibers, is a major complication in diabetes.The underlying cellular mechanisms of axon degeneration are poorly understood. IGFBP5, an inhibitory binding protein for insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is highly up-regulated in nerve biopsies of patients with DNP. We investigated the pathogenic relevance of this finding in transgenic mice overexpressing IGFBP5 in motor axons and sensory nerve fibers. These mice develop motor axonopathy and sensory deficits similar to those seen in DNP. Motor axon degeneration was also observed in mice in which the IGF1 receptor(IGF1R) was conditionally depleted in motoneurons, indicating that reduced activity of IGF1 on IGF1R in motoneurons is responsible for the observed effect. These data provide evidence that elevated expression of IGFBP5 in diabetic nerves reduces the availability of IGF1 for IGF1R on motor axons, thus leading to progressive neurodegeneration. Inhibition of IGFBP5 could thus offer novel treatment strategies for DNP. KW - Motor nerve biopsy KW - Diabetic polyneuropathy KW - Neuropathy KW - Neurotrophic factors KW - Axonal degeneration Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-154569 VL - 130 SP - 373 EP - 387 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kuzkina, Anastasia A1 - Bargar, Connor A1 - Schmitt, Daniela A1 - Rößle, Jonas A1 - Wang, Wen A1 - Schubert, Anna-Lena A1 - Tatsuoka, Curtis A1 - Gunzler, Steven A. A1 - Zou, Wen-Quan A1 - Volkmann, Jens A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Doppler, Kathrin A1 - Chen, Shu G. T1 - Diagnostic value of skin RT-QuIC in Parkinson's disease: a two-laboratory study JF - NPJ Parkinson's Disease N2 - Skin alpha-synuclein deposition is considered a potential biomarker for Parkinson's disease (PD). Real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) is a novel, ultrasensitive, and efficient seeding assay that enables the detection of minute amounts of alpha-synuclein aggregates. We aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of alpha-synuclein RT-QuIC assay of skin biopsy for diagnosing PD and to explore its correlation with clinical markers of PD in a two-center inter-laboratory comparison study. Patients with clinically diagnosed PD (n = 34), as well as control subjects (n = 30), underwent skin punch biopsy at multiple sites (neck, lower back, thigh, and lower leg). The skin biopsy samples (198 in total) were divided in half to be analyzed by RT-QuIC assay in two independent laboratories. The a-synuclein RT-QuIC assay of multiple skin biopsies supported the clinical diagnosis of PD with a diagnostic accuracy of 88.9% and showed a high degree of inter-rater agreement between the two laboratories (92.2%). Higher alpha-synuclein seeding activity in RT-QuIC was shown in patients with longer disease duration and more advanced disease stage and correlated with the presence of REM sleep behavior disorder, cognitive impairment, and constipation. The alpha-synuclein RT-QuIC assay of minimally invasive skin punch biopsy is a reliable and reproducible biomarker for Parkinson's disease. Moreover, alpha-synuclein RT-QuIC seeding activity in the skin may serve as a potential indicator of progression as it correlates with the disease stage and certain non-motor symptoms. KW - diagnostic markers KW - Parkinson's disease Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-260451 VL - 7 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Appeltshauser, Luise A1 - Brunder, Anna-Michelle A1 - Heinius, Annika A1 - Körtvélyessy, Peter A1 - Wandinger, Klaus-Peter A1 - Junker, Ralf A1 - Villmann, Carmen A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Leypoldt, Frank A1 - Doppler, Kathrin T1 - Antiparanodal antibodies and IgG subclasses in acute autoimmune neuropathy JF - Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation N2 - Objective To determine whether IgG subclasses of antiparanodal autoantibodies are related to disease course and treatment response in acute- to subacute-onset neuropathies, we retrospectively screened 161 baseline serum/CSF samples and 66 follow-up serum/CSF samples. Methods We used ELISA and immunofluorescence assays to detect antiparanodal IgG and their subclasses and titers in serum/CSF of patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), recurrent GBS (R-GBS), Miller-Fisher syndrome, and acute- to subacute-onset chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (A-CIDP). We evaluated clinical data retrospectively. Results We detected antiparanodal autoantibodies with a prevalence of 4.3% (7/161), more often in A-CIDP (4/23, 17.4%) compared with GBS (3/114, 2.6%). Longitudinal subclass analysis in the patients with GBS revealed IgG2/3 autoantibodies against Caspr-1 and against anti-contactin-1/Caspr-1, which disappeared at remission. At disease onset, patients with A-CIDP had IgG2/3 anti-Caspr-1 and anti-contactin-1/Caspr-1 or IgG4 anti-contactin-1 antibodies, IgG3 being associated with good response to IV immunoglobulins (IVIg). In the chronic phase of disease, IgG subclass of one patient with A-CIDP switched from IgG3 to IgG4. Conclusion Our data (1) confirm and extend previous observations that antiparanodal IgG2/3 but not IgG4 antibodies can occur in acute-onset neuropathies manifesting as monophasic GBS, (2) suggest association of IgG3 to a favorable response to IVIg, and (3) lend support to the hypothesis that in some patients, an IgG subclass switch from IgG3 to IgG4 may be the correlate of a secondary progressive or relapsing course following a GBS-like onset. KW - Guillain-Barre-Syndrome KW - inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy KW - musk myasthenia gravis KW - periperal nerve KW - neurofascin KW - autoantibodies KW - ontactin 1 KW - biopsies KW - binding KW - switch Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-230079 VL - 7 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lenders, Malte A1 - Hennermann, Julia B. A1 - Kurschat, Christine A1 - Rolfs, Arndt A1 - Canaan-Kühl, Sima A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Kampmann, Christoph A1 - Karabul, Nesrin A1 - Giese, Anne-Katrin A1 - Duning, Thomas A1 - Stypmann, Jörg A1 - Krämer, Johannes A1 - Weidemann, Frank A1 - Brand, Stefan-Martin A1 - Wanner, Christoph A1 - Brand, Eva T1 - Multicenter Female Fabry Study (MFFS) - clinical survey on current treatment of females with Fabry disease JF - Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases N2 - Background The aim of the present study was to assess manifestations of and applied treatment concepts for females with Fabry disease (FD) according to the current European Fabry Guidelines. Methods Between 10/2008 and 12/2014, data from the most recent visit of 261 adult female FD patients from six German Fabry centers were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical presentation and laboratory data, including plasma lyso-Gb3 levels were assessed. Results Fifty-five percent of females were on enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), according to recent European FD guidelines. Thirty-three percent of females were untreated although criteria for ERT initiation were fulfilled. In general, the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) seemed to impact more on ERT initiation than impaired renal function. In ERT-naïve females RAAS blockers were more often prescribed if LVH was present rather than albuminuria. Affected females with missense mutations showed a similar disease burden compared to females with nonsense mutations. Elevated plasma lyso-Gb3 levels in ERT-naïve females seem to be a marker of disease burden, since patients showed comparable incidences of organ manifestations even if they were ~8 years younger than females with normal lyso-Gb3 levels. Conclusion The treatment of the majority of females with FD in Germany is in line with the current European FD guidelines. However, a relevant number of females remain untreated despite organ involvement, necessitating a careful reevaluation of these females. KW - Fabry disease KW - females KW - lyso-Gb3 KW - enzyme replacement therapy KW - guidelines Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166543 VL - 11 IS - 88 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Erbacher, Christoph A1 - Vaknine, Shani A1 - Moshitzky, Gilli A1 - Lobentanzer, Sebastian A1 - Eisenberg, Lina A1 - Evdokimov, Dimitar A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Greenberg, David S. A1 - Soreq, Hermona A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan T1 - Distinct CholinomiR blood cell signature as a potential modulator of the cholinergic system in women with fibromyalgia syndrome JF - Cells N2 - Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a heterogeneous chronic pain syndrome characterized by musculoskeletal pain and other key co-morbidities including fatigue and a depressed mood. FMS involves altered functioning of the central and peripheral nervous system (CNS, PNS) and immune system, but the specific molecular pathophysiology remains unclear. Anti-cholinergic treatment is effective in FMS patient subgroups, and cholinergic signaling is a strong modulator of CNS and PNS immune processes. Therefore, we used whole blood small RNA-sequencing of female FMS patients and healthy controls to profile microRNA regulators of cholinergic transcripts (CholinomiRs). We compared microRNA profiles with those from Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with pain as disease controls. We validated the sequencing results with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and identified cholinergic targets. Further, we measured serum cholinesterase activity in FMS patients and healthy controls. Small RNA-sequencing revealed FMS-specific changes in 19 CholinomiRs compared to healthy controls and PD patients. qRT-PCR validated miR-182-5p upregulation, distinguishing FMS patients from healthy controls. mRNA targets of CholinomiRs bone morphogenic protein receptor 2 and interleukin 6 signal transducer were downregulated. Serum acetylcholinesterase levels and cholinesterase activity in FMS patients were unchanged. Our findings identified an FMS-specific CholinomiR signature in whole blood, modulating immune-related gene expression. KW - fibromyalgia syndrome KW - cholinergic system KW - CholinomiRs KW - microRNA KW - miR-182-5p KW - Parkinson's disease Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270686 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 11 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Appeltshauser, Luise A1 - Messinger, Julia A1 - Starz, Katharina A1 - Heinrich, David A1 - Brunder, Anna-Michelle A1 - Stengel, Helena A1 - Fiebig, Bianca A1 - Ayzenberg, Ilya A1 - Birklein, Frank A1 - Dresel, Christian A1 - Dorst, Johannes A1 - Dvorak, Florian A1 - Grimm, Alexander A1 - Joerk, Alexander A1 - Leypoldt, Frank A1 - Mäurer, Mathias A1 - Merl, Patrick A1 - Michels, Sebastian A1 - Pitarokoili, Kalliopi A1 - Rosenfeldt, Mathias A1 - Sperfeld, Anne-Dorte A1 - Weihrauch, Marc A1 - Welte, Gabriel Simon A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Doppler, Kathrin T1 - Diabetes Mellitus Is a Possible Risk Factor for Nodo-paranodopathy With Antiparanodal Autoantibodies JF - Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation N2 - Background and Objectives Nodo-paranodopathies are peripheral neuropathies with dysfunction of the node of Ranvier. Affected patients who are seropositive for antibodies against adhesion molecules like contactin-1 and neurofascin show distinct clinical features and a disruption of the paranodal complex. An axoglial dysjunction is also a characteristic finding of diabetic neuropathy. Here, we aim to investigate a possible association of antibody-mediated nodo-paranodopathy and diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 227 patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy and Guillain-Barré syndrome from multiple centers in Germany who had undergone diagnostic testing for antiparanodal antibodies targeting neurofascin-155, pan-neurofascin, contactin-1–associated protein 1, and contactin-1. To study possible direct pathogenic effects of antiparanodal antibodies, we performed immunofluorescence binding assays on human pancreatic tissue sections. Results The frequency of DM was 33.3% in seropositive patients and thus higher compared with seronegative patients (14.1%, OR = 3.04, 95% CI = 1.31–6.80). The relative risk of DM in seropositive patients was 3.4-fold higher compared with the general German population. Seropositive patients with DM most frequently harbored anti–contactin-1 antibodies and had higher antibody titers than seropositive patients without DM. The diagnosis of DM preceded the onset of neuropathy in seropositive patients. No immunoreactivity of antiparanodal antibodies against pancreatic tissue was detected. Discussion We report an association of nodo-paranodopathy and DM. Our results suggest that DM may be a potential risk factor for predisposing to developing nodo-paranodopathy and argue against DM being induced by the autoantibodies. Our findings set the basis for further research investigating underlying immunopathogenetic connections. KW - Diabetes mellitus KW - Nodo-parandopathy KW - Antiparanodal Autoantibodies Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300551 VL - 9 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brumberg, Joachim A1 - Kuzkina, Anastasia A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Mammadova, Sona A1 - Buck, Andreas A1 - Volkmann, Jens A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Isaias, Ioannis U. A1 - Doppler, Kathrin T1 - Dermal and cardiac autonomic fiber involvement in Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy JF - Neurobiology of Disease N2 - Pathological aggregates of alpha-synuclein in peripheral dermal nerve fibers can be detected in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy. This study combines skin biopsy staining for p-alpha-synuclein depositions and radionuclide imaging of the heart with [\(^{123}\)I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine to explore peripheral denervation in both diseases. To this purpose, 42 patients with a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease or multiple system atrophy were enrolled. All patients underwent a standardized clinical workup including neurological evaluation, neurography, and blood samples. Skin biopsies were obtained from the distal and proximal leg, back, and neck for immunofluorescence double labeling with anti-p-alpha-synuclein and anti-PGP9.5. All patients underwent myocardial [\(^{123}\)I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy. Dermal p-alpha-synuclein was observed in 47.6% of Parkinson's disease patients and was mainly found in autonomic structures. 81.0% of multiple system atrophy patients had deposits with most of cases in somatosensory fibers. The [\(^{123}\)I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine heart-to-mediastinum ratio was lower in Parkinson's disease than in multiple system atrophy patients (1.94 +/- 0.63 vs. 2.91 +/- 0.96; p < 0.0001). Irrespective of the diagnosis, uptake was lower in patients with than without p-alpha-synuclein in autonomic structures (1.42 +/- 0.51 vs. 2.74 +/- 0.83; p < 0.0001). Rare cases of Parkinson's disease with p-alpha-synuclein in somatosensory fibers and multiple system atrophy patients with deposits in autonomic structures or both fiber types presented with clinically overlapping features. In conclusion, this study suggests that alpha-synuclein contributes to peripheral neurodegeneration and mediates the impairment of cardiac sympathetic neurons in patients with synucleinopathies. Furthermore, it indicates that Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy share pathophysiologic mechanisms of peripheral nervous system dysfunction with a clinical overlap. KW - peripheral nervous system KW - Parkinson's disease KW - skin biopsy KW - MIBG scintigraphy KW - multiple system atrophy Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-260061 VL - 153 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wiessler, Anna-Lena A1 - Talucci, Ivan A1 - Piro, Inken A1 - Seefried, Sabine A1 - Hörlin, Verena A1 - Baykan, Betül B. A1 - Tüzün, Erdem A1 - Schaefer, Natascha A1 - Maric, Hans M. A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Villmann, Carmen T1 - Glycine receptor β–targeting autoantibodies contribute to the pathology of autoimmune diseases JF - Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation N2 - Background and Objectives Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) and progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus (PERM) are rare neurologic disorders of the CNS. Until now, exclusive GlyRα subunit–binding autoantibodies with subsequent changes in function and surface numbers were reported. GlyR autoantibodies have also been described in patients with focal epilepsy. Autoimmune reactivity against the GlyRβ subunits has not yet been shown. Autoantibodies against GlyRα1 target the large extracellular N-terminal domain. This domain shares a high degree of sequence homology with GlyRβ making it not unlikely that GlyRβ-specific autoantibody (aAb) exist and contribute to the disease pathology. Methods In this study, we investigated serum samples from 58 patients for aAb specifically detecting GlyRβ. Studies in microarray format, cell-based assays, and primary spinal cord neurons and spinal cord tissue immunohistochemistry were performed to determine specific GlyRβ binding and define aAb binding to distinct protein regions. Preadsorption approaches of aAbs using living cells and the purified extracellular receptor domain were further used. Finally, functional consequences for inhibitory neurotransmission upon GlyRβ aAb binding were resolved by whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. Results Among 58 samples investigated, cell-based assays, tissue analysis, and preadsorption approaches revealed 2 patients with high specificity for GlyRβ aAb. Quantitative protein cluster analysis demonstrated aAb binding to synaptic GlyRβ colocalized with the scaffold protein gephyrin independent of the presence of GlyRα1. At the functional level, binding of GlyRβ aAb from both patients to its target impair glycine efficacy. Discussion Our study establishes GlyRβ as novel target of aAb in patients with SPS/PERM. In contrast to exclusively GlyRα1-positive sera, which alter glycine potency, aAbs against GlyRβ impair receptor efficacy for the neurotransmitter glycine. Imaging and functional analyses showed that GlyRβ aAbs antagonize inhibitory neurotransmission by affecting receptor function rather than localization. KW - autoantibody (aAb) KW - glycine receptor (GlyR) KW - stiff-person syndrome (SPS) KW - clinical neurology KW - movement disorders KW - progressive encephalitis with rigidity and myoclonus (PERM) Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-349958 VL - 11 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hartmannsberger, Beate A1 - Scriba, Sabrina A1 - Guidolin, Carolina A1 - Becker, Juliane A1 - Mehling, Katharina A1 - Doppler, Kathrin A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Rittner, Heike L. T1 - Transient immune activation without loss of intraepidermal innervation and associated Schwann cells in patients with complex regional pain syndrome JF - Journal of Neuroinflammation N2 - Background Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) develops after injury and is characterized by disproportionate pain, oedema, and functional loss. CRPS has clinical signs of neuropathy as well as neurogenic inflammation. Here, we asked whether skin biopsies could be used to differentiate the contribution of these two systems to ultimately guide therapy. To this end, the cutaneous sensory system including nerve fibres and the recently described nociceptive Schwann cells as well as the cutaneous immune system were analysed. Methods We systematically deep-phenotyped CRPS patients and immunolabelled glabrous skin biopsies from the affected ipsilateral and non-affected contralateral finger of 19 acute (< 12 months) and 6 chronic (> 12 months after trauma) CRPS patients as well as 25 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HC). Murine foot pads harvested one week after sham or chronic constriction injury were immunolabelled to assess intraepidermal Schwann cells. Results Intraepidermal Schwann cells were detected in human skin of the finger—but their density was much lower compared to mice. Acute and chronic CRPS patients suffered from moderate to severe CRPS symptoms and corresponding pain. Most patients had CRPS type I in the warm category. Their cutaneous neuroglial complex was completely unaffected despite sensory plus signs, e.g. allodynia and hyperalgesia. Cutaneous innate sentinel immune cells, e.g. mast cells and Langerhans cells, infiltrated or proliferated ipsilaterally independently of each other—but only in acute CRPS. No additional adaptive immune cells, e.g. T cells and plasma cells, infiltrated the skin. Conclusions Diagnostic skin punch biopsies could be used to diagnose individual pathophysiology in a very heterogenous disease like acute CRPS to guide tailored treatment in the future. Since numbers of inflammatory cells and pain did not necessarily correlate, more in-depth analysis of individual patients is necessary. KW - complex regional pain syndrome KW - IENFD KW - nociceptive Schwann cells KW - mast cells KW - Langerhans cells KW - tissue resident T cells KW - dermal B cells KW - skin punch biopsy KW - chronic constriction nerve injury Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357164 VL - 21 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hecker, Katharina A1 - Grüner, Julia A1 - Hartmannsberger, Beate A1 - Appeltshauser, Luise A1 - Villmann, Carmen A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Doppler, Kathrin T1 - Different binding and pathogenic effect of neurofascin and contactin–1 autoantibodies in autoimmune nodopathies JF - Frontiers in Immunology N2 - Introduction IgG4 autoantibodies against paranodal proteins are known to induce acute-onset and often severe sensorimotor autoimmune neuropathies. How autoantibodies reach their antigens at the paranode in spite of the myelin barrier is still unclear. Methods We performed in vitro incubation experiments with patient sera on unfixed and unpermeabilized nerve fibers and in vivo intraneural and intrathecal passive transfer of patient IgG to rats, to explore the access of IgG autoantibodies directed against neurofascin-155 and contactin-1 to the paranodes and their pathogenic effect. Results We found that in vitro incubation resulted in weak paranodal binding of anti-contactin-1 autoantibodies whereas anti-neurofascin-155 autoantibodies bound to the nodes more than to the paranodes. After short-term intraneural injection, no nodal or paranodal binding was detectable when using anti-neurofascin-155 antibodies. After repeated intrathecal injections, nodal more than paranodal binding could be detected in animals treated with anti-neurofascin-155, accompanied by sensorimotor neuropathy. In contrast, no paranodal binding was visible in rats intrathecally injected with anti-contactin-1 antibodies, and animals remained unaffected. Conclusion These data support the notion of different pathogenic mechanisms of anti-neurofascin-155 and anti-contactin-1 autoantibodies and different accessibility of paranodal and nodal structures. KW - autoimmune nodopathy KW - IgG4 KW - neurofascin KW - contactin KW - node of ranvier KW - inflammatory neuropathy KW - passive transfer Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-320395 VL - 14 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rauschenberger, Vera A1 - Piro, Inken A1 - Kasaragod, Vikram Babu A1 - Hörlin, Verena A1 - Eckes, Anna-Lena A1 - Kluck, Christoph J. A1 - Schindelin, Hermann A1 - Meinck, Hans-Michael A1 - Wickel, Jonathan A1 - Geis, Christian A1 - Tüzün, Erdem A1 - Doppler, Kathrin A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Villmann, Carmen T1 - Glycine receptor autoantibody binding to the extracellular domain is independent from receptor glycosylation JF - Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience N2 - Glycine receptor (GlyR) autoantibodies are associated with stiff-person syndrome and the life-threatening progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus in children and adults. Patient histories show variability in symptoms and responses to therapeutic treatments. A better understanding of the autoantibody pathology is required to develop improved therapeutic strategies. So far, the underlying molecular pathomechanisms include enhanced receptor internalization and direct receptor blocking altering GlyR function. A common epitope of autoantibodies against the GlyRα1 has been previously defined to residues 1A-33G at the N-terminus of the mature GlyR extracellular domain. However, if other autoantibody binding sites exist or additional GlyR residues are involved in autoantibody binding is yet unknown. The present study investigates the importance of receptor glycosylation for binding of anti-GlyR autoantibodies. The glycine receptor α1 harbors only one glycosylation site at the amino acid residue asparagine 38 localized in close vicinity to the identified common autoantibody epitope. First, non-glycosylated GlyRs were characterized using protein biochemical approaches as well as electrophysiological recordings and molecular modeling. Molecular modeling of non-glycosylated GlyRα1 did not show major structural alterations. Moreover, non-glycosylation of the GlyRα1N38Q did not prevent the receptor from surface expression. At the functional level, the non-glycosylated GlyR demonstrated reduced glycine potency, but patient GlyR autoantibodies still bound to the surface-expressed non-glycosylated receptor protein in living cells. Efficient adsorption of GlyR autoantibodies from patient samples was possible by binding to native glycosylated and non-glycosylated GlyRα1 expressed in living not fixed transfected HEK293 cells. Binding of patient-derived GlyR autoantibodies to the non-glycosylated GlyRα1 offered the possibility to use purified non-glycosylated GlyR extracellular domain constructs coated on ELISA plates and use them as a fast screening readout for the presence of GlyR autoantibodies in patient serum samples. Following successful adsorption of patient autoantibodies by GlyR ECDs, binding to primary motoneurons and transfected cells was absent. Our results indicate that the glycine receptor autoantibody binding is independent of the receptor’s glycosylation state. Purified non-glycosylated receptor domains harbouring the autoantibody epitope thus provide, an additional reliable experimental tool besides binding to native receptors in cell-based assays for detection of autoantibody presence in patient sera. KW - glycine receptor KW - autoantibodies KW - glycosylation KW - extracellular domain KW - adsorption Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304206 VL - 16 ER -