Dataset Information

The cerebro-morphological fingerprint of a progeroid syndrome: white matter changes correlate with neurological symptoms in xeroderma pigmentosum.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive progeroid syndrome. It has recently been shown that the underlying DNA repair defect plays a central role in the aging process. In addition to skin symptoms, various premature neurological abnormalities have been reported.

Methodology/principal findings

We present the clinical neurological phenotype in 14 XP patients (seven subtypes), in seven of these patients together with conventional and multiparametric advanced MRI data to assess the macrostructural and microstructural cerebral morphology in comparison to controls, including volumetric measurements, MR spectroscopy ((1)H MRS), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Clinical hallmarks were spinocerebellar ataxia, pyramidal tract signs, and mild cognitive deficits. DTI demonstrated significantly reduced WM directionality in all regions investigated, i.e. the thalamus, the corticospinal tracts and the dorsal corpus callosum. Single patients showed a marked relative hippocampal volume reduction, but the patients were not different from controls in the volumetric measurements of hippocampal and whole brain volumes at group level. However, (1)H MRS demonstrated that the hippocampal formation was metabolically altered.

Conclusions

The most prominent feature was the white matter affectation, as assessed by DTI, with volume and directionality reductions of the fiber projections involving both the craniocaudal fibers and the interhemispheric connections. These findings, although heterogeneous among the study sample, could be correlated with the clinico-neurological symptoms. The imaging findings support the position that myelin structures degrade prematurely in the brain of XP patients.

SUBMITTER: Kassubek J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3283603 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The cerebro-morphological fingerprint of a progeroid syndrome: white matter changes correlate with neurological symptoms in xeroderma pigmentosum.

Kassubek Jan J Sperfeld Anne-Dorte AD Pinkhardt Elmar H EH Unrath Alexander A Müller Hans-Peter HP Scharffetter-Kochanek Karin K Ludolph Albert C AC Berneburg Mark M

PloS one 20120221 2

<h4>Background</h4>Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive progeroid syndrome. It has recently been shown that the underlying DNA repair defect plays a central role in the aging process. In addition to skin symptoms, various premature neurological abnormalities have been reported.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>We present the clinical neurological phenotype in 14 XP patients (seven subtypes), in seven of these patients together with conventional and multiparametric advanc ...[more]

PMID: 22363517

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Project description:OBJECTIVE:To assess the age at menarche and menopause of women with xeroderma pigmentosum, a DNA repair disease with premature aging, in a longitudinal natural history study. METHODS:We conducted a natural history study that reviewed medical records for gynecologic and reproductive health of all female patients with xeroderma pigmentosum aged older than 9 years examined at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We performed gynecologic and laboratory examinations on a subset of the patients. Women in a second subset, who could not be examined, were interviewed using a questionnaire. Women who were deceased or lost to follow-up formed a third subset. RESULTS:Sixty females with xeroderma pigmentosum aged older than 9 years (median 29 years, range 10-61 years) were evaluated at the NIH from 1971 to 2018. Of these 60, 31 had history, questionnaire, record review, and gynecologic evaluation; 14 had record review and questionnaire interview by telephone; and 15 had only NIH record review. Menarche in females with xeroderma pigmentosum occurred at a median age of 12.0 years (range 9-17 years), which was comparable with the U.S. general population. Among the 18 patients with menopause, the median age at menopause of 29.5 years (range 18-49.5 years) was more than 20 years younger than in the U.S. general population (52.9 years). Premature menopause (before age 40 years) occurred in 14 of the 45 (31%) women aged 18 years or older, and primary ovarian insufficiency was documented in nine of them. There were 32 live births among 21 of the women, five of whom subsequently developed premature menopause. CONCLUSION:Females with xeroderma pigmentosum in our study had a normal age at menarche and were fertile but had increased incidence of premature menopause. Premature menopause, a symptom of premature aging, should be considered for gynecologic and reproductive health as well as implicating DNA repair in maintaining normal ovarian function. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00001813.

Dataset Information

The cerebro-morphological fingerprint of a progeroid syndrome: white matter changes correlate with neurological symptoms in xeroderma pigmentosum.

Background

Methodology/principal findings

Conclusions

Publications

The cerebro-morphological fingerprint of a progeroid syndrome: white matter changes correlate with neurological symptoms in xeroderma pigmentosum.

Similar Datasets

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