Biology subjects

Cash, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Cash, D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

Subcutaneous neurotrophin-3 infusion induces corticospinal neuroplasticity and improvements in dexterity and walking in elderly rats after large cortical stroke

There is an urgent need for a therapy which reverses disability after stroke when initiated in a time frame suitable for the majority of new victims. Neurotrophin-3 (NT3) is a growth factor made by muscle spindles and skin which is required for the survival, development and function of locomotor circuits involving afferents from muscle and skin that mediate proprioception and tactile sensation. Its level declines in muscle and other tissues postnatally. We show that levels of NT-3 in the bloodstream were low in humans with ischemia stroke relative to young healthy controls. Accordingly, we set out to determine whether subcutaneous delivery of NT3 improves sensorimotor recovery after stroke in elderly rats. We show that one-month-long subcutaneous infusion of NT3 protein induces sensorimotor recovery after cortical stroke in elderly rats. Specifically, in a randomised, blinded pre-clinical trial, we show improved dexterity, walking and sensory function in rats following cortical ischemic stroke when treatment with NT3 is initiated 24 hours after stroke. Importantly, NT-3 was given in a clinically feasible time frame via this straightforward route. MRI and histology showed that recovery was not due to neuroprotection, as expected given the delayed treatment. Rather, anterograde tracing showed that corticospinal axons from the less-affected hemisphere sprouted in the spinal cord from cervical levels 2 to 8. Importantly, Phase I and II clinical trials by others show that repeated, subcutaneously administered high doses of recombinant NT-3 are safe and well tolerated in humans with other conditions. This paves the way for NT-3 as a therapy for stroke.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Spatiotemporal analysis for detection of pre-symptomatic shape changes in neurodegenerative diseases: applied to GENFI study

Brain atrophy as measured from structural MR images, is one of the primary imaging biomarkers used to track neurodegenerative disease progression. In diseases such as frontotemporal dementia or Alzheimers disease, atrophy can be observed in key brain structures years before any clinical symptoms are present. Atrophy is most commonly captured as volume change of key structures and the shape changes of these structures are typically not analysed despite being potentially more sensitive than summary volume statistics over the entire structure.\n\nIn this paper we propose a spatiotemporal analysis pipeline based Large Diffeomorphic Deformation Metric Mapping (LDDMM) to detect shape changes from volumetric MRI scans. We applied our framework to a cohort of individuals with genetic variants of frontotemporal dementia and healthy controls from the Genetic FTD Initiative (GENFI) study. Our method, take full advantage of the LDDMM framework, and relies on the creation of a population specific average spatiotemporal trajectory of a relevant brain structure of interest, the thalamus in our case. The residuals from each patient data to the average spatiotemporal trajectory are then clustered and studied to assess when presymptomatic mutation carriers differ from healthy control subjects.\n\nWe found statistical differences in shape in the anterior region of the thalamus at least five years before the mutation carrier subjects develop any clinical symptoms. This region of the thalamus has been shown to be predominantly connected to the frontal lobe, consistent with the pattern of cortical atrophy seen in the disease.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Corticospinal neuroplasticity and sensorimotor recovery in rats treated by infusion of neurotrophin-3 into disabled forelimb muscles started 24 h after stroke

Stroke often leads to arm disability and reduced responsiveness to stimuli on the other side of the body. Neurotrophin-3 (NT3) is made by skeletal muscle during infancy but levels drop postnatally and into adulthood. It is essential for the survival and wiring-up of sensory afferents from muscle. We have previously shown that gene therapy delivery of human NT3 into the affected triceps brachii forelimb muscle improves sensorimotor recovery after ischemic stroke in adult and elderly rats. Here, to move this therapy one step nearer to the clinic, we set out to test the hypothesis that intramuscular infusion of NT3 protein could improve sensorimotor recovery after ischemic cortical stroke in adult rats. To simulate a clinically-feasible time-to-treat, twenty-four hours later rats were randomized to receive NT3 or vehicle by infusion into triceps brachii for four weeks using implanted minipumps. NT3 increased the accuracy of forelimb placement during walking on a horizontal ladder and increased use of the affected arm for lateral support during rearing. NT3 also reversed sensory deficits on the affected forearm. There was no evidence of forepaw sensitivity to cold stimuli after stroke or NT3 treatment. MRI confirmed that treatment did not induce neuroprotection. Functional MRI during low threshold electrical stimulation of the affected forearm showed an increase in peri-infarct BOLD signal with time in both stroke groups and indicated that neurotrophin-3 did not further increase peri-infarct BOLD signal. Rather, NT3 induced spinal neuroplasticity including sprouting of the spared corticospinal and serotonergic pathways. Neurophysiology showed that NT3 treatment increased functional connectivity between the corticospinal tracts and spinal circuits controlling muscles on the treated side. After intravenous injection, radiolabelled NT3 crossed from bloodstream into the brain and spinal cord in adult mice with or without strokes. Our results show that delayed, peripheral infusion of neurotrophin-3 can improve sensorimotor function after ischemic stroke. Phase I and II clinical trials of NT3 (for constipation and neuropathy) have shown that peripheral, high doses are safe and well tolerated, which paves the way for NT3 as a therapy for stroke.

neuroscience↗