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Clinical, ocular motor, and imaging profile of Niemann-Pick type C heterozygosity

2020; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 94; Issue: 16 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1212/wnl.0000000000009290

1526-632X

Tatiana Brémovà-Ertl, Clara Sztatecsny, Matthias Brendel, M. Moser, Bettina Möller, Dirk‐André Clevert, Stefanie Beck‐Wödl, Célia Kun‐Rodrigues, José Brás, Axel Rominger, Dimitar Ninov, Michael Strupp, Susanne A. Schneider,

Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders

To characterize subclinical abnormalities in asymptomatic heterozygote NPC1 mutation carriers as markers of neurodegeneration.Motor function, cognition, mood, sleep, and smell function were assessed in 20 first-degree heterozygous relatives of patients with Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) (13 male, age 52.7 ± 9.9 years). Video-oculography and abdominal ultrasound with volumetry were performed to assess oculomotor function and size of liver and spleen. NPC biomarkers in blood were analyzed. 18F-fluorodesoxyglucose PET was performed (n = 16) to detect patterns of brain hypometabolism.NPC heterozygotes recapitulated characteristic features of symptomatic NPC disease and demonstrated the oculomotor abnormalities typical of NPC. Hepatosplenomegaly (71%) and increased cholestantriol (33%) and plasma chitotriosidase (17%) levels were present. The patients also showed signs seen in other neurodegenerative diseases, including hyposmia (20%) or pathologic screening for REM sleep behavior disorder (24%). Cognitive function was frequently impaired, especially affecting visuoconstructive function, verbal fluency, and executive function. PET imaging revealed significantly decreased glucose metabolic rates in 50% of participants, affecting cerebellar, anterior cingulate, parieto-occipital, and temporal regions, including 1 with bilateral abnormalities.NPC heterozygosity, which has a carrier frequency of 1:200 in the general population, is associated with abnormal brain metabolism and functional consequences. Clinically silent heterozygous gene variations in NPC1 may be a risk factor for late-onset neurodegeneration, similar to the concept of heterozygous GBA mutations underlying Parkinson disease.