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Differential diagnosis of a vascular leukoencephalopathy within a CADASIL family: use of skin biopsy electron microscopy study and direct genotypic screening.

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a condition caused by mutations of Notch3 gene on chromosome 19. Ultrastructural analysis of skin vessels discloses typical granular osmiophilic material (GOM) within the vascular smooth muscle basal lamina. We describe a CADASIL family in which two members suffering from a vascular leukoencephalopathy were shown to be CADASIL phenocopies: clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in these two patients were similar to those observed in their affected relatives. However, the skin biopsy performed on one of them did not reveal any GOM in the vascular smooth muscle cells, and the Notch3 mutation present in this family was shown to be absent in these two individuals. We emphasize the role of a direct DNA test for gene mutation to make a differential diagnosis between CADASIL and other forms of vascular leukoencephalopathy.

Adult↗

CADASIL-associated Notch3 mutations have differential effects both on ligand binding and ligand-induced Notch3 receptor signaling through RBP-Jk.

Mutations in the NOTCH3 gene are the cause of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), a hereditary angiopathy leading to strokes and dementia. Pathogenic mutations remove or insert cysteine residues within epidermal growth factor (EGF) repeats in the extracellular domain of the Notch3 receptor (N3ECD). Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) are the predominant site of Notch3 expression in adults. In CADASIL patients, VSMC degenerate and N3ECD is deposited within the vasculature. However, the mechanisms underlying VSMC degeneration and N3ECD accumulation are still unknown. In this study, we investigated the consequences of three pathogenic Notch3 mutations on the biological activity of the receptor by analyzing ligand (Delta-/Jagged-)-induced signaling via RBP-Jk. Two mutations (R133C and C183R) that are located outside the putative ligand binding domain (LBD) of the receptor were found to result in normal Jagged1-induced signaling in A7r5 VSMC, whereas the third mutation (C455R located within the putative LBD) showed strongly reduced signaling activity. Ligand binding assays with soluble Delta1 and Jagged1 revealed that C455R interferes with ligand binding through disruption of the LBD which, as we show here, is located in EGF repeats 10/11 of Notch3. All mutant receptors including Notch3C455R were targeted to the cell surface but showed an elevated ratio between the unprocessed full-length 280-kDa receptor and S1-cleaved receptor fragments. Taken together, these data indicate that CADASIL-associated Notch3 mutations differ with respect to their consequences both on ligand binding and ligand-induced signaling through RBP-Jk, whereas they have similar effects on receptor maturation. Moreover, the data suggest that ligand-induced receptor shedding may not be required for N3ECD deposition in CADASIL.

Adult↗

Nocturnal blood pressure dip in CADASIL.

The influence of a nocturnal blood pressure dip on cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) has not yet been clarified. We attempted to examine a correlation with the nocturnal blood pressure dip and CADASIL. We monitored circadian blood pressure patterns by the use of a portable blood pressure monitoring device in five patients with CADASIL and 10 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Based on nocturnal fall in mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), we classified patients into extreme dippers (nocturnal reduction of MABP > or =20%), dippers (> or =10% but <20%), nondippers (<10% but > or =0%), and inverted dippers (<0%). Three patients revealed non-dipper and two inverted dipper. Nighttime MABP fall was significantly lower in patients compared with control subjects (P<0.01). This study suggests that a lower nocturnal blood pressure fall may be partly associated with incidence and/or worsening of deep white matter lesions in CADASIL.

Brain↗

Retinal findings in cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (cadasil).

We describe a 45-year-old man with biopsy proven cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). This patient demonstrated unique retinal findings, including arteriole narrowing and sheathing, irregular choroidal filling on fluorescein angiography, and patchy visual field loss. CADASIL is a hereditary, nonamyloid, nonathersclerotic microangiopathy. This disorder has been mapped to chromosome 19 with mutations in the Notch 3 gene. Deposits of granular osmiophilic material in the basal lamina of the smooth muscle cells of small vessels are considered pathognomonic for CADASIL and are typically seen only on electron microscopy. Although CADASIL is a systemic vascular disease affecting the entire arteriole tree, we are unaware of other reports describing the retinal findings observed in our patient.

Biopsy↗

Skin biopsy immunostaining with a Notch3 monoclonal antibody for CADASIL diagnosis.

CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy) is a small-artery disease of the brain caused by NOTCH3 mutations that lead to an abnormal accumulation of NOTCH3 within the vasculature. We aimed to establish whether immunostaining skin biopsy samples with a monoclonal antibody specific for NOTCH3 could form the basis of a reliable and easy diagnostic test. We compared the sensitivity and specificity of this method in two groups of patients suspected of having CADASIL with complete scanning of mutation-causing exons of NOTCH3 (in a retrospective series of 39 patients) and with limited scanning of four exons that are mutation hotspots (prospective series of 42 patients). In the retrospective series skin biopsy was positive in 21 (96%) of the 22 CADASIL patients examined and negative in all others; in the prospective series, seven of the 42 patients had a positive skin biopsy whereas only four had a mutation detected by limited NOTCH3 scanning. Our immunostaining technique is highly sensitive (96%) and specific (100%) for diagnosis of CADASIL.

Adult↗

Distribution pattern of Notch3 mutations suggests a gain-of-function mechanism for CADASIL.

Mutations in Notch3 cause the syndrome CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy). The mechanism by which these mutations result in a CADASIL phenotype has been widely speculated upon. A first step toward understanding a disease mechanism is to learn whether the mutations result in the loss of Notch3 function, in particular, its role in signaling or in the gain of a novel function. Notch3 genomic sequences were analyzed for sites of conservation across species. We present here a bioinformatic analysis of the Notch paralogs and orthologs that suggest that CADASIL mutations result in a gain of function. This finding diminishes the likelihood that a Notch3 signaling deficit is responsible for the phenotype and increases the likelihood that CADASIL joins the growing list of neurological diseases with protein deposits due to misfolding and aggregation.

Animals↗

CADASIL: neuropsychological findings in three generations of an affected family.

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a hereditary brain disease with a variety of neurologic and psychiatric manifestations. We studied 3 members of a family who each had leukoencephalopathy on neuroimaging studies and a characteristic mutation for CADASIL in the notch 3 region of chromosome 19q12. In all 3 cases, neurobehavioral impairment dominated the clinical picture, and a pattern of psychiatric dysfunction heralding cognitive decline emerged. Neuropsychological evaluation revealed diverse deficits, but a profile of frontal lobe dysfunction, declarative memory impairment suggestive of a retrieval deficit, and relatively preserved language was evident. These cases provide a cross-sectional study of the evolution of CADASIL, and suggest that, as in other diseases characterized by white matter dementia, psychiatric dysfunction may occur initially, followed by pervasive cognitive dysfunction later in the course of the disease. CADASIL should be considered in young adults with unexplained leukoencephalopathy on neuroimaging studies, and in those with neurobehavioral dysfunction and a suggestive family history.

Adult↗

CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy): a neurovascular disease diagnosed by ultrastructural examination of the skin.

BACKGROUND: CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy) is a recently recognized neurovascular disease due to mutations of the Notch3 gene, manifesting with strokes or stroke-like episodes, major psychiatric symptoms and dementia. The diagnosis can be confirmed either by molecular analysis or by ultrastructural examination of the brain or more simply the skin. METHODS: The skin of a patient with a suspected diagnosis of CADASIL was studied by electron microscopy. RESULTS: Characteristic granular osmiophilic material within the basement membrane surrounding pericytes and smooth muscle cells of small and medium-sized vessels of the skin were found, confirming the diagnosis of CADASIL. CONCLUSIONS: CADASIL is an additional example of a neurologic disease that can be diagnosed thanks to electron microscopic examination of the skin. Dermatopathologists should be aware of these ultrastructural findings, all the more so since the disease could be more common than originally thought.

Basement Membrane↗

Notch3 mutations in CADASIL, a hereditary adult-onset condition causing stroke and dementia.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death, and vascular dementia the second cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. CADASIL (for cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy) causes a type of stroke and dementia whose key features include recurrent subcortical ischaemic events and vascular dementia and which is associated with diffuse white-matter abnormalities on neuroimaging. Pathological examination reveals multiple small, deep cerebral infarcts, a leukoencephalopathy, and a non-atherosclerotic, non-amyloid angiopathy involving mainly the small cerebral arteries. Severe alterations of vascular smooth-muscle cells are evident on ultrastructural analysis. We have previously mapped the mutant gene to chromosome 19. Here we report the characterization of the human Notch3 gene which we mapped to the CADASIL critical region. We have identified mutations in CADASIL patients that cause serious disruption of this gene, indicating that Notch3 could be the defective protein in CADASIL patients.

Adult↗

CADASIL: hereditary disease of arteries causing brain infarcts and dementia.

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) begins with migraine with aura in approximately one-third of the patients. More severe symptoms of recurrent strokes usually appear at 30-50 years of age. However, well before the first stroke, CADASIL may be diagnosed on the basis of characteristic hyperintensities in T2-weighted magnetic resonance images. Multiple lacunar infarcts located mainly in the basal ganglia and frontal white matter lead to a cognitive decline and finally to dementia. These infarcts result from a thickening and fibrosis of the walls of the small and medium-sized penetrating arteries with consequent obliteration and/or thrombosis. Although the symptoms are almost exclusively neurological, the arteriopathy is generalized. Thus, basophilic, periodic acid-Schiff-positive and, in electron microscopy, osmiophilic material accumulates between degenerating smooth muscle cells. This occurs even in dermal arteries, which renders skin a useful target for diagnostic biopsy. Presently, no specific therapy is available. CADASIL is caused by missense point mutations in the Notch3 gene, which encodes a transmembrane receptor protein. Each gene defect leads to either a gain or loss of a cysteine residue in the extracellular, N-terminal domain of the molecule, which most probably results in conformational alteration. The function of Notch3 in adults and the pathogenesis of CADASIL are still unknown.

Cerebral Arterial Diseases↗

Glycohistochemical characterization of vascular muscle cell destruction in CADASIL subjects by lectins, neoglycoconjugates and galectin-specific antibodies.

CADASIL (Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy) is a type of small-artery stroke and vascular dementia-inducing pathology of the brain. In order to explain the molecular mechanisms behind the alterations to the blood vessels in CADASIL subjects, we scrutinized the expression of glycan and glycan-binding sites in the wall of vessels taken from five such subjects (vs. five control subjects matched for age and sex). Specimens were taken from the brain, heart, kidney, liver and lung. Although the main vessel lesions were observed in the tissues depending on the blood-brain barrier, alterations to systemic vessels were also observed despite the absence of any symptoms. The histochemical expression of a panel of 10 biotinylated neoglycoconjugates [Gal-beta(1-4)-D-Glc, Galbeta(1-3)GalNAc, alpha-D-GalNAc, beta-D-GalNAc, GalNAcalpha(1-3)-D-GalNAcalpha, GalNAcalpha(1-3)-D-GalNAcbeta, beta-D-Glc, alpha-D-Man, l-Fucose and D-Glcalpha(1-4)-D-Glc], eight plant lectins (PNA, MAA, SNA, DBA, WGA, ConA, GNA and UEA-1) and two antigalectin antibodies was monitored by means of semiquantitative and quantitative computer-assisted microscopy. The data show the altered histochemical binding of plant lectins, such as UEA-1 and ConA, in the vessel walls of CADASIL subjects. The present work, based upon staining by a panel of neoglycoconjugates, provides a biochemical characterization of the alteration of vessel walls in the brain compared to other organs including the heart, kidney, lung and liver in CADASIL as opposed to control subjects. These glycohistochemical results suggest a functional relevance of protein-carbohydrate interactions in this disease.

Adult↗

CADASIL syndrome in a large Turkish kindred caused by the R90C mutation in the Notch3 receptor.

Mutations in the Notch3 gene are the cause of the autosomal dominant disorder CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy). The CADASIL is an adult-onset neurologic disorder (average age of onset is 45 years) characterized by recurrent strokes and dementia. Clinical features combined with cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), showing a diffuse leukoencephalopathy with subcortical infarcts in the basal ganglia and white matter, are highly contributive to the diagnosis. We present a Turkish family with CADASIL, in which 12 individuals in four generations were affected showing the typical clinical features of recurrent strokes. Mutation analysis of the Notch3 receptor gene identified the recently described R90C mutation in the N-terminal part of the gene in affected individuals. Interestingly, migraine without aura was found as an initial symptom of the disease in two young mutation carriers (22 and 25 years, respectively), who did not show any additional clinical features or any MRI abnormalities. This indicates that migraine without aura in the absence of MRI abnormalities may represent an early initial symptom of CADASIL, which is difficult to diagnose in the absence of molecular diagnosis. Therefore, the used molecular screening method for Notch3 mutations provides a rapid and accurate diagnostic tool in addition to the standard diagnostic procedures.

Brain↗

[CADASIL. Clinical aspects, neuroradiology, genetics and diagnosis].

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a hereditary cerebral vasculopathy progressing to subcortical dementia, caused by multiple lacunar infarcts and ischemic white matter degeneration. Migraine with aura, epileptic seizures and affective disorders are frequent additional symptoms of CADASIL. The causative mutations of the Notch3 gene are located on chromosome 19p13.1. There is complete penetrance of this disorder, although individual expression of symptoms may vary. Manifestation of CADASIL is usually in the 3rd decade, but some individuals remain asymptomatic close to the age of 60. MRI displays a marked leukoencephalopathy in affected individuals as early as in the age of 20. Frontal and subcortical hypoperfusion in demented individuals was demonstrated by SPECT-studies. The prevalence of CADASIL is still not known. To date there is no causative therapy.

Dementia, Multi-Infarct↗

CADASIL: skin biopsy allows diagnosis in early stages.

OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to investigate the diagnostic impact of skin biopsies in CADASIL patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight consenting CADASIL patients belonging to a German-Caucasian kindred were assessed clinically, genetically, by MRI and skin biopsy. Skin biopsy results were compared to 5 patients suffering from sporadic leucoencephalopathies (control group). RESULTS: Six CADASIL patients presented with symptoms ranging from migraine to severe tetraparesis with dementia. Two clinically unaffected patients had abnormal MRIs. On MRI 7 patients showed various degrees of leucoencephalopathy. One 22-year-old woman with migraine had a normal MRI. Granular, electron dense, osmiophilic material (GEM) was found in skin biopsies of all 8 patients including the 22-year-old woman with migraine and a normal MRI. As shown by genetic linkage analysis she was carrying the disease haplotype. GEM was not found in the control group. CONCLUSION: Our findings substantiate the impact of skin biopsies in defining the carrier status in CADASIL families.

Adult↗

CADASIL: hereditary arteriopathy leading to multiple brain infarcts and dementia.

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) often begins with migraine with aura. Recurrent strokes usually appear between 30 and 50 years of age. The arteriopathy develops slowly, resulting in destruction of smooth muscle cells and thickening and fibrosis of the walls of small and medium-sized penetrating arteries with consequent narrowing of the lumen. This impairs cerebral blood flow, visible in PET, and produces characteristic white-matter hyperintensities in T2-weighted MRI on the basis of which CADASIL may be diagnosed well before the first stroke. Multiple lacunar infarcts, mainly in the frontal white matter and basal ganglia, lead to progressive permanent brain damage manifested as cognitive decline and finally as dementia. At present, no specific therapy is available. Infarcts result from thickening and fibrosis of the walls of small and medium-sized penetrating arteries with consequent obliteration and/or thrombosis. Although the symptoms are almost exclusively neurological, the arteriopathy is generalized and diagnosis can be made on the basis of accumulation of pathognomonic basophilic, PAS-positive and in electron microscopy osmiophilic material between degenerating smooth muscle cells in dermal arteries. CADASIL is caused by missense point mutations in the Notch3 gene, which encodes a transmembrane receptor protein with an important signaling function during development. The gene defects lead to either a gain or loss of a cysteine residue in the extracellular N-terminal part of the molecule, most probably causing a conformational and functional alteration. The function of Notch3 in adults and the definite pathogenesis of CADASIL are still unknown, but interestingly its intramembranous proteolytic cleavage may be regulated or implemented by presenilin similarly as cleavage of amyloid precursor protein in Alzheimer's disease.

Adult↗

Lessons from CADASIL.

Vascular dementia (VaD) includes several different vascular mechanisms and changes in the brain. Among VaD, CADASIL is an inherited angiopathy caused by mutations in the Notch3 gene. The pathological hallmark of CADASIL is a granular osmiophilic material deposit (GOM) that is not only found in the brain, but also in the peripheral vascular tree. Consequently, a window into the brain was opened from a strictly neurological disease with tremendous consequences thanks to a skin biopsy. The latter was and continues to be used as a diagnostic tool for CADASIL, despite an immunohistochemical test that is now available. The skin biopsy first used as a diagnostic tool revealed the existence of numerous other VaDs presenting systemic vascular changes. Later, skin biopsy became a research tool, and a morphological skin vessel change classification was proposed on 300 patients. Interestingly, similar skin vessel lesions appear to be related to the same biological modifications. In addition, an early destruction of the medial muscle cells was noticed in 74% of cases. Because vascular smooth muscle cells secrete a powerful endothelial permeability factor (VEGF), their destruction could lead to a decrease in vascular permeability. Cocultures of endothelial cells with vascular muscle cells showed that their presence doubled vascular permeability. Thus, alteration or the loss of vascular muscle cells likely results in hypopermeability, in addition to vessel wall hypotonia and a watershed hypoperfusion. The wealth of information brought forth by knowledge of CADASIL provided new tools for research and clues for understanding the consequences of vascular impairments in dementia.

Dementia, Multi-Infarct↗

Cognitive alterations in non-demented CADASIL patients.

CADASIL is an inherited small-artery disease of the brain due to mutations of the Notch3 gene on chromosome 19. It is characterized by strokes, migraine with aura, and severe mood disturbances during mid adulthood and leads progressively to subcortical dementia. The precise onset of the cognitive decline in CADASIL remains unknown. We report here the cognitive evaluation of 8 non-demented symptomatic patients with CADASIL from 35 to 66 years of age. Altered performances were found in all subjects with the Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST), in 5/8 with the Trail-Making Test, and in 3/8 with copying of Rey's figure. Altered performances with codes and similarities of the WAIS-R, the Wechsler Memory Scale, Raven's Progressive Matrices, and the category and letter fluency task were observed less frequently (n < or = 2). The score obtained with the WCST was not significantly correlated with the severity of the white-matter or basal ganglia signal abnormalities at MRI examination. Our data show that: (1) symptomatic CADASIL patients, although non-demented, can present with a subtle cognitive impairment; (2) tasks involving the frontal lobes are found most frequently altered, and (3) this subtle cognitive deficit can develop in the absence of major vascular events and does not appear to be correlated with the severity of brain lesions as seen at MRI examination.

Adult↗

Arterial changes in cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) in relation to pathogenesis of diffuse myelin loss of cerebral white matter: examination of cerebral medullary arteries by reconstruction of serial sections of an autopsy case.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is little information regarding the pathogenesis underlying diffuse myelin loss in the cerebral white matter and sparing of the U fibers in cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), in which the medial smooth muscle cells of systemic arteries are characteristically involved. We sought to examine the precise extent and severity of changes in the cerebral arteries in an autopsy case of CADASIL in relation to pathogenesis of the diffuse myelin loss. METHODS: We reconstructed 1000 serial sections of the frontal cerebral medullary arteries of an autopsy subject, which was the first identified Japanese case of CADASIL, as confirmed by the presence of ultrastructural deposits of granular osmiophilic material in the media of some visceral arteries and by genetic analysis. RESULTS: We reconstructed 11 medullary arteries of the frontal lobe showing diffuse myelin loss and atrophy of the white matter with sparing of the U fibers. All of these showed complete loss of medial smooth muscle cells over their entire length and severe adventitial fibrosis. Although intimal fibrosis or hyalinosis was present, luminal occlusion was scarce. These changes were also observed in the small and large arachnoidal arteries but were relatively mild in the latter and in the cortical and subcortical medullary arteries. CONCLUSIONS: These arterial changes resulted in transformation of the cerebral arteries, in particular almost all the medullary arteries, to a so-called earthen pipe state. This supports the reported findings of a reduction in vascular reactivity to fluctuations in CO2 levels and systemic blood pressure in CADASIL.

Aged↗