Vol 16, No 1 (2022)

Introduction. T cells play a significant role in neuroinflammation in Parkinson's disease (PD). Gamma delta T cells are an under-researched 'minor' subpopulation of T cells. An assessment of the immune system in patients with PD, with a focus on γδТ cells, provides new data on the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.

The aim of the study was to examine the lymphocyte subpopulations, nonclassical γδТ cells, as well as cytokine production in patients with 3 stage PD complicated by motor fluctuations.

Materials and methods. We examined 20 patients with 3 stage PD receiving dopaminergic combination therapy (main group) and 20 age-matched patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease (comparison group). Considering the suspected role of chronic constipation in maintaining dysbiosis and chronic inflammation in patients with PD, the presence of constipation was an inclusion criterion for this study. The subpopulation profile of the peripheral blood lymphocytes was assessed using flow cytofluorometry, as well as cytokine levels using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.

Results. It was found that the number of mature CD3⁺ T cells with αβ or γδ chains as the T-cell receptors (TCR) in the lymphocyte population was significantly lower in patients with PD — median 74% (57.3–83.5)) than in the comparison group (median 80% (73.0–86.0); р = 0.014. There was also a statistically significant reduction in the number of CD3⁺CD56⁺ natural killer (NK) T cells in the group of patients with PD vs. the comparison group — 4.7% (1.3–7.7) vs. 7.8% (0.8–24); р = 0.036. At the same time, the number of CD3^–CD56⁺ NK cells was significantly higher in the group of patients with PD (16.4% (9–34)) vs. the comparison group — 8.7% (5–15); р = 0.001. Moreover, the main group had a statistically significantly higher number of activated CD3^–CD8⁺ NK cells — 7% (4.5–13.5) vs. the comparison group — 3.5% (0.86–4.9); р < 0.001. Out of the total number of γδТ cells, the TCRγδ CD4⁺CD8^– subpopulation was statistically smaller in the group of patients with PD — 13.6% (6.2–27.0) than in the comparison group — 29.8% (4.0–52.1); р = 0.016. The study of cytokine levels in the group of patients with PD showed a significant increase in the induced production of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), as well as a high (aberrant) spontaneous production of IL-10, which was 227.5 pg/ml in patients with PD when the normal range is 0–23 pg/ml. The correlation analysis showed that the TCRγδ CD4⁺CD8^– subpopulation and cytokines in the group of patients with PD had a statistically significant (p = 0.048) negative correlation with the induced production of IL-10 (r = –0.745) and a significant (p = 0.042) positive correlation with the induced production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β (r = 0.648). There was a trend towards increased spontaneous production of IL-10 (r = –0.602; p = 0.0506) as the level of the TCRγδ CD4⁺CD8^– T helper cells decreased.

Conclusion. Changes were found in the blood of patients with PD, which indicate a chronic inflammatory process: increased number of CD3^–CD56⁺ NK cells, including activated CD3^–CD8⁺ cells, and increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. A decrease was found in the level of a minor subpopulation of γδT cells, TCRγδ CD4⁺CD8^–. The correlation found between this subpopulation and the production of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines indicates its role in regulation of chronic inflammation in PD.

Introduction. The control of the survival and differentiation of immature neurons in the piriform cortex of rodents, which can transform into GABAergic and/or glutamatergic neurons under the influence of olfactory stimuli, is an important factor for prevention of neurological dysfunction.

The aim of the study was to assess the expression of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons after olfactory stimulation (OS) in the mouse piriform cortex during postnatal development.

Materials and methods. The study was carried out on CD1 male mice aged 2 (n = 20; group Р2), 21 (n = 20; group Р21) and 60 (n = 20; group Р60) days. The mice were presented with olfactory stimuli, and brain tissue was collected for immunohistochemical analysis 2 hours, 24 hours and 7 days later, to assess glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) and vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGlut1) expression.

Results. OS in the group P2 animals increased VGlut1 expression in the first 2 hours after OS, followed by a return to baseline level by day 7, while GAD67 expression showed no significant changes. The animals in group P21 showed increased expression of VGlut1 and GAD67 two hours after OS, followed by a significant decrease. Expression of both molecules demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the group P60 animals 24 hours after OS, and remained at the same level on day 7 (GAD67) or returned to baseline levels (VGlut1).

Conclusion. OS increases the number of GABAergic (GAD67⁺) и glutamatergic (VGlut1⁺) neurons in the piriform cortex (P60). The predominance of glutamatergic effects is a possible mechanism for associative memory cell recruitment.

Introduction. Timely identification of cognitive impairment is very important, with standardized screening instruments required to assess the cognitive status. However, the arsenal of such screening scales available to clinicians in Russia is limited and requires expansion. According to numerous international studies, the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) has the necessary sensitivity and specificity, which speaks well for developing and validating a Russian language version.

The aim of the study was the linguistic and cultural adaptation of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III).

Materials and methods. A forward and back translation was performed of three versions of the scale and the scoring guidelines. A preliminary version of the ACE-III was developed, pilot testing of the preliminary version was conducted, and a final Russian language version was then developed with the help of a philologist/linguist, and experts in neuropsychology and neurology, who work specifically with patients with cognitive impairments. Pilot testing of the preliminary version of the ACE-III involved 16 neurological patients at the Research Center of Neurology and the Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Centre, who were aged 37–74 (60.25 ± 10.8) years and 56% of whom were women. The patients’ clinical condition corresponded to the diagnostic criteria for cerebrovascular disease (n = 12), Parkinson's disease (n = 3) and spinocerebellar ataxia (n = 1).

Results. Neither the subjects nor the examiners had any difficulty in understanding the instructions or the content during testing. Further work was done based on the results of the pilot testing, and three final versions of the scale (A, B and C) were accepted, as well as the scoring guidelines, a link to which is provided in the article.

Conclusion. The obtained results indicate that the developed version of the ACE-III can be understood by the Russian-speaking population and can be used in clinical practice. At the time of article publication, research is being conducted to assess the psychometric properties of the final Russian language version.

Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is a variant of atypical parkinsonism. The underlying cause may be corticobasal degeneration or other proteinopathies, which can be verified only after studying specific biomarkers. The disease aetiology in CBS needs to be established to determine the disease prognosis. It can also affect the choice of pathogenetic treatment due to the differences in the molecular pathogenesis of proteinopathies that cause neurodegenerative processes. Four clinical cases of CBS are presented: in patients with four-repeat tauopathy, Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Examples are provided of the clinical, genetic and biochemical biomarkers available for differential diagnosis of CBS.