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Background and purpose Muscle-strengthening, stretching or proprioceptive treatments may slow symptom progression in Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy. The aim of the study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of treadmill training in CMT1A. Methods We planned a multicenter, prospective, randomized, single-blind, controlled study. We recruited 53 outpatients affected by CMT1A and randomized them into two treatment groups: one underwent stretching and proprioceptive exercise, whereas the other was additionally treated with treadmill training (TreSPE). Primary outcome measures (OMs) were the walking evaluations and secondary OM was the balance assessment. All participants were assessed at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of treatment. Results Most patients showed an improvement in at least one OM after 3 months [42/47 (89.4%)] and 6 months [38/40 (95%)] of treatment. No adverse events were reported in either group. Conclusions The most important finding was that both stretching and proprioceptive exercise and treadmill training had an objective benefit on patients affected by CMT disease, without causing overwork weakness. We had a low rate of drop out and did not find deterioration in motor performance. Our results also confirm that applying evidence-based medicine methods to rehabilitative research is the correct way to test the efficacy of a treatment.

Background: We reported that 6-month therapy with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) was more frequently effective or tolerated than intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). We now retrospectively compared the proportion of patients who eventually worsened after discontinuing therapy and the median time to clinical worsening. Methods: By March 2013, data were available from 41 of the 45 patients completing the trial with a median follow-up after therapy discontinuation of 42 months (range 1-60). Three patients withdrew during the original study and one failed to respond to either of the therapies. No patient received a diagnosis alternative to CIDP during the follow-up. Results: Twenty-eight of the 32 patients treated with IVIg (as primary or secondary therapy after failing to respond to IVMP) improved after therapy (87.5%) as compared with 13 of the 24 patients treated with IVMP as primary or secondary therapy (54.2%). After a median follow-up of 42 months (range 1-57), 24 out of 28 patients responsive to IVIg (85.7%) worsened after therapy discontinuation. The same occurred in 10 out of 13 patients (76.9%) responsive to IVMP (p=0.659) after a median follow-up of 43 months (range 7-60). Worsening occurred 1-24 months (median 4.5) after IVIg discontinuation and 1-31 months (median 14) after IVMP discontinuation (p=0.0126). Conclusions: A similarly high proportion of patients treated with IVIg or IVMP eventually relapse after therapy discontinuation but the median time to relapse was significantly longer after IVMP than IVIg. This difference may help to balance the more frequent response to IVIg than to IVMP in patients with CIDP.

Background and purpose Charcot−Marie−Tooth disease (CMT) is a very slowly progressive neuropathy which makes it difficult to detect disease progression over time and to assess intervention efficacy. Experience from completed clinical trials with ascorbic acid and natural history studies confirm difficulties in detecting such changes. Consequently, sensitive-to-change outcome measures (OMs) are urgently needed. Methods The relative responsiveness of clinical scales of the Italian−UK ascorbic acid trial (placebo arm) were assessed by using the standardized response mean (SRM), which is the ratio of the paired scores mean change over time to the standard deviation of the score change (0 is worst responsiveness). Results Little worsening of OM scores was found over 2 years. In detail, the primary OM of the trial, the CMT Neuropathy Score version 1 (CMTNSv1), showed low responsiveness (SRM 0.13). Some CMTNS items showed slightly greater responsiveness (CMT Examination Score 0.17; CMTNS Signs 0.19). Myometric assessments of handgrip and foot dorsiflexion strength were the most responsive (SRM −0.31 and −0.38, respectively). Amongst the other measures, the nine-hole peg test, which assesses upper limb functioning, showed the best sensitivity to change (SRM 0.28). Conclusions Overall these OMs showed low or negligible responsiveness, confirming the need to improve current OMs and to develop novel ones for prognostic and interventional studies. However, handgrip and foot dorsiflexion myometry are worth retaining for future trials as they were the most responsive and are likely to be clinically relevant for patients.

Objective: cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-ri) is characterized by vasogenic edema and multiple cortical/subcortical microbleeds, sharing several aspects with the recently defined Amyloid-Related Imaging Abnormalities (ARIA) reported in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) passive immunization therapies. Herein, we investigated the role of anti-amyloid beta (Aβ) autoantibodies in the acute and remission phases of CAA-ri. Methods: we used a novel ultra-sensitive technique on patients from a retrospective multicenter case-control study, and evaluated the anti-Aβ autoantibodies concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 10 CAA-ri, 8 CAA, 14 multiple sclerosis and 25 control subjects. Levels of soluble Aβ40, Aβ42, tau, P-181 tau and APOE4 genotype were also investigated. Results: during the acute phase of CAA-ri, anti-Aβ autoantibodies were specifically increased and directly correlated with Aβ mobilization, together with augmented tau and P-181 tau. Following clinical and radiological remission, autoantibodies progressively returned to control levels, and both soluble Aβ and axonal degeneration markers decreased in parallel. Interpretation: our data support the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of CAA-ri may be mediated by a selective autoimmune reaction against cerebro-vascular Aβ, directly related to autoantibodies concentration and soluble Aβ. The CSF dosage of anti-Aβ autoantibodies with the technique here described can thus be proposed as a valid alternative tool for the diagnosis of CAA-ri. Moreover, given the similarities between ARIA developing spontaneously and those observed during immunization trials, anti-Aβ autoantibodies can be considered as novel potential biomarkers in future amyloid-modifying therapies for the treatment of AD and CAA

Objective: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-ri) is characterized by vasogenic edema and multiple cortical/subcortical microbleeds, sharing several aspects with the recently defined amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD) passive immunization therapies. Herein, we investigated the role of anti-amyloid β (Aβ) autoantibodies in the acute and remission phases of CAA-ri. Methods: We used a novel ultrasensitive technique on patients from a retrospective multicenter case-control study, and evaluated the anti-Aβ autoantibody concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 10 CAA-ri, 8 CAA, 14 multiple sclerosis, and 25 control subjects. Levels of soluble Aβ40, Aβ42, tau, P-181 tau, and APOE genotype were also investigated. Results: During the acute phase of CAA-ri, anti-Aβ autoantibodies were specifically increased and directly correlated with Aβ mobilization, together with augmented tau and P-181 tau. Following clinical and radiological remission, autoantibodies progressively returned to control levels, and both soluble Aβ and axonal degeneration markers decreased in parallel. Interpretation: Our data support the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of CAA-ri may be mediated by a selective autoimmune reaction against cerebrovascular Aβ, directly related to autoantibody concentration and soluble Aβ. The CSF dosage of anti-Aβ autoantibodies with the technique here described can thus be proposed as a valid alternative tool for the diagnosis of CAA-ri. Moreover, given the similarities between ARIA developing spontaneously and those observed during immunization trials, anti-Aβ autoantibodies can be considered as novel potential biomarkers in future amyloid-modifying therapies for the treatment of AD and CAA.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is pathologically characterized by the progressive deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) protein in the walls of small/medium sized arteries and capillaries in the cerebral cortex and overlying leptomeninges, representing an important cause of spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage and cognitive impairment. Interestingly, a subgroup of CAA patients has been shown to develop vascular inflammation of the affected vessels, associated with vasogenic edema (VE) and to a rapid cognitive decline. This condition, known as CAA-related inflammation (CAA-ri), presents with acute or subacute neurological impairment, behavioral changes, seizures and focal neurological deficits. A definite diagnosis of CAA-ri requires brain and leptomeningeal biopsy that shows perivascular inflammation associated with Aβ laden vessels and signs of vasculitis. This distinct syndrome has parallels with what observed in about 5-10% of patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) who developed reversible VE after passive immunization with the anti-Aβ antibody bapineuzumab, where postmortem examination revealed inflammation and/or vasculitis associated with CAA, implying the discontinuation of the therapeutic protocol. Moreover, recent imaging data on the location of ARIA-E have shown that up to 17% of the treated patients showed signs of VE, even if in the absence of clinical correlates and directly related to the drug dose. Herein, thanks to a novel technique for the ultra sensitive evaluation of anti-Aβ (patent application pending), for the first time, we confirmed a direct involvement of these antibodies during the course Pag. of disease in the CSF of 10 CAA-ri, compared to 8 CAA and 20 healthy subjects, demonstrating that the concentration of anti-Aβ is specifically increased during the acute phase of the disease. Moreover, we reported a progressive reduction of autoantibodies concentration following steroid treatment, according to clinical-radiological improvement. As a further proof, a spontaneous decrease of anti-Aβ in patients without any immunosuppressant treatment was observed, finally proving that this event is not secondary to an unspecific effect of treatment, but strictly related to the disease progression. Our data support the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of CAA-ri is caused by a specific autoimmune reaction directed against Aβ, directly mediated by anti-Aβ autoantibodies. The outcomes implied by antibodies dosage in the CSF may be proposed to support future accessible targets for early diagnosis and follow-up, and as a novel surrogate biomarkers for clinical trials of disease modifying therapies.

Objective: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is characterized by the progressive deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) protein in the walls of small/medium sized arteries of cerebral cortex and leptomeninges, representing an important cause of spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage and cognitive impairment. A subgroup of CAA patients develop perivascular inflammation linked to the Aβ laden vessels, associated with vasogenic edema (VE) and to a rapid cognitive decline, leading to a condition known as CAA-related inflammation (CAA-ri). This syndrome has parallels with what observed in about 10% of patients affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD) who developed reversible VE after immunization with the anti-Aβ antibody bapineuzumab, where postmortem examination revealed inflammation and/or vasculitis associated with CAA, implying the discontinuation of therapeutic protocols. Recent MRI data have also shown that up to 17% of the treated patients have signs of VE directly related to the drug dose, even if in the absence of clinical correlates. Methods: thanks to a novel technique for the ultra sensitive evaluation (patent application pending), we followed the concentration of anti-Aβ antibodies in the CSF of 10 CAA-ri patient during the acute phase (acCAA-ri) and after the remission phase (rpCAA-ri), compared to 8 non-inflammatory CAA, 10 AD, 10 MS and 20 healthy control subjects. Results: we demonstrated that the concentration of anti-Aβ antibodies is specifically increased in the CSF of acCAA-ri patients, followed by a progressive reduction of their concentration after steroid treatment, accordingly to clinical-radiological improvements. Moreover, we observed a spontaneous decrease of these autoantibodies in rpCAA-ri patients without any immunosuppressant treatment, finally proving that the event is not secondary to an unspecific effect of treatment, but strictly related to disease progression. Conclusions: our data support the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of CAA-ri is caused by a specific autoimmune reaction against Aβ, directly mediated by anti-Aβ autoantibodies. Since an invasive procedure such as brain biopsy is still needed for a definite diagnosis of CAA-ri, the outcomes implied by anti-Aβ dosage in CSF may be proposed to support future targets for early diagnosis and follow-up, in association with clinical and radiological features, and as a surrogate biomarker for clinical trials of disease modifying therapies.

BACKGROUND: In overwork weakness (OW), muscles are increasingly weakened by exercise, work or daily activities. Although it is a well-established phenomenon in several neuromuscular disorders, it is debated whether it occurs in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). Dominant limb muscles undergo a heavier overload than non-dominant and therefore if OW occurs we would expect them to become weaker. Four previous studies, comparing dominant and non-dominant hand strength in CMT series employing manual testing or myometry, gave contradictory results. Moreover, none of them examined the behaviour of lower limb muscles. METHODS: We tested the OW hypothesis in 271 CMT1A adult patients by comparing bilateral intrinsic hand and leg muscle strength with manual testing as well as manual dexterity. RESULTS: We found no significant difference between sides for the strength of first dorsal interosseous, abductor pollicis brevis, anterior tibialis and triceps surae. Dominant side muscles did not become weaker than non-dominant with increasing age and disease severity (assessed with the CMT Neuropathy Score); in fact, the dominant triceps surae was slightly stronger than the non-dominant with increasing age and disease severity. DISCUSSION: Our data does not support the OW hypothesis and the consequent harmful effect of exercise in patients with CMT1A. Physical activity should be encouraged, and rehabilitation remains the most effective treatment for CMT patients. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.