Subcortical brain segment volumes in Gulf War Illness and ME/CFS (Martinez Addiego et al., 2021)

[Pyrrhus]

Subcortical brain segment volumes in Gulf War Illness and ME/CFS (Martinez Addiego et al., 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0024320521007359

From the team of James Baraniuk, this paper looks at the size of certain brain regions in ME/cfs, Gulf War Illness, and healthy controls.

It found that females (but not males) with ME/cfs might have some shrinkage in parts of the basal ganglia and cerebellum.

The authors suggest that previous volumetric studies may need to be reevaluated to account for gender differences.

Excerpt:

Aims
There is controversy about brain volumes in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Gulf War Illness (GWI). Subcortical regions were assessed because of significant differences in blood oxygenation level dependent signals in the midbrain between these diseases.

Materials and method
Magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition with gradient echo (MPRAGE) images from 3 Tesla structural magnetic resonance imaging scans from sedentary control (n = 34), CFS (n = 38) and GWI (n = 90) subjects were segmented in FreeSurfer. Segmented subcortical volumes were regressed against intracranial volume and age, then iteratively analyzed by multivariate general linear modeling with disease status, gender and demographics as independent co-variates.

Key findings
The optimal model for all subjects used disease status and gender as fixed factors with independent variables eliminated after iteration. Volumes of anterior and midanterior corpus callosum were significantly larger in GWI than CFS. Gender was a significant variable for many segment volumes, and so female and male subjects were analyzed separately. CFS females had smaller left putamen, right caudate and left cerebellum white matter than control women. CFS males had larger left hippocampus than GWI males. Orthostatic status and posttraumatic distress syndrome were not significant covariates.

Significance
CFS and GWI were appropriate “illness controls” for each other. The different patterns of adjusted segment volumes suggested that sexual dimorphisms contributed to pathological changes. Previous volumetric studies may need to be reevaluated to account for gender differences. The findings are framed by comparison to the spectrum of magnetic resonance imaging outcomes in the literature.

 

[pattismith]

Subcortical brain segment volumes in Gulf War Illness and ME/CFS (Martinez Addiego et al., 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0024320521007359

From the team of James Baraniuk, this paper looks at the size of certain brain regions in ME/cfs, Gulf War Illness, and healthy controls.

It found that females (but not males) with ME/cfs might have some shrinkage in parts of the basal ganglia and cerebellum.

The authors suggest that previous volumetric studies may need to be reevaluated to account for gender differences.

Excerpt:

It makes me think of a rare metabolic disease

Biotin-thiamine-responsive basal ganglia disease is a disorder that affects the nervous system, including a group of structures in the brain called the basal ganglia, which help control movement.

As its name suggests, the condition may improve if the vitamins biotin and thiamine are given as treatment. Without early and lifelong vitamin treatment, people with biotin-thiamine-responsive basal ganglia disease experience a variety of neurological problems that gradually get worse. The occurrence of specific neurological problems and their severity vary even among affected individuals within the same family.

To rule out this disease, a trial with Thiamine and Biotine is safe and may be worth to try?

As published in previous studies, the doses required to maintain a good neurological outcome and to decrease the risk of crisis are 5 to 10 mg/kg/d for biotin and 40 mg/kg/d for thiamin which should be started once the diagnosis is suspected and continue for life.1,4,5

Biotin-thiamine-responsive basal ganglia disease: MedlinePlus Genetics

Biotin-Thiamine-Responsive Basal Ganglia Disease: Case Report and Follow-Up of a Patient With Poor Compliance (nih.gov)

Biotin-thiamine-responsive basal ganglia disease in children: A treatable neurometabolic disorder Saini AG, Sharma S - Ann Indian Acad Neurol (annalsofian.org)

 

[sb4]

Interesting links with thiamine and biotin. There are several examples of people improving with thiamine, don't hear much about biotin yet I remembered somebody posted here a while back that he had success with tons of biotin. Thread here. Haven't re read it but he had to take massive doses regularly, perhaps to get it into the brain at sufficient quantities?

 

[bensmith]

Oof scary stuff, worried i am having brain damage, as i am sure many of us are.

 

[seamyb]

Great work pyrrhus.

But at this rate I'm just going to wait for you to have figured out whether the blue pill or the red pill will cure us.

 

[pattismith]

Interesting links with thiamine and biotin. There are several examples of people improving with thiamine, don't hear much about biotin yet I remembered somebody posted here a while back that he had success with tons of biotin. Thread here. Haven't re read it but he had to take massive doses regularly, perhaps to get it into the brain at sufficient quantities?

I wish to try tons of biotin, but 10 mg/kg means 500 mg a day, and I only have 5 mg pills

 

[junkcrap50]

I wish to try tons of biotin, but 10 mg/kg means 500 mg a day, and I only have 5 mg pills

Just bought some 100mg capsules of Biotin on Vitacost. Highest dose I found and for MS protocol. Not more expensive than other supplements.

 

[Pyrrhus]

But at this rate I'm just going to wait for you to have figured out whether the blue pill or the red pill will cure us.

I'll try the red pill first, and if you never hear from me again, then you can be sure it was the blue pill.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

wonder what this part means...?

"Volumes of anterior and midanterior corpus callosum were significantly larger in GWI than CFS."

 

[Pyrrhus]

wonder what this part means...?

"Volumes of anterior and midanterior corpus callosum were significantly larger in GWI than CFS."

The corpus callosum is a large bundle of nerves that connects the right hemisphere of the brain with the left hemisphere of the brain. This bundle appeared to be fatter in patients with Gulf War Illness (GWI) when compared to patients with ME/cfs.

 

[pattismith]

Just bought some 100mg capsules of Biotin on Vitacost. Highest dose I found and for MS protocol. Not more expensive than other supplements.

I wonder if you started the protocol, I just received my 100 mg biotin and it's my second day !