Ictal Electroencephalographic Characteristics of Nodding Syndrome: A Comparative Case‐Series from South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda

Mazumder, Rajarshi; Lagoro, David Kitara; Nariai, Hiroki; Danieli, Alberto; Eliashiv, Dawn; Engel, Jerome; Bernardina, Bernardo Dalla; Kegele, Josua; Lerche, Holger; Sejvar, James J.; Matuja, William; Schmutzhard, Erich; Bonanni, Paolo; Polo, G. De; Wagner, Thomas; Winkler, Andrea Sylvia

doi:10.1002/ana.26377

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Progressive cognitive decline leading to dementia and mutism is described in both disorders [ 4 , 6 , 9 ]. The NS electroencephalogram, particularly the ictal phenomenon of repetitive head drops in clusters with associated electrodecrememt response, is consistent with late-onset epileptic spasms [ 10 ] which occur in SSPE and other disorders. Neuropathological analyses have either largely excluded [ 11 ] or pointed to some similarities with SSPE [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Preliminary seroprevalence study of neurotropic virus antibodies in Nodding syndrome

Angues

Palmer²,

Mazumder³

et al. 2022

eNeurologicalSci

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Preliminary seroprevalence study of neurotropic virus antibodies in Nodding syndrome

Angues

Palmer²,

Mazumder³

et al. 2022

eNeurologicalSci

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Furthermore, there is no radiological image or EEG pattern that is “pathognomonic” of NS. The similarities between the findings of a number of studies (such as generalized electrodecrement and paraspinal electromyography dropout consistent during EEG [31, 62] and cerebral/cerebellar atrophy [31, 63, 64] or intraparenchymal pathologies (changes in the hippocampus, gliotic lesions, and subcortical signal abnormalities) [21] visible on MRI in some patients) are the only clue to date. In other words, a normal image is not synonymous with the absence of NS, and the paraclinical features (whether electrophysiological or radiological) could equally well be a function of the stage of the disease.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping, Associated Factors, and Pathophysiology of Nodding Syndrome in Africa: A Systematic Review

Metanmo,

Dossa,

Ahmat

et al. 2024

Neuroepidemiology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Nodding Syndrome (NS) remains a poorly understood disorder. For a long time, it has been thought to be restricted to East Africa, however cases in Central Africa have been increasing over time. The objective of this systematic review (SR) was to provide a summary of the state of knowledge on NS to date. Methods: All original articles published on NS up to November 2021 were searched in four major databases and in the grey literature. Commentaries, editorials, book chapters, books, conference paper, qualitative studies that mentioned NS cases were also included. Data retrieved included study location, year of study and of publication, population characteristics, definition and diagnosis of NS, associated factors, and treatment if applicable. A meta-analysis of associated factors was performed where possible and results were presented as Odds Ratios and visualized as Forrest Plots. Geographic information systems were used for cartographic representations. The quality of the articles included was assessed. Results: Of the 876 articles initially identified, 67 (corresponding to 59 studies) were included in the SR. NS is only present in Central and East Africa. Interestingly, there were reports of NS in Central Africa prior to 2010, earlier than previously thought. The way NS diagnosis was established varies according to studies, and the 2012 WHO classification was used in only 60% of the studies. Approximately 11% of the articles did not meet the quality requirements set for this review. In our meta-analysis, the main factor associated with NS was onchocerciasis (OR = 8.8 [4.8, 15.9]). However, the pathophysiology of the disease remains poorly understood. The lack of common antiepileptic drugs is a significant barrier for the management of head nodding and associated epileptic seizures. Discussion/conclusion: The lack of an operational definition of NS is an obstacle to its diagnosis and thus to its appropriate treatment. Indeed, diagnostic difficulties might have led to false positives and false negatives which could have altered the picture of NS presented in this article. Treatment should take into account nutritional and psychological factors, as well as associated infections. Some risk factors deserve further investigation; therefore, we suggest a multicentric study with an etiological focus using a more operational definition of NS.

show abstract

“…OAE has public health implications in endemic regions; with more than 381,000 people estimated to be affected in 2015 [6]. Nodding syndrome, an epilepsy disorder that is characterised by head nodding seizures (repeated, involuntary forward bobbing), has also been associated with the presence of O. volvulus infections [4,[7][8][9][10]. The disease may be accompanied by stunting, wasting, physical deformities, delayed sexual development, and psychiatric disorders in addition to neurological deterioration [11][12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epilepsy and nodding syndrome in association with an Onchocerca volvulus infection drive distinct immune profile patterns

Arndts,

Kegele,

Massarani

et al. 2023

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Previous studies have described the association of onchocerciasis (caused by Onchocerca volvulus) with epilepsy, including nodding syndrome, although a clear etiological link is still missing. Cases are found in different African countries (Tanzania, South Sudan, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic and Cameroon). In our study we investigated immunological parameters (cytokine, chemokine, immunoglobulin levels) in individuals from the Mahenge area, Tanzania, presenting with either epilepsy or nodding syndrome with or without O. volvulus infection and compared them to O. volvulus negative individuals from the same endemic area lacking neurological disorders. Additionally, cell differentiation was performed using blood smears and systemic levels of neurodegeneration markers, leiomodin-1 and N-acetyltyramine-O, β-glucuronide (NATOG) were determined. Our findings revealed that cytokines, most chemokines and neurodegeneration markers were comparable between both groups presenting with epilepsy or nodding syndrome. However, we observed elevated eosinophil percentages within the O. volvulus positive epilepsy/nodding syndrome patients accompanied with increased eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and antigen-specific IgG levels in comparison to those without an O. volvulus infection. Furthermore, highest levels of NATOG were found in O. volvulus positive nodding syndrome patients. These findings highlight that the detection of distinct biomarkers might be useful for a differential diagnosis of epilepsy and nodding syndrome in O. volvulus endemic areas. Trial-registration: NCT03653975.

show abstract

Ictal Electroencephalographic Characteristics of Nodding Syndrome: A Comparative Case‐Series from South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda

Cited by 8 publications

References 17 publications

Preliminary seroprevalence study of neurotropic virus antibodies in Nodding syndrome

Preliminary seroprevalence study of neurotropic virus antibodies in Nodding syndrome

Mapping, Associated Factors, and Pathophysiology of Nodding Syndrome in Africa: A Systematic Review

Epilepsy and nodding syndrome in association with an Onchocerca volvulus infection drive distinct immune profile patterns

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About