Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) is a group of dominantly inherited heterogeneous disorders in which 43 subtypes have been identified to date. Recently, Japanese and French families with SCA type 42 (SCA42) were found to have a missense mutation (c.5144G>A; R1715H) in CACNA1G. We performed genetic analysis of 84 unrelated families to find the prevalence of SCA42 in Japan. Two families were found to have the previously reported missense mutation. Clinical presentations of the affected members of these families were similar to those of the previously reported French and Japanese families. Our study demonstrates that SCA42 exists in small numbers in Japan, and further supports the idea that SCA42 is a slowly progressive, pure cerebellar ataxia.

Background Weight gain (WG) is a frequently reported side effect of subthalamic deep brain stimulation; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The active contact locations influence the clinical outcomes of subthalamic deep brain stimulation, but it is unclear whether WG is directly associated with the active contact locations. We aimed to determine whether WG is associated with the subthalamic deep brain stimulation active contact locations. Methods We enrolled 14 patients with Parkinson’s disease who underwent bilateral subthalamic deep brain stimulation between 2013 and 2019. Bodyweight and body mass index were measured before and one year following the surgery. The Lead-DBS Matlab toolbox was used to determine the active contact locations based on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. We also created sweet spot maps for WG using voxel-wise statistics, based on volume of tissue activation and the WG of each patient. Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography data were also acquired before and one year following surgery, and statistical parametric mapping was used to evaluate changes in brain metabolism. We examined which brain regions’ metabolism fluctuation significantly correlated with increased body mass index scores and positron emission tomography data. Results One year after surgery, the body mass index increase was 2.03 kg/m2. The sweet spots for WG were bilateral, mainly located dorsally outside of the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Furthermore, WG was correlated with increased metabolism in the left limbic and associative regions, including the middle temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and orbital gyrus. Conclusions Although the mechanisms underlying WG following subthalamic deep brain stimulation are possibly multifactorial, our findings suggest that dorsal stimulation outside of STN may lead to WG. The metabolic changes in limbic and associative cortical regions after STN-DBS may also be one of the mechanisms underlying WG. Further studies are warranted to confirm whether dorsal stimulation outside of STN changes the activities of these cortical regions.

NORSE is a rare condition, which causes refractory seizures in healthy individuals. Abnormalities in the corpus callosum on MRI have not been reported in NORSE patients. We report a case of NORSE presenting with a reversible splenial lesion on brain MRI. A reversible splenial lesion may result in NORSE.

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