Background: It has been proposed that a hyperactivity of the endocannabinoids system could be involved in the cognitive deficits involved in Down Syndrome (DS). Hyperactivation of the type-1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptor by exogenous cannabinoids, such as the active principle of cannabis tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), induces several modifications of the electroencephalogram (EEG). The goal of this study is to compare those CB1-dependent EEG parameters in subjects with DS and age-matched typically developing subjects (TD, control group). These investigations can increase our knowledge of the involvement of the CB1 receptor in DS cognitive deficits and potentially identify biomarkers of target engagement of new therapies of this condition. Hypothesis: It was recently showed in pre-clinical DS models that the endocannabinoid system is hyperactivated in the brain and that human adult subjects with DS showed higher plasma concentrations of the main endocannabinoids 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamine, 2-AEA) as compared with those found in typically developing subjects. Alterations of neural oscillations induced by the consumption of THC preparations are well established and it is hypothesized that they would be similar to those found in subjects with DS. Objectives: To assess different neural markers using electroencephalography (EEG) in typically developing subjects and in subjects with DS in resting state and while conducting selected cognitive tasks. Methods: Non-interventional, cross-sectional, monocenter study in male and female adult subjects with DS and typically developing subjects (total n=48).
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
48
EEG evaluation Composed by three consecutive tests 1. Resting state EEG, with either eyes open or closed 2. Auditory steady-state response (ASSR) 3. Auditory evoked potential
IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute)
Barcelona, Spain
RECRUITINGDifferences in gamma intertrial coherence and power between DS and TD group
Variations in gamma intertrial coherence (ITC) and power during an auditory steady-state response (ASSR) at 40Hz in DS compared to TD subjects.
Time frame: During EEG
Differences in power of neural oscillations between DS and TD group
Variations in power of neural oscillations in resting state eyes-closed EEG (alpha, delta, theta, beta, gamma) in DS compared to TD subjects.
Time frame: During resting state eyes-closed EEG
Differences in amplitude and latency of various EEG waves between DS and TD group
Variations in amplitude and latency of the P300a and P300b, P300, N100 and N200 waves assessed by a three-stimulus auditory oddball task in DS compared to TD subjects.
Time frame: During EEG while performing a three-stimulus auditory oddball task
Differences in EEG complexity between DS and TD group
Variations in EEG complexity measured by the Lempel-Ziv complexity in DS compared to TD subjects.
Time frame: During EEG
Differences in EEG brain connectivity, interhemispheric and frontoparietal connectivity, characteristic path and clustering coefficient between DS and TD group
Variations in EEG brain connectivity, interhemispheric and frontoparietal connectivity (measured by band coherence, synchronicity likelihood, phase lag index), characteristic path and clustering coefficient (band coherence, synchronicity likelihood) in resting state (eyes-closed/open) in resting state eyes-closed/open EEG in DS compared to TD subjects.
Time frame: During resting state eyes-closed and eyes-open EEG
Differences in cross-frequency coupling between DS and TD group
Variations in cross-frequency coupling (theta-gamma coupling) during the resting state, the auditory and the cognitive tasks in DS compared to TD subjects.
Time frame: During resting state EEG, and while performing the auditory and the cognitive tasks
Differences in Higuchi fractal dimension, small-world, characteristic path, and clustering coefficient between DS and TD group
Variations in Higuchi fractal dimension, small-world, characteristic path, and clustering coefficient in DS compared to TD subjects.
Time frame: During resting state eyes-closed and eyes-open EEG
Differences in plasma concentrations of endocannabinoids between DS and TD group
Variations in plasma concentrations of endocannabinoids (AEA and 2AG) in DS compared to TD subjects.
Time frame: At baseline
Differences in plasma concentrations of the neurosteroid pregnenolone between DS and TD group
Variations in plasma concentrations of the neurosteroid pregnenolone in DS compared to TD subjects.
Time frame: At baseline
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