SEROTONIN AND AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS.

Selective degeneration of motoneurons is the pathological hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Does serotonin (5-HT) play a role in progression or development of disease is under the research. The topic of the present paper is pressing as there is no data available regarding the spread of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is also noteworthy that previous studies have indicated that the pathogenesis of ALS is closely linked to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). The clinical research was conducted in Georgia. During the last five years, 60 patients from different parts of Georgia have been studied, searched, and examined by us. Including from Samegrolo, Kartli, Adjara, Abkhazia, Guria, Kakheti regions. The Georgian Neurologists Corps participated and helped us in finding patients. Brain MRI and electromyography were also performed. 60 patients with different forms of ALS participated in the study, including 34 (56.66%) men and 26 (43.33%) women. Their age ranges from 30 to 81 years. The study was conducted after obtaining the written consent of the patients, taking into account the ethical requirements for the study. We also compared the results of the serotonin level of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with a control group of 20 people (aged 18 to 50 years) who had no neurological disease in past medical history. Patients of the first group, with LMN damage, are observed with decreased amount of serotonin (61.3) %, compared to other pairs, followed by patients of the upper neuron and bulbar syndrome groups, the level of serotonin in the control group is quite high. Thus, the level of serotonin in the group of patients with bulbar events is higher than in the other groups. Low serotonin requires further investigation. According to our research, the longer the anamnesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients is, the lower the level of serotonin is observed. It should also be taken into account that a low level of serotonin may be due to the presence of depression, which requires additional research. We speculate that 5-HT could therefore be a potential therapeutic target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

RISK FACTORS OF AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS IN GEORGIA.

Objective - to identify risk factors in patients diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Georgia directed to The First University Clinic of TSMU and P. Sarajishvili Institute of Neurology. Totally 53 patients, aged 24 to 82 years, were investigated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), defined by "Gold Coast " criteria. We have used the Questionnaire for Environmental Exposures, Toxins, and Neurological diseases developed by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical center to identify risk factors, and categorized patients according to the place of settlement and environmental hazards. The control consisted of age and sex matched 50 healthy individuals. The brain was visualized by MRI (1.5T), and Electromyography (EMG) was performed on all patients. ALS risk was higher among those ever holding a job in mechanics, painting, or construction (p<0.05), head trauma or concussion that caused a "blackout" or loss of consciousness was associated with a higher risk of ALS (p<0.01). Demographically more ALS cases were found in Tbilisi and Imereti, compared to other regions (p<0.05). According to our research on Georgian ALS cases, several occupational jobs, Head trauma is associated with developing ALS in Georgia, Research is needed to identify environmental risk factors attributing to higher rates of ALS in Tbilisi and Imereti.

CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ALS IN GEORGIAN PATIENTS.

Amyotrophic Lateral sclerosis (ALS ) is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the upper and lower motoneurons. .The disease is characterized by a plethora of neurological symptoms. There is a lot of information in the medical literature about ALS phenotypes, but the clinical diversity of ALS has not been studied in the Caucasus region and a unified clinical picture has not been conclusively established. In this regard, it is very important to study the symptoms among patients with ALS in Georgia. From 2018 to 2021, we examined 47 patients with ALS living in Georgia from different parts of the country, 23 - female, 24 - male, diagnosed based on clinical picture, electromyographic studies (AWAJI) and who met the EL ESCORIAL -Revised criteria. Also clinical symptom studies were conducted using the Mayo Clinic Laboratory Neurological Questionnaire. Cognitive changes were assessed using Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination scale (ACE III) and the Frontal Behavioral Questionnaire, the patient's quality of life was assessed by ALSFRS-R. Patients were 26 to 84 years old, the age of onset of the disease was 58-60 years in men, 55-57 years in women. The bulbar type was observed in 21.3%, the upper limb type in 38.3% and the lower limb type in 40.4%. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), diagnosed in 6 patients (12.7%). No reliable correlation was found between the forms of ALS and FTD. The results of the study showed that ALS is a multisystem disease and is not limited to damage to motoneurons. It is safe to say that ALS has characteristics of polysystemic degeneration, with the predominance of motorneuron damage. Therefore, we consider it advisable to screen all patients with ALS for additional symptoms with a focus on the examination of cognitive function, which ensures the proper management of the disease in the future.