Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Apr 10:27:100401.
doi: 10.1016/j.ensci.2022.100401. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Nodding syndrome: A key role for sources of nutrition?

P S Spencer  1   2 , C Okot  3 , V S Palmer  1 , R Valdes Angues  1 , R Mazumder  4
Affiliations
Review

Nodding syndrome: A key role for sources of nutrition?

P S Spencer et al. eNeurologicalSci. .

Abstract

Nodding Syndrome (NS) has occurred among severely food-stressed communities in northern Uganda and several other East African populations that, with their forced physical displacement, have resorted to nutritional support from available wild plants and fungi, some of which have neurotoxic potential. Among the latter is an agaric mushroom with an unknown content of hydrazine-generating agaritine, namely Agaricus bingensis, the unusually wide consumption of which may relate to the low serum levels of vitamin B6 in Ugandan NS subjects relative to controls. Hydrazine-related compounds induce patterns of DNA damage that promote neuropathological changes (tauopathy) reminiscent of those associated with established NS. While the cause of this childhood brain disease is unknown, we encourage increased attention to the role of malnutrition and B6 hypovitaminosis in the etiology of this devastating brain disease.

Keywords: Agaritine; Displacement; Hypovitaminosis; Malnutrition; Pyridoxine; Tauopathy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Abd-Elfarag G.O.E., Edridge A.W.D., Spijker R., Sebit M.B., van Hensbroek M.B. Nodding syndrome: a scoping review. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2021;6:211. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed6040211. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dowell S.F., Sejvar J.J., Riek L., Vandemaele K.A., Lamunu M., Kuesel A.C., Schmutzhard E., Matuja W., Bunga S., Foltz J., Nutman T.B., Winkler A.S., Mbonye A.K. Nodding syndrome. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 2013;19:1374–1384. doi: 10.3201/eid1909.130401. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Idro R., Opoka R.O., Aanyu H.T., Kakooza-Mwesige A., Piloya-Were T., Namusoke H., Musoke S.B., Nalugya J., Bangirana P., Mwaka A.D., White S., Chong K., Atai-Omoruto A.D., Mworozi E., Nankunda J., Kiguli S., Aceng J.R., Tumwine J.K. Nodding syndrome in Ugandan children--clinical features, brain imaging and complications: a case series. BMJ Open. 2013;3 doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002540. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Spencer P.S., Vandemaele K., Richer M., Palmer V.S., Chungong S., Anker M., Ayana Y., Opoka M.L., Klaucke B.N., Quarello A., Tumwine J.K. Nodding syndrome in Mundri county, South Sudan: environmental, nutritional and infectious factors. Afr. Health Sci. 2013;13:183–204. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v13i2.2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Spencer P.S., Mazumder R., Palmer V.S., Pollanen M.S. Nodding syndrome phenotypes. Rev. Neurol. (Paris) 2019;175:679–685. doi: 10.1016/j.neurol.2019.09.005. - DOI - PubMed