Category Archives: Liver-brain Axis

Plasma Ammonia Levels Over the Course of a Hospitalisation for Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy

Erminelli D, Mangini C, Gapeni D, Zarantonello L, Montagnese S Liver International Background & aims: The role of ammonia in the assessment of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy (OHE) remains debated. The aim of the present study was to assess the time course of ammonia levels in relation to the severity and duration of an episode of OHE […]

Altered blood-brain barrier permeability is associated with abnormal distant connectivity and regional homogeneity in covert hepatic encephalopathy – a cross sectional study

Chaganti J, Zeng G, Patil A, Lockart I, Dellalana M, Montagnese S, Brew B, Danta M Hepatology Background: Covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) is clinically underrecognized. Using MRI, we explored the relationship between functional connectivity as a marker of executive dysfunction and the blood-brain barrier permeability marker KTRANS in a cross-sectional cohort of covert HE (CHE), no […]

Potential bidirectional communication between the liver and the central circadian clock in MASLD

Gachon F, Bugianesi E, Castelnuovo G, Oster H, Pendergast JS, Montagnese S NPJ Metab Health Dis Most aspects of physiology and behaviour fluctuate every 24 h in mammals. These circadian rhythms are orchestrated by an autonomous central clock located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei that coordinates the timing of cellular clocks in tissues throughout the body. […]

Activation of the kynurenine pathway identified in individuals with covert hepatic encephalopathy

Zeng G, Krishnamurthy S, Staats Pires A, Guller A, Chaganti J, Tun N, Lockart I, Montagnese S, Brew B, Guillemin GJ, Danta M, Heng B Hepatol Commun Background: HE is a neuropsychiatric complication of liver disease characterized by systemic elevation in ammonia and proinflammatory cytokines. These neurotoxins cross the blood-brain barrier and cause neuroinflammation, which can […]

End-procedural adherence to recommended hemodynamic targets does not improve the outcome of elective TIPS in patients with cirrhosis

Roccarina D, Saltini D, Adotti V, Rosi M, Senzolo M, Nardelli S, Bianchini M, Biribin L, Caporali C, Margherita F, Ragozzino L, Guasconi T, Casari F, Gioia S, Campani C, Prampolini F, Ingravallo A, Gitto S, Aspite S, Arena U, Citone M, Gaggini M, Ridola L, Barbiero G, De Masi S, Riggio O, Merli M, […]

Proton pump inhibitor use and risk of hepatic encephalopathy: A multicentre study

Gairing SJ, Mangini C, Zarantonello L, Jonasson E, Dobbermann H, Sultanik P, Galle PR, Labenz J, Thabut D, Marquardt JU, Bloom PP, Lauridsen MM, Montagnese S, Labenz C JHEP Rep Background & aims: Data on the association between proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) are conflicting, and data from multicentre studies are […]

The social and psychological impact of hepatic encephalopathy

Sørensen M, Lauridsen MM, Montagnese S Metab Brain Dis Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a brain dysfunction caused by liver insufficiency with symptoms ranging from slight cognitive changes detectable only by neuropsychiatric testing to coma. Up to 60% of patients with cirrhosis have mild forms of HE and 35% will at some point experience overt HE. […]

PHES scores have limited impact on the risk of overt HE in patients with minimal HE

Gairing SJ, Mangini C, Zarantonello L, Jonasson E, Danneberg S, Sultanik P, Galle PR, Gioia S, Labenz J, Lok AS, Marquardt JU, Lauridsen MM, Bloom PP, Thabut D, Nardelli S, Montagnese S, Labenz C Hepatol Commun Background: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy, defined by the portosystemic hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES), is associated with a higher risk of subsequent […]