title: Vigilance and wake EEG architecture in simulated hyperammonaemia: a pilot study on the effects of L-Ornithine-L-Aspartate (LOLA) and caffeine.
abstract: Hyperammonaemia/mild hepatic encephalopathy (HE) can be simulated by the oral administration of a so-called amino acid challenge (AAC). This study sought to assess the effects of the AAC alone and in combination with either ammonia-lowering [L-ornithine-L-aspartate (LOLA)] or vigilance-enhancing medication (caffeine). Six patients with cirrhosis (5 males; 61.3 ± 9.2 years; 5 Child A, 1 Child B) and six healthy volunteers (5 males; 49.8 ± 10.6 years) were studied between 08:00 and 19:00 on Monday of three consecutive weeks. The following indices were obtained: hourly capillary ammonia, hourly subjective sleepiness, paper & pencil/computerized psychometry and wake electroencephalography (EEG) at 12:00, i.e. at the time of the maximum expected effect of the AAC.
  
  
  
  On average, patients had worse neuropsychological performance and slower EEG than healthy volunteers in all conditions but differences did not reach significance. In healthy volunteers, the post-AAC increase in capillary ammonia levels was contained by both the administration of LOLA and of caffeine (significant differences between 10:00 and 14:00 h). The administration of caffeine also resulted in a reduction in subjective sleepiness and in the amplitude of the EEG on several frontal/temporal-occipital sites (p < 0.05; paired t-test). Changes in ammonia levels, subjective sleepiness and the EEG in the three conditions were less obvious in patients. In conclusion, both LOLA and caffeine contained the AAC-induced increase in capillary ammonia, especially in healthy volunteers. Caffeine also counteracted the AAC effects on sleepiness/EEG amplitude. The association of ammonia-lowering and vigilance-enhancing medication in the management of HE is worthy of further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani, 2, 35128, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garrido
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.|Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.|Center for Interdisciplinary Sleep Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skorucak
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani, 2, 35128, Padova, Italy.|USO Dipartimentale di Servizio Urgenza ed Emergenza Medica, ULSS 13, Dolo, Regione Veneto, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raduazzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani, 2, 35128, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turco
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani, 2, 35128, Padova, Italy.|Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spinelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani, 2, 35128, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Angeli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani, 2, 35128, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Amodio
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.|Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.|Center for Interdisciplinary Sleep Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.|Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Achermann
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani, 2, 35128, Padova, Italy. sara.montagnese@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Montagnese
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D022124:Hyperammonemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D002110:Caffeine; C002939:ornithylaspartate
keywords: Cirrhosis; Hepatic encephalopathy; Nutrition; Sleep