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[Background] Previous studies suggest a link between CAG repeat number in the HTT gene and non-Huntington neurodegenerative diseases., [Objective] The aim is to analyze whether expanded HTT CAG alleles and/or their size are associated with the risk for developing α-synucleinopathies or their behavior as modulators of the phenotype., [Methods] We genotyped the HTT gene CAG repeat number and APOE-Ɛ isoforms in a case-control series including patients with either clinical or neuropathological diagnosis of α-synucleinopathy., [Results] We identified three Parkinson's disease (PD) patients (0.30%) and two healthy controls (0.19%) carrying low-penetrance HTT repeat expansions whereas none of the dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) or multisystem atrophy (MSA) patients carried pathogenic HTT expansions. In addition, a clear increase in the number of HTT CAG repeats was found among DLB and PD groups influenced by the male gender and also by the APOE4 allele among DLB patients. HTT intermediate alleles' (IAs) distribution frequency increased in the MSA group compared with controls (8.8% vs. 3.9%, respectively). These differences were indeed statistically significant in the MSA group with neuropathological confirmation. Two MSA HTT CAG IAs carriers with 32 HTT CAG repeats showed isolated polyQ inclusions in pons and basal nuclei, which are two critical structures in the neurodegeneration of MSA., [Conclusions] Our results point to a link between HTT CAG number, HTT IAs, and expanded HTT CAG repeats with other non-HD brain pathology and support the hypothesis that they can share common neurodegenerative pathways., This work is supported by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias' Spanish government ICIII FIS-FEDER grants (ID grants: PI21/0467 to V.A., and PI21/00886 to P.P.). Sergio Pérez-Oliveira is supported by Fundación Parkinson Asturias-Obra Social Cajastur. M.T.P. was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports [FPU16/05061]. D.M.-G. was supported by the “Río Hortega” program [CM18/00142] from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII-FEDER). P.G.-G. was supported by the “Nicolás Monardes” program [C-0048-2017] from the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health. The Genome Research @ Fundació ACE project (GR@ACE) is supported by Grifols SA, Fundación bancaria “La Caixa,” Fundació ACE, and CIBERNED. P.G. is supported by CIBERNED employment plan CNV-304-PRF-866. A.R. and M.B. receive support from the European Union/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint undertaking ADAPTED and MOPEAD projects (grant numbers 115975 and 115985, respectively). M.B. and A.R. are also supported by National Grants (PI13/02434, PI16/01861, PI17/01474, PI19/01240, and PI19/01301). Acción Estratégica en Salud is integrated into the Spanish National R + D + I Plan and funded by ISCIII (Instituto de Salud Carlos III)—Subdirección General de Evaluación and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER—“Una manera de hacer Europa”).

Introduction There is a need for biomarkers to monitor the earliest phases of Parkinson's disease (PD), especially in premotor stages. Here, we studied whether there are early gait alterations in carriers of the G2019S mutation of LRRK2 that can be detected by means of an inertial sensor system. Methods Twenty-one idiopathic PD patients, 20 LRRK2-G2019S PD, 27 asymptomatic carriers of LRRK2-G2019S mutation (AsG2019S) and 36 controls walked equipped with 16 lightweight inertial sensors in three different experiments: i/normal gait, ii/fast gait and iii/dual-task gait. In the AsG2019S group, DaT-SPECT (123I-ioflupane) with semi-quantitative analysis was carried out. Motor and cognitive performance were evaluated using MDS-UPDRS-III and MoCA scales. We employed neural network techniques to classify individuals based on their walking patterns. Results PD patients and controls showed differences in speed, stride length and arm swing amplitude, variability and asymmetry in all three tasks (p < 0.01). In the AsG2019S group, the only differences were detected during fast walking, with greater step time on the non-dominant side (p < 0.05), lower step/stride time variability (p < 0.01) and lower step time asymmetry (p < 0.01). DaT uptake showed a significant correlation with step time during fast walking on the non-dominant side (r = ?0.52; p < 0.01). The neural network was able to differentiate between AsG2019S and healthy controls with an accuracy rate of 82.5%. Conclusion Our sensor-based analysis did not detect substantial and robust changes in the gait of LRRK2-G2019S asymptomatic mutation carriers. Nonetheless, step or stride time during fast walking, supported by the observed correlation with striatal DaT binding deserves consideration as a potential biomarker in future studies.

Background/aim: Santander, the capital of Cantabria, Spain (172,000 inhabitants) is 7 km from an industrial emission source (IES) of Mn located in a 10,000 inhabitants town (Maliaño) (annual air Mn arithmetic mean = 231.8 ng/m3 ; reference WHO guideline = 150 ng/m3 ). Our objective was to compare the motor function of adult healthy volunteers living in both places. Methods: Cross-sectional study analyzing 130 consecutive participants. Exposure to Mn was assessed in terms of source distance from the IES, by Personal Environmental Monitors (PEMs) carried for 24 h by participants consisting of a portable impactor connected to a personal pump, and by biomarkers (blood, hair and fingernails). The impactor allowed the separation of fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10-2.5) particles and for each particle size in-vitro bioaccessibility tests with biologically active fluids were performed to separate the soluble (bio accessible) from the insoluble (non-bioaccessible) fraction. Mean Differences (MDs) adjusted for age, sex, and study level, were obtained for motor function tests results. Results: Regarding Grooved Pegboard, overall mean time to complete the test was 59.31 and 65.27 seconds (Standard Deviation = 10.11 and 11.69) for dominant and nondominant hands respectively. Statistically significant higher times (indicating worse function) were observed when living near the IES in both hands but MDs of only 1.22 and 2.05 seconds were obtained after adjusting for the predefined confounders (p = 0.373 and 0.221 respectively). Regarding Mn levels in their PEMs (in both bioaccessible and non-bioaccessible coarse&fine fractions) higher times were computed in participants with higher levels for the bioaccessible-fine fraction, with a MD that diminished but still yielded statistical significance after controlling for confounding: adjusted MD = 3.01 more seconds; 95%CI (0.44-5.38), p = 0.022. Poorer results were also observed for fingernails levels. Regarding Finger Tapping Test, no statistically significant differences were found with the exception of Mn fingernails levels. Conclusions: Our results suggest poorer motor function as assessed by Grooved Pegboard test in relation to "proximity to IES", "bioaccessible-fine fraction as determined by PEMs and "Mn fingernails levels". However, our findings were affected by confounding, and only the adjusted MD for the Mn bioaccessible-fine fraction remained of sufficient magnitude to maintain statistical significance. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the CTM2017-82636-R Project. This funding source was not involved in the study design; data collection, analysis, or interpretation; the writing of the article; or the decision to submit for publication. Bohdana Markiv also thanks this Ministry for the PhD grant awarded, PRE2018-085152.

[Background] Constipation has been linked to cognitive impairment development in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Objective:Our aim was to analyze cognitive changes observed in PD patients and controls from a Spanish cohort with regards to the presence or not of constipation. Methods:PD patients and controls recruited from 35 centers of Spain from the COPPADIS cohort from January 2016 to November 2017 were followed-up during 2 years. The change in cognitive status from baseline (V0) to 2-year follow-up was assessed with the PD-CRS (Parkinson’s Disease Cognitive Rating Scale). Subjects with a score ≥1 on item 21 of the NMSS (Non-Motor Symptoms Scale) at baseline (V0) were considered as “with constipation”. Regression analyses were applied for determining the contribution of constipation in cognitive changes., [Results] At V0, 39.7% (198/499) of PD patients presented constipation compared to 11.4% of controls (14/123) (p, [Conclusion] Constipation is associated with cognitive decline in PD patients but not in controls.

Background: Carriers of the G2019S mutation of LRRK2 provide a great opportunity to investigate the premotor stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). We have studied by serial clinical and dopamine transporter single photon emission computed tomography (DaT-SPECT) evaluations a cohort of asymptomatic carriers of the LRRK2-G2019S mutation in order to evaluate the usefulness of these tools as biomarkers. Here we report the results of the extended follow-up of this cohort at 8 years. Methods: Seventeen participants, of the 25 available from the 4-year evaluation, completed the 8-year assessment. UPDRS-III, UPSIT test and DaT-SPECT imaging (123I-ioflupane) were performed. We used repeated-measures linear mixed effects models to examine the changes in DaT binding over time. Results: Three carriers had converted to PD at 4 years. One additional carrier converted at 8 years. PD-converters had lower striatal DaT binding at baseline than non-converters. There was a significant decline of DaT binding over time, with a mean annual rate of 3.5%, with somewhat inter-individual and intra-individual variability and comparable between PD-converters and non-converters. No carrier with DAT binding ratio above an undefined threshold between 0.5 and 0.8 developed PD symptoms. The age-adjusted UPSIT score did not change significantly over time. Conclusions: The rate of conversion to PD at 8 years in this cohort aged ~58 years at baseline was 16%. The observed decline of DaT binding over time and its association with the phenotype render DaT-SPECT a potentially useful tool for monitoring the premotor stage of the disease, although at the individual level its ability to predict phenoconversion is limited.

Hannu Laaksovirta konsortion jäsenenä. The Genomics England Research Consortium, The International ALS/FTD Genomics Consortium (iAFGC), The International FTD Genetics Consortium (IFGC), The International LBD Genomics Consortium (iLBDGC), The NYGC ALS Consortium, The PROSPECT Consortium,17 James B. Rowe,17 Luisa Benussi,18 Giuliano Binetti,18,19 Roberta Ghidoni,18 Edwin Jabbari,20,21 Coralie Viollet,22 Jonathan D. Glass,23 Andrew B. Singleton,24 Vincenzo Silani,25,26 Owen A. Ross,27 Mina Ryten,8,28,29 Ali Torkamani,30 Toshiko Tanaka,31 Luigi Ferrucci,31 Susan M. Resnick,32 We examined the role of repeat expansions in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by analyzing whole-genome sequence data from 2,442 FTD/ALS patients, 2,599 Lewy body dementia (LBD) patients, and 3,158 neurologically healthy subjects. Pathogenic expansions (range, 40?64 CAG repeats) in the huntingtin (HTT) gene were found in three (0.12%) patients diagnosed with pure FTD/ALS syndromes but were not present in the LBD or healthy cohorts. We replicated our findings in an independent collection of 3,674 FTD/ALS patients. Postmortem evaluations of two patients revealed the classical TDP-43 pathology of FTD/ALS, as well as huntingtin-positive, ubiquitin-positive aggregates in the frontal cortex. The neostriatal atrophy that pathologically defines Huntington?s disease was absent in both cases. Our findings reveal an etiological relationship between HTT repeat expansions and FTD/ALS syndromes and indicate that genetic screening of FTD/ALS patients for HTT repeat expansions should be considered. We examined the role of repeat expansions in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by analyzing whole-genome sequence data from 2,442 FTD/ALS patients, 2,599 Lewy body dementia (LBD) patients, and 3,158 neurologically healthy subjects. Pathogenic expansions (range, 40?64 CAG repeats) in the huntingtin (HTT) gene were found in three (0.12%) patients diagnosed with pure FTD/ALS syndromes but were not present in the LBD or healthy cohorts. We replicated our findings in an independent collection of 3,674 FTD/ALS patients. Postmortem evaluations of two patients revealed the classical TDP-43 pathology of FTD/ALS, as well as huntingtin-positive, ubiquitin-positive aggregates in the frontal cortex. The neostriatal atrophy that pathologically defines Huntington?s disease was absent in both cases. Our findings reveal an etiological relationship between HTT repeat expansions and FTD/ALS syndromes and indicate that genetic screening of FTD/ALS patients for HTT repeat expansions should be considered.

We describe the case of an elderly woman with an episode of ambulatory de novo absence status epilepticus of late onset (DNASLO) after oral treatment with cefuroxime. A high level of suspicion of DNASLO in cases of unexplained confusion in adults or elderly subjects taking cephalosporins is essential to prompt an emergency EEG and, in turn, rapidly achieve an appropriate diagnosis and enable optimal treatment.

Background and objective: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling symptom more frequent in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with postural instability gait difficulty (PIGD) phenotype. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported FOG in a large group of PD patients as well as assess its relationship with functional dependency with regard to motor phenotype. Methods: The data correspond to the baseline evaluation of the COPPADIS-2015 study. Patients with FOG were identified as those with a score of 1 or greater on item-3 of the freezing of gait questionnaire (FOG-Q). Functional dependency was defined as a Schwab and England (S&E) ADL scale score less than 80%. PIGD and non-PIGD (tremor dominant + indeterminate) groups were considered regarding to motor phenotype. Results: Among the 689 PD patients (62.6 ± 8.9 years old, 59.8% males), 240 reported FOG (34.8%), whereas 63 presented functional dependency (9.1%). A total of 22.1% of patients with FOG presented functional dependency vs. only 2.2% of those without FOG (p < 0.0001). FOG was related to functional dependency (OR = 3.470; 95%CI 1.411–8.530; p = 0.007) after adjustment to age, gender, disease duration, daily equivalent levodopa dose, comorbidity (number of non-antiparkinsonian drugs/day), motor status (UPDRS-III), PIGD phenotype, motor complications (UPDRS-IV), NMS burden (NMSS total score), cognition (PD-CRS), and mood (BDI-II). However, according to motor phenotype, FOG was related to functional dependency only in PIGD patients (OR = 7.163; 95%CI 1.206–42.564; p = 0.030). Conclusions: Self-reported FOG is associated with functional dependency in PIGD but not in non-PIGD motor phenotype patients., Santos-García D. has received honoraria for educational presentations and/or advice service by Abbvie, UCB Pharma, Lundbeck, KRKA, Zambon, Bial, and Teva. de Deus Fonticoba T. has received honoraria for educational presentations and advice service by Abbvie. Suárez Castro E: None. Ángel Aneiros Díaz: None. Feal Painceiras M: None. Paz González JM has received honoraria for educational presentations and/or advice service by UCB Pharma, Lundbeck, KRKA y Zambon. García Sancho C: None. Jesús S. has received honoraria from AbbVie, Bial, Merz, UCB, and Zambon. She also holds the competitive contract “Juan Rodés” supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. She has received grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PI18/01898) and the Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía (PI-0459-2018). Mir P. has received honoraria from AbbVie, Abbott, Allergan, Bial, Merz, UCB, and Zambon. Also, he has received grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PI16/01575) co-founded by ISCIII (Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo de la Junta de Andalucía (CVI-02526, CTS-7685), the Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social de la Junta de Andalucía (PI-0437-2012, PI-0471-2013), the Sociedad Andaluza de Neurología, the Jacques and Gloria Gossweiler Foundation, the Fundación Alicia Koplowitz, and the Fundación Mutua Madrileña. Planellas LL. has received travel bursaries grant from Abbvie. García Caldentey J. has received honoraria for educational presentations and advice service by Qualigen, Nutricia, Abbvie, Italfarmaco, UCB Pharma, Lundbeck, Zambon, Bial, and Teva. Caballol N. has received honoraria for educational presentations and advice service by Qualigen, Nutricia, Abbvie, Italfarmaco, UCB Pharma, Lundbeck, Zambon, Bial, and Teva. Legarda I. has received honoraria for educational presentations and advice service by Abbvie, UCB Pharma, Zambon, Bial, and Teva. Hernández Vara J. has received travel bursaries and educational grants from Abbvie and has received honoraria for educational presentations from Abbvie, Teva, Bial, Zambon, Italfarmaco, and Sanofi-Genzyme. González Aramburu I: None. Ávila Rivera MA. has received honoraria from Zambon, UCB Pharma, Qualigen, Bial, and Teva, and sponsorship from Zambon and Teva for attending conferences. Catalán MJ: None. Nogueira V: None. Álvarez Sauco M. has received honoraria for educational presentations and advice service by Abbvie, UCB Pharma, Zambon, Bial, and Teva. Vela L. has received honoraria for educational presentations and advice service by Abbvie, UCB Pharma, Lundbeck, KRKA, Zambon, Bial, and Teva. Escalante S. has received honoraria for educational presentations and advice service by Abbvie, Zambon, and Bial. Cubo E: travel grants: Abbvie, Allergan, Boston; lecturing honoraria: Abbvie, International Parkinson’s disease Movement Disorder Society. Sánchez Alonso P. has received honoraria for educational presentations and advice service by Abbvie, UCB Pharma, Lundbeck, KRKA, Zambon, Bial, and Teva. Alonso Losada MG. has received honoraria for educational presentations and advice service by Zambon and Bial. López Ariztegui N. has received honoraria for educational presentations and advice service by Abbvie, Italfarmaco, Zambon, and Bial. Martinez-Martin P: Honoraria: from Editorial Viguera and National School of Health for lecturing in courses; International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society for management of the Program on Rating Scales; Abbvie and Zambon for advice in clinic-epidemiological studies www.curemoselparkinson.org.

[Objective] To identify factors related to a poor health-related and global quality of life (QoL) in a cohort of non-demented Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and compare to a control group., [Methods] The data correspond to the baseline evaluation of the COPPADIS-2015 Study, an observational, 5-year follow-up, multicenter, evaluation study. Three instruments were used to assess QoL: (1) the 39-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), (2) a subjective rating of global QoL (PQ-10), and (3) the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index (EUROHIS-QOL8). Multiple linear regression methods were used to evaluate the direct impact of different variables on these QoL measures., [Results] QoL was worse in PD patients (n = 692; 62.6 ± 8.9 years old, 60.3% males) than controls (n = 206; 61 ± 8.3 years old, 49.5% males): PDQ-39, 17.1 ± 13.5 vs 4.4 ± 6.3 (p, [Conclusions] QoL is worse in PD patients than in controls. Mood, non-motor symptoms burden, and gait problems seem to be the most relevant factors affecting health-related and global perceived QoL in non-demented PD patients.

A recent study showed that Arab-Berbers GG homozygous at rs2421947(C/G) in the dynamin 3 gene (DNM3) had 12.5 years earlier age at onset of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2)-associated Parkinson's disease (PD) (L2PD). We explored whether this variant modulates the L2PD age at onset in Spain.We genotyped rs2421947 in 329 participants (210 L2PD patients, 119 L2PD nonmanifesting p.G2019S carriers), and marker rs356219 (A/G) in the α-synuclein gene (SNCA).By Kaplan Meier and Cox regression analyses, we did not find an association of the DNM3 polymorphism with L2PD age at onset. However, we found an association of the SNCA marker with up to an 11 years difference in the L2PD median age at onset (58 years for GG carriers vs 69 years for AA).Our results indicate that SNCA rs356219 but not dynamin 3 DNM3 rs2421947 modifies the penetrance of the mutation G2019S in the Spanish population by influencing the L2PD age at onset. These findings suggest that different genetic modifiers may influence the L2PD age at onset in different populations. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

To assess the value of baseline clinical and imaging biomarkers in a cohort of asymptomaticThirty-two asymptomatic carriers ofThree carriers, asymptomatic at baseline, had converted to PD at 4-year evaluation. Twenty-three participants were fully evaluated. PD converters had lower striatal DaT binding at baseline than nonconverters (Semiquantitative DaT-SPECT could be used to predict early conversion to PD in asymptomatic carriers of the

Objective: To ascertain in a cross-sectional study whether substantia nigra (SN) echogenicity, olfaction, and dopamine transporter (DaT)-SPECT are reliable premotor biomarkers in a cohort of asymptomatic carriers of the LRRK2 G2019S mutation (AsG2019S+). Methods: These biomarkers were evaluated in 49 AsG2019S+ patients, and we also studied olfaction and SN echogenicity in 29 patients with G2019S-associated Parkinson disease (PD-G2019S), 47 relatives who were noncarriers of the LRRK2 G2019S mutation (AsG2019S−), 50 patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease (iPD), and 50 community controls. Results: Eighty-five percent of unaffected mutation carriers (AsG2019S+) showed pathologic SN hyperechogenicity, with a similar proportion observed among both PD-G2019S and iPD cases, and 41% of AsG2019S− also showing increased SN echogenicity. The proportion of hyposmic individuals was not statistically different in patients with PD-G2019S (50%) and iPD (82%), but hyposmia was significantly less common in both AsG2019S+ (26%) and AsG2019S− (28%). In AsG2019S+ cases, reduced striatal uptake in DaT-SPECT was observed in 43.7%. Conclusions: Independently of age at examination, the most frequently altered premotor biomarker in LRRK2 G2019S-associated PD was SN hyperechogenicity, whereas abnormal DaT-SPECT predominated in older, unaffected mutation carriers.

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) carrying the G2019S mutation of the LRRK2 gene provide an opportunity of studying in a homogeneous setting the molecular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of common idiopathic forms of PD. However, whether common mechanisms are involved in both conditions in not known. Here, we compared genome-wide gene expression (RNA sequencing) in peripheral blood between PD patients carrying the G2019S mutation of the LRRK2 gene and idiopathic PD cases, to deepen in the understanding of this topic. In addition, we compared the blood transcriptome between 2 cohorts of carriers of the G2019S mutation (symptomatic and asymptomatic) and 2 cohorts of noncarriers (symptomatic and asymptomatic) for detecting transcriptomic changes attributable to the presence of the G2019S mutation. We searched for gene enrichment in Reactome or Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. We found that despite some overlap, peripheral blood transcriptome differs widely between idiopathic and LRRK2 G2019S-associated PD, with only 4 deregulated pathways shared by both conditions (complement and coagulation cascades, cell adhesion molecules, hematopoietic cell lineage, and extracellular matrix organization). Changes in the blood transcriptome observed in asymptomatic carriers of the mutation included 6 genes known to be associated with PD in genome-wide association studies and also pathways related with immunity. Our findings emphasize the notion that PD is likely a pathogenically heterogeneous condition and suggest the existence of specific mechanisms involved in LRRK2-associated PD., This work was supported by the grant PI11/00228 from Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

The frequency and penetrance of the LRRK2 G2019S mutation varies considerably in different Parkinson disease (PD) populations. This information is essential both for clinical purposes and genetic counseling. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and penetrance of the G2019S mutation of the LRRK2 gene in a small region in northern Spain (Cantabria). The G2019S mutation was tested in 367 consecutive patients with PD attended as outpatients in a tertiary Hospital in Northern Spain, and 126 at-risk family members of probands were also investigated for G2019S mutation and disease status. The gene penetrance was estimated in terms of cumulative age-specific incidence of PD by the Kaplan-Meier method. Thirty-two PD patients (8.7%) carried the G2019S mutation. Penetrance estimation of the G2019S mutation was 2% at 50 years, 12% at 60 years, 26% at 70 years, and 47% at 80 years. The frequency of the G2019S mutation of the LRRK2 gene in PD patients from Cantabria is among the highest reported so far after North African Arabs and Ashkenazi Jews. At the age of 80 years only one-half of G2019S mutation carriers manifest motor symptoms of PD. © 2011 Movement Disorder Society

Objective Low serum uric acid (UA) levels have been associated with a worse cognitive function later in life and also with a higher risk and faster progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). Here we studied whether serum UA levels and the genetic variants related to its variability are associated with the presence of dementia in a cohort of patients with PD. Methods The study included 343 PD patients, which were examined for the presence of dementia according to the MDS Task Force criteria (level 1). The predominant PD phenotype and UPDRS-III and Hoehn-Yahr scales were recorded. Serum UA levels were determined in each participant. Genotyping of SLC2A9 rs734553, ABCG2 rs2231142, SLC17A1 rs1183201, SLC22A11 rs17300741, SLC22A12 rs505802, GCKR rs780094, PDZK1 rs12129861, LRRC16A + SCGN rs742132, and SLC16A9 rs12356193 was carried out by Taqman analysis. For each subject we calculated a cumulative genetic risk score (GRS), defined as the total number of risk alleles (range 2–15) associated to lower serum UA levels. Results 72 out of 343 PD patients (21%) presented dementia. Serum UA levels were not different between PD patients with or without dementia. No significant association was detected between any single SNP and the risk of PD-dementia. When we analyzed the combined effect of the eight SNPs using the cumulative GRS no significant association between the number of risk alleles and the risk of PD was observed. Conclusions Our data suggest that serum UA levels have not a significant impact on the risk of dementia in PD.

We report a patient who experienced multiple transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) over a 3-month period as the presenting clinical manifestation of sarcoidosis. This previously healthy 27-year-old man was admitted due to several daily episodes of usually left hemiparesis and dysarthria lasting between 15 seconds and 3 minutes. He did not respond to aggressive antithrombotic treatment. Extensive investigations were negative except for a computed tomography body scan showing several small right hilar lymphoadenopathies, which were confirmed by abnormal 67-gallium scintigraphy and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography uptakes. The TIA episodes disappeared after the initiation of prednisone therapy. The lymphadenopathy specimens were biopsied via mediastinoscopy, and histological study revealed noncaseating epithelioid granulomatous inflammation consistent with sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of stroke of unknown origin in any young patient, even in the absence of other clinical or laboratory features of sarcoidosis.

The commonest known cause of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the G2019S mutation of the LRRK2 gene, but this mutation is not sufficient for causing PD, and many carriers of the mutation never develop PD symptoms during life. Differences at the expression level of certain genes, resulting from either genetic variations or environmental interactions, might be one of the mechanisms underlying differential risks for developing both idiopathic and genetic PD. To identify the genes involved in PD pathogenesis, we compared genome-wide gene expression (RNA-seq) in peripheral blood of 20 PD patients carrying the G2019S mutation of the LRRK2 gene, 20 asymptomatic carriers of the mutation, 20 subjects with idiopathic PD, 20 controls and 7 PD patients before and after initiating dopaminergic therapy. We identified 13 common genes (. ADARB2, CEACAM6, CNTNAP2, COL19A1, DEF4, DRAXIN, FCER2, HBG1, NCAPG2, PVRL2, SLC2A14, SNCA, and TCL1B) showing significant differential expression between G2019S-associated PD and asymptomatic carriers and also between idiopathic PD and controls but not between untreated and treated patients. Some of these genes are functionally involved in the processes known to be involved in PD pathogenesis, such as Akt signaling, glucose metabolism, or immunity. We consider that these genes merit further attention in future studies as potential candidate genes involved in both idiopathic and LRRK2-G2019S-associated forms of PD., This work was supported by the grant PI11/00228 form Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Bioinformatic analyses were performed on the Altamira Supercomputer at the University of Cantabria.

Low serum uric acid (UA) levels have been associated with increased Parkinson's disease (PD) risk and accelerated disease progression. We analyzed the effect of polymorphisms in 9 genes influencing serum UA concentration on the risk of PD.We genotyped SLC2A9 rs734553, ABCG2 rs2231142, SLC17A1 rs1183201, SLC22A11 rs17300741, SLC22A12 rs505802, GCKR rs780094, PDZK1 rs12129861, LRRC16A+SCGN rs742132, and SLC16A9 rs12356193 in 1061 PD patients and 754 controls. For each subject we calculated a cumulative genetic risk score (GRS), defined as the total number of PD-risk alleles (range, 2-15) associated to lower serum UA levels. Serum UA levels were measured in a subgroup of 365 PD cases and 132 controls.Serum UA levels were significantly lower in men with PD than in controls. Subjects (both men and women) carrying more than 9 risk alleles (third GRS tertile) had a 1.5 higher risk of developing PD than subjects with less than 8 risk alleles (first GRS tertile). An inverse correlation was observed between higher GRS and lower serum UA concentration in both men and women.Genetic variability influencing serum UA levels might modify susceptibility to PD.

Common genetic variants (rs5848 and rs646776) have been reported as regulators of blood progranulin (GRN) levels in healthy individuals.To assess the influence of rs5848 and rs646776 polymorphisms in both serum GRN level and risk for common neurodegenerative diseases, we studied 304 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), 217 individuals with Alzheimer's disease, 131 subjects with mild cognitive impairment, and 126 controls.The mean concentration of GRN in the serum of patients with PD (319.6 ng/ml) was significantly lower than that of controls (371.5 ng/ml; P = 0.009), whereas there were no significant differences between other groups. Rs646776 minor allele carriers had lower serum GRN levels in each of the four subgroups. There was no correlation between rs5848 genotypes and serum GRN concentrations. Genotype frequencies of both polymorphisms did not differ between groups.Reduced circulating GRN levels might be associated with PD risk by pathogenic factors different from rs5848 and rs646776 polymorphisms.