Differences in Survival across Monogenic Forms of Parkinson's Disease.

OBJECTIVE: Survival of patients with monogenic Parkinson's disease may depend on the causative genes associated with the disease. In this study, we compare survival of patients with Parkinson's disease according to the presence of SNCA, PRKN, LRRK2, or GBA mutations. METHODS: Data from the French Parkinson Disease Genetics national multicenter cohort study were used. Patients with sporadic and familial Parkinson's disease were recruited between 1990 and 2021. Patients were genotyped for the presence of mutations in the SNCA, PRKN, LRRK2, or GBA genes. Vital status was collected from the National death register for participants born in France. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Of the 2,037 patients with Parkinson's disease, 889 had died after a follow-up of up to 30 years. Patients with PRKN (n = 100, HR = 0.41; p = 0.001) and LRRK2 mutations (n = 51, HR = 0.49; p = 0.023) had longer survival than those without any mutation, whereas patients with SNCA (n = 20, HR = 9.88; p < 0.001) or GBA mutations (n = 173, HR = 1.33; p = 0.048) had shorter survival. INTERPRETATION: Survival differs across genetic forms of Parkinson's disease, with higher mortality for patients with SNCA or GBA mutations, and lower mortality for those with PRKN or LRRK2 mutations. Differences in severity and disease progression among monogenic forms of Parkinson's disease likely explain these findings, which has important consequences for genetic counselling and choice of end points for future clinical trials for targeted therapies. ANN NEUROL 2023;94:123-132.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Inherited Ataxia in Ireland.

Inherited cerebellar ataxias (CA) are heterogeneous progressive neurological conditions associated with significant functional limitations. This study aimed to assess the implications of inherited CA on patients' self-reported quality of life (QoL) and impairments in work and activities. 129 individuals with ataxia responded to a survey focused on QoL. Health-related QoL was measured using the RAND 36-Item Short Form Survey. An adaptation of the validated Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire was used to assess the effect of health on work productivity and ability to perform activities over the past week. Nine percent of respondents were currently employed. Individuals with inherited ataxia experienced significant activity impairment, and 75% required professional or informal care. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was significantly worse in all areas for the individuals with inherited ataxia compared with Irish population normative values. Participants with Friedreich's ataxia (n = 56) demonstrated worse physical functioning then those with undetermined ataxia (n = 55). Female gender, younger age at symptom onset, current employment, retirement due to age or ataxia, and living in a long-term care facility were associated with higher sub-scores in different domains of HRQoL, while disease duration correlated with worse physical functioning sub-scores. This study is the first cross-sectional study on HRQoL in patients with inherited ataxia in Ireland. It highlights high rates of unemployment, difficulty with daily activities and physical functioning limitations, which is worse than comparative international studies. Given the limited therapeutic options currently available, optimising HRQoL is an important aspect of managing ataxia.

DNMT1-associated sensory neuropathy and cerebellar ataxia: A novel variant and review of genotype-phenotype correlation.

AIM: Hereditary sensory neuropathy (HSN) 1E is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by pathogenic variants in DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). It is characterised by sensorineural deafness, sensory neuropathy and cognitive decline. Variants in DNMT1 are also associated with autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia, deafness and narcolepsy. METHODS: A 42-year-old man presented with imbalance, lancinating pain, numerous paucisymptomatic injuries, progressive deafness since his mid-20s, mild cognitive decline and apathy. Examination revealed abnormalities of eye movements, distal sensory loss to all modalities, areflexia without weakness and lower limb ataxia. MRI brain and FDG-PET scan demonstrated biparietal and cerebellar atrophy/hypometabolism. Whole exome sequencing detected a heterozygous likely pathogenic missense variant in DNMT1, c.1289G > A, p.Cys430Tyr. Cochlear implant was performed at 44 years for the bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss with improvement in hearing and day-to-day function. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: We describe a novel variant in DNMT1 and confirm that an overlapping HSN1E-cerebellar phenotype can occur. Only one prior case of cochlear implant in HSN1E has been reported to date but this case adds to that literature, suggesting that cochlear implant can be successful in such patients. We further explore the clinical and radiological signature of the cognitive syndrome associated with this disorder.

Histological chorioamnionitis is predicted by early infant C-reactive protein in preterm infants and correlates with neonatal outcomes.

AIM: Histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) is associated with preterm birth and adverse neonatal outcomes. We evaluated the rise in C-reactive protein (CRP) in preterm infants as a predictor of HCA severity and outcomes. METHODS: Consecutive preterm infants, born January 2009 to January 2014 in the National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, under 32 weeks' gestation or <1.5 kg birthweight, were included. Histological chorioamnionitis was staged as maternal inflammatory response, foetal inflammatory response and non-HCA. RESULTS: Preterm infants (n = 518) were included with a mean gestational age 28.5 ± 2.8 weeks, birthweight 1.1 ± 0.3 kg, and 53.5% were male. Histological chorioamnionitis was found in 25.4%. Histological chorioamnionitis was present in 93.7% when CRP > 5 mg/L, 65.2% when CRP 1-5 mg/L and in 19.4% when CRP < 1 mg/L. When both the immature to total neutrophil (IT) ratio was >0.2 and the CRP > 1 mg/L the positive predictive value and negative predictive value for HCA were 92.5% and 84.9%, respectively. Histological chorioamnionitis was associated with more resuscitation and respiratory distress syndrome (both P < .001). A CRP > 10 mg/L was associated with a foetal inflammatory response and increased early-onset sepsis. CONCLUSION: Higher early CRP was a surrogate predictor of HCA and correlated with the severity of HCA. Higher CRP and HCA were associated with adverse early outcomes.

Genotype-phenotype correlation in PRKN-associated Parkinson's disease.

Bi-allelic pathogenic variants in PRKN are the most common cause of autosomal recessive Parkinson's disease (PD). 647 patients with PRKN-PD were included in this international study. The pathogenic variants present were characterised and investigated for their effect on phenotype. Clinical features and progression of PRKN-PD was also assessed. Among 133 variants in index cases (n = 582), there were 58 (43.6%) structural variants, 34 (25.6%) missense, 20 (15%) frameshift, 10 splice site (7.5%%), 9 (6.8%) nonsense and 2 (1.5%) indels. The most frequent variant overall was an exon 3 deletion (n = 145, 12.3%), followed by the p.R275W substitution (n = 117, 10%). Exon3, RING0 protein domain and the ubiquitin-like protein domain were mutational hotspots with 31%, 35.4% and 31.7% of index cases presenting mutations in these regions respectively. The presence of a frameshift or structural variant was associated with a 3.4 ± 1.6 years or a 4.7 ± 1.6 years earlier age at onset of PRKN-PD respectively (p < 0.05). Furthermore, variants located in the N-terminus of the protein, a region enriched with frameshift variants, were associated with an earlier age at onset. The phenotype of PRKN-PD was characterised by slow motor progression, preserved cognition, an excellent motor response to levodopa therapy and later development of motor complications compared to early-onset PD. Non-motor symptoms were however common in PRKN-PD. Our findings on the relationship between the type of variant in PRKN and the phenotype of the disease may have implications for both genetic counselling and the design of precision clinical trials.

Scoping Review on ADCY5-Related Movement Disorders.

Background: Adenylyl cyclase 5 (ADCY5)-related movement disorder (ADCY5-RMD) is a rare, childhood-onset disease resulting from pathogenic variants in the ADCY5 gene. The clinical features, diagnostic options, natural history, and treatments for this disease are poorly characterized and have never been established through a structured approach. Objective: This scoping review attempts to summarize all available clinical literature on ADCY5-RMD. Methods: Eighty-seven articles were selected for inclusion in this scoping review. The majority of articles identified were case reports or case series. Results: These articles demonstrate that patients with ADCY5-RMD suffer from permanent and/ or paroxysmal hyperkinetic movements. The paroxysmal episodes can be worsened by environmental triggers, in particular the sleep-wake transition phase in the early morning. Occurrence of nocturnal paroxysmal dyskinesias and perioral twitches are highly suggestive of the diagnosis when present. In the majority of patients intellectual capacity is preserved. ADCY5-RMD is considered a non-progressive disorder, with inter-individual variations in evolution with aging. Somatic mosaicism, mode of inheritance and the location of the mutation within the protein can influence phenotype. Conclusions: The current evidence for therapeutic options for ADCY5-RMD is limited: caffeine, benzodiazepines and deep brain stimulation have been consistently reported to be useful in case reports and case series.

Does the Expression and Epigenetics of Genes Involved in Monogenic Forms of Parkinson's Disease Influence Sporadic Forms?

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a disorder characterized by a triad of motor symptoms (akinesia, rigidity, resting tremor) related to loss of dopaminergic neurons mainly in the Substantia nigra pars compacta. Diagnosis is often made after a substantial loss of neurons has already occurred, and while dopamine replacement therapies improve symptoms, they do not modify the course of the disease. Although some biological mechanisms involved in the disease have been identified, such as oxidative stress and accumulation of misfolded proteins, they do not explain entirely PD pathophysiology, and a need for a better understanding remains. Neurodegenerative diseases, including PD, appear to be the result of complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. The latter can alter gene expression by causing epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, post-translational modification of histones and non-coding RNAs. Regulation of genes responsible for monogenic forms of PD may be involved in sporadic PD. This review will focus on the epigenetic mechanisms regulating their expression, since these are the genes for which we currently have the most information available. Despite technical challenges, epigenetic epidemiology offers new insights on revealing altered biological pathways and identifying predictive biomarkers for the onset and progression of PD.

A Case Series Describing Percutaneous Management of Aortic Isthmic Atresia.

Aortic isthmic atresia is a severe form of aortic coarctation where there is loss of luminal communication at the aortic isthmus. The primary approach for correcting aortic isthmic atresia has been surgical repair of the coarctation. A small number of case series have shown that percutaneous correction of aortic isthmic atresia is possible. We describe 3 cases of aortic isthmic atresia that was successfully treated using a percutaneous approach. Our cases ranged in age between 42 and 51 years, and they all had hypertension. In our case series, 2 patients were successfully treated with radiofrequency perforation and 1 patient had anterograde recanalization performed using a stiff wire. Our patients have been followed up for between 2 and 4 years post-procedure, and they continue to do well. The success of percutaneous management in this case series adds to the small but increasing amount of data available in support of endovascular management of aortic isthmic atresia in adult patients.