REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN) 63RD ANNUAL MEETING, HONOLULU, HAWAII, APRIL 9-16, 2011 – An analysis of subjects in the Cardiovascular Health Study in the U.S. has reported that electrocardiographic abnormalities may be a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease (Jain et al. AAN 2011; abstract S03.004). This is the first reported link between ECG findings and PD risk.
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Traumatic brain injury: no effect on AD phenotype
July 6, 2011REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN) 63RD ANNUAL MEETING, HONOLULU, HAWAII, APRIL 9-16, 2011 – The possible link between Alzheimer’s disease and a history of traumatic brain injury is unclear (for a review see Jellinger KA. Curr Opin Neurol 2004; 17: 719-723). This issue was examined in a retrospective analysis of pathology data for the period 1997 to 2010 (Mehta et al. AAN 2011; abstract P07.244). Traumatic brain injury was defined as a closed head injury with loss of consciousness. The study sample included 108 subjects with AD, of whom 11 had a history of brain injury.
First report of increased risk of prostate cancer in PD
June 29, 2011REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN) 63RD ANNUAL MEETING, HONOLULU, HAWAII, APRIL 9-16, 2011 – Epidemiological studies have suggested that cancer risk is generally lower in PD patients compared to those without PD (11% vs. 14%), including a lower risk of prostate cancer (RR 0.74) (Driver et al. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007; 16: 1260-1265; free full text at http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/16/6/1260.long). The risk of certain cancers (e.g. melanoma) may be higher.
Plasma clusterin a possible biomarker of AD severity
June 29, 2011REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN) 63RD ANNUAL MEETING, HONOLULU, HAWAII, APRIL 9-16, 2011 – Clusterin (apoJ) is a heterodimeric protein that may play a role in amyloid plaque formation by acting as an extracellular chaperone (for a review see Thambisetty M. Biomark 2010; 4: 831-834; free full text at www.futuremedicine.com/doi/abs/10.2217/bmm.10.108).
Increased clusterin levels have been found in the brain and CSF of AD patients, and clusterin gene (CLU) polymorphisms appear to be associated with AD risk (Jun et al. Arch Neurol 2010; 67: 1473-1484).