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Labarca, C., J. Schwarz, et al. (2001). "Point mutant mice with
hypersensitive alpha 4 nicotinic receptors show dopaminergic deficits and
increased anxiety." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98(5): 2786-91.
Knock-in mice were generated that harbored a leucine-to-serine mutation in the
alpha4 nicotinic receptor near the gate in the channel pore. Mice with intact
expression of this hypersensitive receptor display dominant neonatal lethality.
These mice have a severe deficit of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra,
possibly because the hypersensitive receptors are continuously activated by
normal extracellular choline concentrations. A strain that retains the neo
selection cassette in an intron has reduced expression of the hypersensitive
receptor and is viable and fertile. The viable mice display increased anxiety,
poor motor learning, excessive ambulation that is eliminated by very low levels
of nicotine, and a reduction of nigrostriatal dopaminergic function upon aging.
These knock-in mice provide useful insights into the pathophysiology of
sustained nicotinic receptor activation and may provide a model for Parkinson's
disease.
Laing, N. (2001). "Genes and brains, molecular medicine and neuropathology."
Trends Mol Med 7(1): 6-7.
Latchman, D. S. and R. S. Coffin (2001). "Viral vectors for gene therapy in
Parkinson's disease." Rev Neurosci 12(1): 69-78.
The ability of transplanted neurons from aborted foetuses to produce some
therapeutic benefit in Parkinson's disease makes this disease an obvious target
for the development of gene therapy procedures which involve delivering the same
factors as are provided by the foetal neurons but using a reagent which could be
produced in large amounts in a standardised manner. This approach could involve
both the delivery of the gene encoding tyrosine hydroxylase to boost dopamine
production or the delivery of genes encoding neurotrophic factors such as GDNF
to promote the survival of dopaminergic neurons. A variety of different viral
and non-viral methods for achieving such gene delivery has been described. These
are discussed together with the particular advantages of herpes simplex
virus-based vectors which have the potential to deliver multiple therapeutic
genes in a single virus vector.
Layfield, R., A. Alban, et al. (2001). "The ubiquitin protein catabolic
disorders." Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 27(3): 171-9.
The ubiquitin-proteasome system of intracellular proteolysis is essential for
cell viability. We propose the concept that neurodegenerative diseases such as
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as other conditions including some types of
cancer, collectively represent a raft of 'ubiquitin protein catabolic disorders'
in which altered function of the ubiquitin-proteasome system can cause or
directly contribute to disease pathogenesis. Genetic abnormalities within the
ubiquitin pathway, either in ubiquitin-ligase (E3) enzymes or in
deubiquitinating enzymes, cause disease because of problems associated with
substrate recognition or supply of free ubiquitin, respectively. In some cases,
mutations in protein substrates of the ubiquitin-proteasome system may directly
contribute to disease progression because of inefficient substrate recognition.
Mutations in transcripts for the ubiquitin protein itself (as a result of
'molecular misreading') also affect ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis with
catastrophic consequences. This has been shown in Alzheimer's disease and could
apply to other age-associated neurodegenerative conditions. Within the nervous
system, accumulation of unwanted proteins as a result of defective ubiquitin-dependent
proteolysis may contribute to aggregation events, which underlie the
pathogenesis of several major human neurodegenerative diseases.
Lecerf, J. M., T. L. Shirley, et al. (2001). "Human single-chain Fv intrabodies
counteract in situ huntingtin aggregation in cellular models of Huntington's
disease." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98(8): 4764-9.
This investigation was pursued to test the use of intracellular antibodies (intrabodies)
as a means of blocking the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease (HD). HD is
characterized by abnormally elongated polyglutamine near the N terminus of the
huntingtin protein, which induces pathological protein-protein interactions and
aggregate formation by huntingtin or its exon 1-containing fragments. Selection
from a large human phage display library yielded a single-chain Fv (sFv)
antibody specific for the 17 N-terminal residues of huntingtin, adjacent to the
polyglutamine in HD exon 1. This anti-huntingtin sFv intrabody was tested in a
cellular model of the disease in which huntingtin exon 1 had been fused to green
fluorescent protein (GFP). Expression of expanded repeat HD-polyQ-GFP in
transfected cells shows perinuclear aggregation similar to human HD pathology,
which worsens with increasing polyglutamine length; the number of aggregates in
these transfected cells provided a quantifiable model of HD for this study.
Coexpression of anti-huntingtin sFv intrabodies with the abnormal huntingtin-GFP
fusion protein dramatically reduced the number of aggregates, compared with
controls lacking the intrabody. Anti-huntingtin sFv fused with a nuclear
localization signal retargeted huntingtin analogues to cell nuclei, providing
further evidence of the anti-huntingtin sFv specificity and of its capacity to
redirect the subcellular localization of exon 1. This study suggests that
intrabody-mediated modulation of abnormal neuronal proteins may contribute to
the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as HD, Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's, prion disease, and the spinocerebellar ataxias.
Lee, F. J., F. Liu, et al. (2001). "Direct binding and functional coupling of
alpha-synuclein to the dopamine transporters accelerate dopamine-induced
apoptosis." Faseb J 15(6): 916-26.
Mutations in alpha-synuclein, a protein highly enriched in presynaptic
terminals, have been implicated in the expression of familial forms of
Parkinson's disease (PD) whereas native alpha-synuclein is a major component of
intraneuronal inclusion bodies characteristic of PD and other neurodegenerative
disorders. Although overexpression of human alpha-synuclein induces dopaminergic
nerve terminal degeneration, the molecular mechanism by which alpha-synuclein
contributes to the degeneration of these pathways remains enigmatic. We report
here that alpha-synuclein complexes with the presynaptic human dopamine
transporter (hDAT) in both neurons and cotransfected cells through the direct
binding of the non-A beta amyloid component of alpha-synuclein to the
carboxyl-terminal tail of the hDAT. alpha-Synuclein--hDAT complex formation
facilitates the membrane clustering of the DAT, thereby accelerating cellular
dopamine uptake and dopamine-induced cellular apoptosis. Since the selective
vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons in PD has been ascribed in part to
oxidative stress as a result of the cellular overaccumulation of dopamine or
dopamine-like molecules by the presynaptic DAT, these data provide mechanistic
insight into the mode by which the activity of these two proteins may give rise
to this process.
Lee, M., D. Hyun, et al. (2001). "Effect of the overexpression of wild-type or
mutant alpha-synuclein on cell susceptibility to insult." J Neurochem
76(4): 998-1009.
Mutations in alpha-synuclein (A30P and A53T) are involved in some cases of
familial Parkinson's disease (FPD), but it is not known how they result in
nigral cell death. We examined the effect of alpha-synuclein overexpression on
the response of cells to various insults. Wild-type alpha-synuclein and alpha-synuclein
mutations associated with FPD were overexpressed in NT-2/D1 and SK-N-MC cells.
Overexpression of wild-type alpha-synuclein delayed cell death induced by serum
withdrawal or H(2)O(2), but did not delay cell death induced by
1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+)). By contrast, wild-type alpha-synuclein
transfectants were sensitive to viability loss induced by staurosporine,
lactacystin or 4-hydroxy-2-trans-nonenal (HNE). Decreases in glutathione (GSH)
levels were attenuated by wild-type alpha-synuclein after serum deprivation, but
were aggravated following lactacystin or staurosporine treatment. Mutant alpha-synucleins
increased levels of 8-hydroxyguanine, protein carbonyls, lipid peroxidation and
3-nitrotyrosine, and markedly accelerated cell death in response to all the
insults examined. The decrease in GSH levels was enhanced in mutant alpha-synuclein
transfectants. The loss of viability induced by toxic insults was by apoptosic
mechanism. The presence of abnormal alpha-synucleins in substantia nigra in PD
may increase neuronal vulnerability to a range of toxic agents.
Lee, M. S., C. H. Lyoo, et al. (2001). "Genotypes of
catechol-O-methyltransferase and response to levodopa treatment in patients with
Parkinson's disease." Neurosci Lett 298(2): 131-4.
A single nucleotide polymorphism at the nucleotide 1947 in the
catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene encodes the high and low activity forms
of the enzyme. We investigated COMT genotypes of 73 Korean patients with
Parkinson's disease (PD), 29 with multiple system atrophy (MSA), and 49
controls, and analyzed the response to levodopa challenge in the PD patients. We
found no significant difference in the distribution of the COMT genotypes among
the three groups. The frequencies of the G- and A-alleles in the total
population were 75 and 25%, respectively. The levodopa response was determined
by a single oral levodopa challenge test with Sinemet (25/250 mg) in the
patients with PD. The motor response evaluated by the time to peak response, the
duration and magnitude of the response in the motor part of the Unified
Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale; tapping or walking times showed no significant
difference between the genotypes. Thus, pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic
factors other than the investigated genetic variant of the COMT enzyme seem to
determine the response to levodopa in PD.
Leenders, K. L. and W. H. Oertel (2001). "Parkinson's disease: clinical signs
and symptoms, neural mechanisms, positron emission tomography, and therapeutic
interventions." Neural Plast 8(1-2): 99-110.
Parkinson's disease is one of the most frequent neurodegenerative brain
diseases. Its time course is slow and is characterized by progressive loss of
dopaminergic and other brainstem neurons resulting in malfunctioning of the
cerebral neuronal systems responsible for motor functions. The clinical signs
are slowness of movement, muscle rigidity and rest-tremor amongst other
features. The cause of the disease is unknown, but recently involvement of
genetic factors is being researched. Positron emission tomography (PET) allows
in vivo determination of striatal dopaminergic activity. This has increased our
insight in the pathophysiology of the disease and permits direct study of
disease progression at a biochemical level and equally to monitor whether
potential neuroprotective interventions are indeed effective. Thus far no drug
has emerged but promising substances are currently being studied.
Lev, N. and E. Melamed (2001). "Heredity in Parkinson's disease: new findings."
Isr Med Assoc J 3(6): 435-8.
Multiple factors have been hypothesized over the last century to be causative or
contributory for Parkinson's disease. Hereditary factors have recently emerged
as a major focus of Parkinson's disease research. Until recently most of the
research on the etiology of Parkinson's disease concentrated on environmental
factors, and the possibility that genetic factors contribute significantly to
the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease has been neglected. However, it has
become increasingly apparent that even in sporadic cases, the disease most
likely reflects a combination of genetic susceptibility and an unknown
environmental insult. Moreover, the identification of genes and proteins that
may cause hereditary parkinsonism substantially contributes to our ability to
understand the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease and may help in the early
identification of the disease and its treatment. The discovery of alpha-synuclein
mutations in families with autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease sheds light on
its role in sporadic Parkinson's disease. It seems that this protein tends to
aggregate when the cellular milieu is altered [14-16]. The question as to the
exact changes that cause its deposition remains open. One of the major
possibilities is oxidative stress [16]. The role of these aggregates in neuronal
cell death is also still unclear. Transgenic mice expressing wild-type human
alpha-synuclein developed progressive accumulation of alpha-synuclein and
ubiquitin-immunoreactive inclusions in neurons in the neocortex, hippocampus and
the substantia nigra. These alterations were associated with loss of
dopaminergic terminals and motor impairments [24]. This finding suggests that
accumulation of alpha-synuclein may play a causal role in sporadic Parkinson's
disease as well. The parkin protein seems to be a crucial survival factor for
nigral neurons [15]. The parkin protein is related to the ubiquitin pathway,
which is important in the elimination of damaged proteins. Ubiquitin-mediated
degradation of proteins plays a central role in the control of numerous
processes, including signal transduction, receptor and transcriptional
regulations, programmed cell death, and breakdown of abnormal proteins that may
interfere with normal cell functions. Further studies on the function of Parkin
protein and its relation to the ubiquitin pathway could elucidate at least one
of the molecular mechanisms of nigral neuronal death. A mutation in the
ubiquitin carboxy-teminal hydrolase L1 gene also implies the importance of the
ubiquitin pathway in Parkinson's disease. Abnormal tau protein was found to be
the cause of familial frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism. It tends to form
filamentous structures, which may lead to neuronal death. Elucidation of the
molecular mechanism of neuronal death in this disease may contribute to our
understanding of sporadic diseases with tau accumulation, such as corticobasal
degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, Pick's disease, Alzheimer's
disease and possibly also the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Other genetic
loci have been identified by linkage analysis of patients with familial
parkinsonism. These loci conceal other genes and proteins that may be pivotal
factors in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. The discovery of genetic
mutations in patients with parkinsonism may offer us new insights into the
understanding of the pathways leading to neuronal death and development of
Parkinson's disease. It may also help in the early identification of susceptible
people to this disease and possibly in developing new treatment strategies.
Levecque, C., A. Destee, et al. (2001). "No genetic association of the ubiquitin
carboxy-terminal hydrolase-L1 gene S18Y polymorphism with familial Parkinson's
disease." J Neural Transm 108(8-9): 979-84.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder for which genetic
susceptibility has been documented in sporadic and familial cases. Recently, a
polymorphism located in exon 3 at codon 18 (S18Y) of the Ubiquitin Carboxy-terminal
Hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) gene has been associated with the disease in 2 populations
of German origin and also in a Japanese population. We tested the impact of this
polymorphism in a French sample of familial PD patients (n = 114) and controls
(n = 93). No association was observed, indicating that this polymorphism did not
confer susceptibility for familial PD in our population, even among the youngest
age of onset group. This observation suggests that the previous positive results
obtained may reflect mechanisms restricted to the sporadic form of the disease
or to a founder effect of the disease susceptibility.
Li, J., V. N. Uversky, et al. (2001). "Effect of familial Parkinson's disease
point mutations A30P and A53T on the structural properties, aggregation, and
fibrillation of human alpha-synuclein." Biochemistry 40(38):
11604-13.
Parkinson's disease involves the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia
nigra, leading to movement disorders. The pathological hallmark of Parkinson's
disease is the presence of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, which are
intracellular inclusions consisting primarily of alpha-synuclein. Although
essentially all cases of sporadic and early-onset Parkinson's disease are of
unknown etiology, two point mutations (A53T and A30P) in the alpha-synuclein
gene have been identified in familial early-onset Parkinson's disease. Previous
reports have shown that mutant alpha-synuclein may form fibrils more rapidly
than wild-type protein. To determine the underlying molecular basis for the
enhanced fibrillation of the mutants, the structural properties, responses to
changes in the environment, and propensity to aggregate of wild-type, A30P, and
A53T alpha-synucleins were systematically investigated. A variety of biophysical
methods, including far-UV circular dichroism, FTIR, small-angle X-ray
scattering, and light scattering, were employed. Neither the natively unfolded
nor the partially folded intermediate conformations are affected by the familial
Parkinson's disease point mutations. However, both mutants underwent
self-association more readily than the wild type (i.e., at much lower protein
concentration and more rapidly). We attribute this effect to the increased
propensity of their partially folded intermediates to aggregate, rather than to
any changes in the monomeric natively unfolded species. This increased
propensity of these mutants to aggregate, relative to wild-type alpha-synuclein,
would account for the correlation of these mutations with Parkinson's disease.
Lin, E., J. H. Graziano, et al. (2001). "Regulation of the 75-kDa subunit of
mitochondrial complex I by iron." J Biol Chem 276(29): 27685-92.
Iron homeostasis is tightly regulated, as cells work to conserve this essential
but potentially toxic metal. The translation of many iron proteins is controlled
by the binding of two cytoplasmic proteins, iron regulatory protein 1 and 2
(IRP1 and IRP2) to stem loop structures, known as iron-responsive elements (IREs),
found in the untranslated regions of their mRNAs. In short, when iron is
depleted, IRP1 or IRP2 bind IREs; this decreases the synthesis of proteins
involved in iron storage and mitochondrial metabolism (e.g. ferritin and
mitochondrial aconitase) and increases the synthesis of those involved in iron
uptake (e.g. transferrin receptor). It is likely that more iron-containing
proteins have IREs and that other IRPs may exist. One obvious place to search is
in Complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, which contains at least 6
iron-sulfur (Fe-S) subunits. Interestingly, in idiopathic Parkinson's disease,
iron homeostasis is altered, and Complex I activity is diminished. These
findings led us to investigate whether iron status affects the Fe-S subunits of
Complex I. We found that the protein levels of the 75-kDa subunit of Complex I
were modulated by levels of iron in the cell, whereas mRNA levels were minimally
changed. Isolation of a clone of the 75-kDa Fe-S subunit with a more complete
5'-untranslated region sequence revealed a novel IRE-like stem loop sequence.
RNA-protein gel shift assays demonstrated that a specific cytoplasmic protein
bound the novel IRE and that the binding of the protein was affected by iron
status. Western blot analysis and supershift assays showed that this cytosolic
protein is neither IRP1 nor IRP2. In addition, ferritin IRE was able to compete
for binding with this putative IRP. These results suggest that the 75-kDa Fe-S
subunit of mitochondrial Complex I may be regulated by a novel IRE-IRP system.
Lindvall, O. and P. Hagell (2001). "Cell therapy and transplantation in
Parkinson's disease." Clin Chem Lab Med 39(4): 356-61.
Transplanted human fetal dopamine neurons can reinnervate the striatum in
patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Recent findings using positron emission
tomography indicate that the grafts are functionally integrated and restore
dopamine release in the patient's striatum. The grafts can exhibit long-term
survival without immunological rejection and despite an ongoing disease process
and continuous antiparkinsonian drug treatment. In the most successful cases,
patients have been able to withdraw L-dopa treatment after transplantation and
resume an independent life. About two-thirds of grafted patients have shown
clinically useful, partial recovery of motor function. The major obstacle for
the further development of this cell replacement strategy is that large amounts
of human fetal mesencephalic tissue are needed for therapeutic effects. Stem
cells hold promise as a virtually unlimited source of self-renewing progenitors
for transplantation. The possibility to generate dopamine neurons from such
cells is now being explored using different approaches. However, so far the
generated neurons have survived poorly after transplantation in animals.
Link, C. D. (2001). "Transgenic invertebrate models of age-associated
neurodegenerative diseases." Mech Ageing Dev 122(14): 1639-49.
Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans strains have been
engineered to express human proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
These model systems include transgenic animals expressing beta-amyloid peptide
(Alzheimer's disease), polyglutamine repeat proteins (Huntington's disease,
Spinocerebellar ataxia), and alpha-synuclein (Parkinson's disease). In most of
these invertebrate models, some aspects of the human diseases are reproduced.
Although expression of all these proteins in transgenic mice has been
instructive, the invertebrate models offer experimental advantages (e.g. forward
genetic screens) that can potentially address some of the outstanding questions
regarding the cellular processes underlying these diseases. This review
considers what has been learned from these invertebrate models, and speculates
what further insight may be gained from them.
Lippa, C. F., M. L. Schmidt, et al. (2001). "Alpha-synuclein in familial
Alzheimer disease: epitope mapping parallels dementia with Lewy bodies and
Parkinson disease." Arch Neurol 58(11): 1817-20.
BACKGROUND: Alpha-synuclein is a major component of Lewy bodies (LBs) in
Parkinson disease and dementia with LBs and of glial cytoplasmic inclusions in
multiple system atrophy. However, epitope mapping for alpha-synuclein is
distinctive in different neurodegenerative diseases. The reasons for this are
poorly understood but may reflect fundamental differences in disease mechanisms.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the alpha-synuclein epitope mapping properties of LBs
in familial Alzheimer disease. DESIGN AND SETTING: We compared LBs in familial
Alzheimer disease with those in synucleinopathies by probing 6 brains of persons
with familial Alzheimer disease using a panel of antibodies to epitopes spanning
the alpha-synuclein protein. Results were compared with data from brains of
persons with Parkinson disease, dementia with LBs, and multiple system atrophy.
RESULTS: The brains of persons with familial Alzheimer disease showed consistent
staining of LBs with all antibodies, similar to Parkinson disease and dementia
with LBs but different from alpha-synuclein aggregates that occurred in multiple
system atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the epitope profiles of
alpha-synuclein in LBs are similar, regardless of whether the biological trigger
is related to synuclein or a different genetic pathway. These findings support
the hypothesis that the mechanism of alpha-synuclein aggregation is the same
within cell types but distinctive between cell types.
Liu, P., Z. Liu, et al. (2001). "[Genetic polymorphisms of cytochrome P450 1A1
and susceptibility of early-onset Parkinson's disease]." Zhonghua Yi Xue Yi
Chuan Xue Za Zhi 18(4): 283-5.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the possible association between the Msp I polymorphisms of
cytochrome P450 1A1(CYP1A1) and the susceptibility of early-onset Parkinson's
disease among Hans in the northern part of China. METHODS: Polymerase chain
reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was used to
analyze three genotypes A, B and C in 3'flanking region of CYP1A1 in 126
patients with idiopathic early-onset Parkinson's disease and 172 healthy
controls. RESULTS: The frequencies of genotypes A, B and C in patients were
41.3%, 43.6% and 15.1% while those in the controls were 34.9%, 51.7% and 13.4%,
respectively. No statistically significant difference in the frequencies of the
three genotypes was observed between the two groups. The frequencies of two
alleles were of no significant difference between the patients and controls.
CONCLUSION: The above results suggest that the Msp I polymorphisms of cytochrome
P450 1A1 itself might not be associated with idiopathic early-onset Parkinson's
disease.
Liu, Z., Y. Wang, et al. (2001). "Peptide derived from insulin with regulatory
activity of dopamine transporter." Neuropharmacology 41(4):
464-71.
A nonapeptide derived from the C terminus of the insulin B chain,
H(2)N-Arg-Gly-Phe-Phe-Tyr-Thr-Pro-Lys-Ala-COOH, was found to strongly inhibit
dopamine (DA) uptake by rat dopamine transporter (DAT) stably expressed in CHO
cells (designated D8 cells). The kinetic experiments on D8 cells gave a curve
typical of competitive inhibition with an IC(50)=6.9 microM. This inhibitory
effect was also confirmed by experiments on striatal synaptosomes. The rat
administered with the nonapeptide unilaterally into substantia nigra showed
dose-dependent velocity and duration of the round movement contralateral to the
nonapeptide-injected side. In addition, the nonapeptide dose-dependently reduced
the binding of the tritium-labeled cocaine analog (-)-2 beta-carbomethoxy-3
beta-(4-fluorophenyl)tropane (WIN35,428) to DAT of D8 cells, which suggests that
the nonapeptide may inhibit the transport activity of DAT in the way as cocaine
does. Meanwhile, the peptide DOI (insulin with 8 amino acid residues deleted at
the C terminus of the B chain) shows a significantly stimulating effect on DAT
uptake activity in D8 cells. So insulin is proposed as a kind of neuropeptide
precursor in the brain and insulin-derived peptides may be involved in the
process of regulating the DA system, and these peptides may be developed into
new medicines for disorders concerning the DA system such as Parkinson's disease
and cocaine addiction.
Louis, E. D., G. Levy, et al. (2001). "Clinical correlates of action tremor in
Parkinson disease." Arch Neurol 58(10): 1630-4.
BACKGROUND: Action tremor is often noted in patients with Parkinson disease
(PD), yet the clinical correlates of this type of tremor have been the focus of
few studies. It is not clear whether this action tremor is a manifestation of
the underlying basal ganglia disease. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the
severity of action tremor in PD is associated with age, age at disease onset,
disease duration, levodopa dose, severity of rest tremor, or other motor (ie,
bradykinesia, rigidity) and nonmotor manifestations of PD. METHODS: Patients
with PD (N = 197) were ascertained as part of a familial aggregation study. All
patients underwent a neurological examination. Rest tremor was rated with the
Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale; and action tremor, with the Washington
Heights-Inwood Genetic Study of Essential Tremor Rating Scale. RESULTS: Action
tremor was present in 184 (93.4%) of 197 patients. Four patients (2%) met
criteria for definite essential tremor. The action tremor score was not
associated with age, age at onset, or disease duration. The action tremor score
was associated with the rest tremor score (r = 0.37; P<.001), and more strongly
with the ipsilateral than contralateral rest tremor score. The association
between the action tremor score and the rest tremor score was diminished but
still significant (r = 0.21, P<.02) even when we excluded these 63 patients with
re-emergent tremor. Neither the action nor the rest tremor score was associated
with the bradykinesia or rigidity scores, Hoehn and Yahr scale score, or
modified Mini-Mental State Examination score. CONCLUSIONS: Action tremor was
associated with rest tremor in PD, suggesting that, at least in part, action
tremor is a manifestation of the underlying basal ganglia disease. Neither
tremor was associated with other motor and nonmotor manifestations of PD. This
in turn suggests that tremor in PD may represent an underlying
pathophysiological process different from these other manifestations.
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