HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Correspondence: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Correspondence are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Vieregge, P. Articles by Ludin, H.-P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Vieregge, P. Articles by Ludin, H.-P.

Parkinson’s disease in twins

A follow-up study

From the Department of Neurology (Drs. Vieregge, Hagenah, and Heberlein), Medical University, Lübeck, Germany; Molecular Neurogenetics Unit (Dr. Klein), Massachussetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA; and Department of Neurology (Dr. Ludin), Kantonsspital, St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Peter Vieregge, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D–23538 Lübeck, Germany.

OBJECTIVE: To reevaluate concordance rates in 9 monozygotic (MZ) and 12 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs with PD 8 years after the initial study.

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal investigations increase accuracy in clinical diagnosis of PD.

METHODS: Follow-up by personal interview and clinical examination.

RESULTS: Concordance rates were not different between MZ (3/9) and DZ (5/12) twin pairs at follow-up, even when PD-associated dementia and isolated postural tremor were considered diagnostic of familial Lewy body parkinsonism. Evaluation of medical history, personality traits, and blink rate did not reveal putative early or premorbid parkinsonism in 9 co-twins who were motor-asymptomatic during the follow-up interval. However, these co-twins had reduced semantic fluency in comparison with a healthy control group of similar age. None of 7 co-twins without motor signs who underwent PET investigation 6 years previously showed signs of extrapyramidal disease at follow-up, but verbal memory continued to be reduced in 5 of these co-twins.

CONCLUSION: Based on concordance rates only, the findings in our twin sample do not support a major genetic impact for the motor expression of PD.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Xu, Y. Xu, D. Brown-Jermyn, J.-F. Chen, A. Ascherio, D. E. Dluzen, and M. A. Schwarzschild Estrogen Prevents Neuroprotection by Caffeine in the Mouse 1-Methyl-4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-Tetrahydropyridine Model of Parkinson's Disease J. Neurosci., January 11, 2006; 26(2): 535 - 541. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A.C. Williams, L.S. Cartwright, and D.B. Ramsden Parkinson's disease: the first common neurological disease due to auto-intoxication? QJM, March 1, 2005; 98(3): 215 - 226. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Wirdefeldt, M. Gatz, M. Schalling, and N. L. Pedersen No evidence for heritability of Parkinson disease in Swedish twins Neurology, July 27, 2004; 63(2): 305 - 311. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. R. Uhl and R. W. Grow The Burden of Complex Genetics in Brain Disorders Arch Gen Psychiatry, March 1, 2004; 61(3): 223 - 229. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Schwarzschild, J.-F. Chen, and A. Ascherio Caffeinated clues and the promise of adenosine A2A antagonists in PD Neurology, April 23, 2002; 58(8): 1154 - 1160. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. K. Morrish, P. Vieregge, J. Hagenah, I. Heberlein, C. Klein, and H.-P. Ludin Parkinson's disease in twins Neurology, April 25, 2000; 54(8): 1710 - 1711. [Full Text] [PDF]