Neurology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Correspondence:
Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Correspondence are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Louis, E. D.
Right arrow Articles by Parides, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Louis, E. D.
Right arrow Articles by Parides, M.
Related Collections
Right arrow Tremor
Right arrow Case control studies

Neurology 2002;59:1940-1944
© 2002 American Academy of Neurology

Elevation of blood ß-carboline alkaloids in essential tremor

E. D. Louis, MD MS, W. Zheng, PhD, E. C. Jurewicz, BA, D. Watner, MA, J. Chen, PhD, P. Factor–Litvak, PhD and M. Parides, PhD

From the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center (Dr. Louis, E.C. Jurewicz and D. Watner) and Departments of Neurology (Dr. Louis) and Pharmacology (Dr. Zheng), College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Departments of Environmental Health Sciences (Drs. Zheng and Chen), Epidemiology (Dr. Factor–Litvak), and Biostatistics (Dr. Parides), Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Elan D. Louis, Unit 198, Neurological Institute, 710 W. 168 St., New York, NY 10032; e-mail: EDL2{at}columbia.edu

Background: ß-Carboline alkaloids are normal body constituents but are also potent tremor-producing chemicals that are naturally present in the food chain.

Objective: To explore the hypothesis that high concentrations of ß-carboline alkaloids are associated with essential tremor (ET).

Methods: One hundred cases and 100 controls were frequency matched on age, sex, and ethnicity. Blood concentrations of harmane and harmine were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography, blinded to clinical information.

Results: The mean log blood concentration of harmane was higher in cases than controls (0.72 ± 0.53 vs 0.51 ± 0.64 g-10/mL; p = 0.01). A nonparametric test on nontransformed data (median harmane = 5.21 g-10/mL in cases and 2.28 g-10/mL in controls) confirmed this difference (p = 0.005). The mean log blood concentration of harmine was 0.20 ± 0.48 g-10/mL in cases and 0.10 ± 0.65 g -10/mL in controls (p = 0.20). Log harmane concentrations were stratified based on the median value; 62% of cases vs 39% of controls had a high log harmane concentration (p = 0.001). Mean log harmane concentration was similar in the cases with (0.74 ± 0.58 g-10/mL) and without (0.71 ± 0.50 g-10/mL) an affected relative (p = 0.83).

Conclusions: Blood concentrations of harmane were measured in ET cases compared with controls. Concentrations were elevated in cases with and without a family history of ET.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 NeurologyHome page
S. P. Thawani, N. Schupf, and E. D. Louis
Essential tremor is associated with dementia: Prospective population-based study in New York
Neurology, August 25, 2009; 73(8): 621 - 625.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeurologyHome page
E. D. Louis, W. Zheng, X. Mao, and D. C. Shungu
Blood harmane is correlated with cerebellar metabolism in essential tremor: A pilot study
Neurology, August 7, 2007; 69(6): 515 - 520.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PNHome page
F. B Nahab, E. Peckham, and M. Hallett
Essential tremor, deceptively simple ...
Practical Neurology, August 1, 2007; 7(4): 222 - 233.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 BrainHome page
A. Shatunov, N. Sambuughin, J. Jankovic, R. Elble, H. S. Lee, A. B. Singleton, A. Dagvadorj, J. Ji, Y. Zhang, V. E. Kimonis, et al.
Genomewide scans in North American families reveal genetic linkage of essential tremor to a region on chromosome 6p23
Brain, September 1, 2006; 129(9): 2318 - 2331.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeurologyHome page
E. D. Louis, W. Zheng, L. Applegate, L. Shi, and P. Factor-Litvak
Blood harmane concentrations and dietary protein consumption in essential tremor
Neurology, August 9, 2005; 65(3): 391 - 396.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeurologyHome page
K. O. Bushara, T. Malik, and R. E. Exconde
The effect of levetiracetam on essential tremor
Neurology, March 22, 2005; 64(6): 1078 - 1080.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeurologyHome page
J. J. Higgins, R. Q. Lombardi, J. Pucilowska, J. Jankovic, E. K. Tan, and J. P. Rooney
A variant in the HS1-BP3 gene is associated with familial essential tremor
Neurology, February 8, 2005; 64(3): 417 - 421.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeurologyHome page
E. D. Louis, L. M. Applegate, P. Factor-Litvak, M. K. Parides, and L. Andrews
Essential tremor: Occupational exposures to manganese and organic solvents
Neurology, December 14, 2004; 63(11): 2162 - 2164.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurol. Neurosurg. PsychiatryHome page
A Chatterjee, E C Jurewicz, L M Applegate, and E D Louis
Personality in essential tremor: further evidence of non-motor manifestations of the disease
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, July 1, 2004; 75(7): 958 - 961.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2002 by AAN Enterprises, Inc.