Performance on the PD test battery by relatives of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy
Kenneth B. Baker, PhD; and
Erwin B. Montgomery, Jr., MD
From the Departments of Neurology and Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Kenneth Baker, Department of Neurology, Desk S90, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195; e-mail: bakerk{at}ccf.org
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a greater prevalenceof asymptomatic first-degree relatives (FDR) of patients withprogressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) performing abnormally onthe PD test battery (PD Battery) compared to sex- and age-matchednormal control (NC) individuals. The PD Battery incorporatestests of motor function, olfaction, and mood. It has high specificityand sensitivity in distinguishing mildly affected PD patientsfrom NC individuals in previous studies.
METHODS: This test battery and regression analysisderivedscoring equations were applied to asymptomatic FDR.
RESULTS: Twenty-three FDR and 23 NC individuals were tested.Of the FDR, 39% scored in the abnormal range, whereas none ofthe NC individuals achieved abnormal scores. This differencewas significant. Further analysis demonstrated that the twogroups differed significantly on a measure of simple reactiontime.
CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of FDR who demonstrated abnormalperformance on the PD Battery was greater than NC individuals.Thus, the PD Battery may detect the asymptomatic carrier stateor risk for PSP or a subclinical effect of a shared environmentalexposure.
Previous work in our laboratory demonstrated that, relativeto normal controls, asymptomatic first-degree relatives (FDR)of individuals with PD show a higher rate of abnormal performanceon a sensitive and specific battery of tests developed for theearly detection of PD (the PD Battery).1 Given a putative rolefor genetics in the cause of typical PD, that study raised questionsregarding the possibility of detecting an asymptomatic carrieror sublinical state of the disease as well as the potentialimpact of such detection on future genetic and environmentalresearch. The existence of similar issues and goals in progressivesupranuclear palsy (PSP) led us to extend this work to the FDRof individuals with PSP.
PSP is a neurodegenerative disease with pathology principallyin the basal ganglia and brainstem, although most levels ofthe CNS typically are involved to some degree.2 The cause ofPSP is not known, and although there is some evidence for afamilial subtype of the disease, it is still considered to occursporadically. However, the term sporadic refers only to thelack of any pattern to its occurrence, and a genetic cause withlow and variable penetrance may appear sporadic.
Interest in the possible role of genetics in PSP can be foundin an increasing number of reports concerning cases of multiplefamily members with PSP3-7 as well as investigations into thepossible role of the tau gene.8-17 A test battery capable ofidentifying the asymptomatic or subclinical carrier state ofthe putative gene(s) could facilitate work on identificationof the putative genetic pathogenesis. Similarly, identificationof subclinical states would facilitate identification of sharedenvironmental exposures.
The PD Battery incorporates tests of motor function, olfaction,and mood. It has been shown to distinguish mildly affected andnewly diagnosed PD patients from normal control (NC) individualswith high specificity and sensitivity.18 Preliminary prospectivestudies have shown that the PD Battery, given to individualswithout sufficient symptoms or signs to make a diagnosis ofPD, is 89% specific and 71% sensitive in identifying those whowill reach clinically diagnosable PD within 2 years of testing.19In this study, we examined the performance of a group of FDR,primarily children, of individuals with PSP on the PD Battery.In addition, the test battery also was applied to age-matchedNC individuals who did not have a family history of PSP or PD.The prevalence of abnormal performance on the PD Battery wascompared between the two groups. Additional analyses were performedlooking at performance on the individual subtests of the batteryas well as reaction time and movement velocity data derivedduring performance of the motor task.
Subjects.
First-degree relatives were recruited either from the familiesof PSP patients under the care of physicians at the ClevelandClinic Foundation or through advertisement in the national newsletter,PSP Advocate. All participating subjects were judged neurologicallynormal based upon interview and examination by a movement disordersspecialist (E.B.M.). The examination particularly addressedsymptoms and signs such as bradykinesia, tremor, flexed posture,and difficulty with walking or eye movements. Most FDR wererelated to patients being followed by a movement disorders specialistat the Cleveland Clinic Foundation or were relatives of subjectswith PSP who had participated in previous research projectsin our laboratory. Thus, the diagnosis of PSP in the affectedrelative had a high probability of being correct. Those FDRwhose relative with PSP was not a patient at the Cleveland ClinicFoundation, and whose diagnosis had not been confirmed by autopsyelsewhere, were interviewed extensively regarding that relative.Particularly, the FDR had to describe problems with eye movementsand lack of response to levodopa in the affected relative inorder to be included in the study. If the FDR was not clearon the clinical history of the affected relative, he or shewas asked to contact a family member with the necessary informationand ask him or her to contact the laboratory. The FDR were acceptedinto the study only after the movement disorders expert wassatisfied that the affected relative met the published diagnosticcriteria for PSP.20 Although such criteria do not exclude thepossibility of including patients with disorders other thanPSP, they lessen the possibility.
One possible concern is the accuracy of diagnosis of PSP inthe indexed cases. The main concern in this study is the possibleinclusion of persons with diagnoses other than PSP, particularlyPD. Previous studies have shown that first-degree relativesof patients with PD have a higher rate of abnormal performanceon the test battery.1 Inclusion of first-degree relatives ofpatients with PD could have biased the results. However, thediagnostic criteria required in this study minimizes that risk.The critical issue regarding diagnostic accuracy is the rateof false positive diagnoses and not the rate of false negatives.The requirement of a documented history of lack of responseto levodopa has a 96% probability of excluding patients withidiopathic PD based on the finding of Hughes et al.21 that 96%of patients with postmortem documentation of idiopathic PD hada history of responsiveness to levodopa. The additional criterionof a documented history of impairment of volitional verticaleye movements makes it highly improbable that first-degree relativesof patients affected by disease other than PSP were includedin this study.
Normal control subjects were selected from a larger databaseof 120 NC individuals and matched to FDR by sex and age within5 years. The sample was selected by sorting the larger databasebased on subject age and selecting consecutive entries thatmatched both the age and sex of a FDR subject without regardto the performance of the matched subject on the test measures.Individuals in the NC group had been recruited from the staffand faculty of the University of Arizona College of Medicine,University of Kansas Medical Center, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation,or friends and non-parkinsonian members of local support groups.All NC individuals were interviewed by a movement disordersspecialist or a senior research associate with extensive knowledgeof parkinsonism and excluded if they had any symptoms or signsof parkinsonism such as bradykinesia, tremor, flexed posture,or difficulty with walking. NC subjects were asked directlyduring the interview if any of their relatives had any signs,symptoms, or a diagnosis of parkinsonism or PSP. Subjects wereexcluded if there was any reported family history of parkinsonismor PSP, although complete ascertainment is problematic. Allindividuals gave prior written informed consent and the protocolreceived prior approval by the institutional review boards ofthe Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the University of Kansas MedicalCenter, and the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
Other conditions that could have affected performance on thetest battery were considered. Any individuals with other conditionsthat could affect the sense of smell (such as a history of headtrauma or active rhinitis) or performance of the wrist tasks(such as arthritis) also were excluded. Recent smoking historywas ascertained. In addition, any individual taking medicationscapable of blocking dopamine receptors or depleting dopaminestores within 3 months prior to their participation were excluded.Individuals with depression or taking medications that couldcause or exacerbate depression were not specifically excluded.Previous studies indicate that the Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), one of the components in the PD Battery, does not makea significant contribution to the PD score and explains onlya small percentage of the variance in the results of the PDBattery of early and mild PD patients and NC individuals.18The BDI was retained, however, because it was used in the originaldevelopment of the scoring equations.
PD Battery.
The PD Battery incorporates tests of motor function, olfaction,and mood, and has been described previously.18 Briefly, themotor task consists of rapid wrist flexion and extension movementsmade to one of two types of targets in response to an auditory"go" signal. Olfactory function was measured by the Universityof Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT, Sensonics,Inc. Haddonfield, NJ). Finally, mood state was assessed usingthe BDI. Results from the test battery were combined in a logisticregression analysis into an equation that yielded a score (PDscore)between 0 and 1.0 for each individual.
Seven sons, 13 daughters, one brother, and two sisters (23 total)of patients with PSP, representing 11 different families, weretested. The average age was 43.5 years (range 27 to 83) in theFDR group and 44.3 years (range 27 to 83) in the group of 23matched NC subjects. The affected relatives of the FDR werefathers in 18, mothers in 2, and brothers in 3. None of thefamilies reported more than one family member with known PSP;however, three of the families reported one additional relativewith a diagnosis of PD. Participant characteristics are presentedin the table.
None of the matched NC individuals had a PDscore < 0.5 ascompared to 9 of 23 (39.1%) FDR who did. This difference wassignificant (Fishers exact test, p < 0.001). Figure 1shows the distribution of PDscores for each group. The nineFDR who performed abnormally represented six of the 11 differentfamilies from which subjects were drawn, with three of the familieshaving two asymptomatic study participants scoring in the abnormalrange. In these three cases, however, there was at least oneadditional family member who scored in the normal range on thetest battery. Within the 11 families sampled, three reporteda single additional extended family member with a diagnosisof PD.
Figure 1. Graph shows the distribution of PDscores of all the first-degree relatives of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (black bars) and normal control individuals (white bars).
One (12.5%) of eight sons and brothers tested in the abnormalrange and 8 (53%) of 15 sisters or daughters tested in the abnormalrange. This difference did not reach significance (Fishersexact test, p = 0.08), although the power of the test was poor(0.47). Summary data are presented in the table. Among the NCindividuals, there was no correlation of age with PDscore. Furthermore,there was no difference in age between those FDR whose performanceon the test battery was in the abnormal range (median age =39.5; 25th = 34.0/75th = 49.0) or the normal range (median age= 39.0; 25th = 35.0/75th = 45.0). Therefore, the increased rateof abnormalities in the FDR group is not due to older age.
Analysis of the results from the individual subtests revealedthat the performance of the FDR was significantly differentfrom NC individuals on all three subtests of the PD Battery.The results of the wrist task were derived from an analysisof the movement velocities in each of the four wrist movementsusing a regression analysis as described above. The analysisyields a single measure of performance for all four tasks. Theresult is a probability score (Pwrist) between 0 and 1 and reflectsthe probability of performing similarly to NC individuals (i.e.,normal individuals would have a Pwrist score of 1). It shouldbe noted that the analysis equations were derived from a previousstudy and applied prospectively to participants in this study.Consequently, any differences in the Pwrist scores between groupswere not artificial because of a regression analysis.
The mean Pwrist score was 0.67 (±0.21) for the FDR groupand 0.84 (±0.17) for the NC group. The difference wassignificant (unpaired t-test, p < 0.01). The mean age- andsex-corrected percentile score for the UPSIT for the FDR groupwas 48% (±28.4) whereas the mean score for the NC individualswas 68% (±26.5) (unpaired t-test, p = 0.017). The medianBDI for the FDR group was 4.5 (25% 2.0/75% 7.1) whereas themedian score for the NC individuals was 2.0 (25% 0.0/75% 4.1)(MannWhitney rank sum test, p = 0.015).
Although not a part of the regression equations used to derivethe PDscore, the motor task further provides information onsubject reaction time and movement velocity for each of thefour task conditions. An analysis of variance of repeated measuresdesign revealed no significant difference in reaction time foreach of the four task conditions. As such, the reaction timedata were averaged across the four conditions for each subject. Figure 2 shows the distribution of reaction times for thetwo groups. The median reaction time was 38.0 (first quartile30.9/third quartile 53.0) for the FDR group and 30.5 (firstquartile 24.6/third quartile 33.4) for the NC group. This differencewas significant (MannWhitney rank sum test, p < 0.001).
Figure 2. Graph shows the distribution of reaction times (RT) in all the first-degree relatives of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (black bars) and normal control individuals (white bars).
Figure 3 shows the distribution of movement velocities forthe two groups. The distribution of the movement velocitieswas skewed. Consequently, movement velocities were logarithmicallytransformed, resulting in a normal distribution to permit parametricstatistical analysis to examine the difference in movement velocities.An analysis of variance of repeated measures design resultedin a significant group (p = 0.002) and task (p < 0.001) differenceas well as a group by task interaction (p = 0.03) in the meanof the logarithmically transformed movement velocities. TheFDR subject group was consistently slower than the NC groupon each of the four movement patterns. Using unpaired t-tests,this difference was found to be significant for the extensionunbounded (p < 0.001), extension bounded (p = 0.025), andflexion unbounded (p = 0.012) movement patterns.
Figure 3. Graphs showing the distribution of movement velocities for the first-degree relatives of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (FDR) and normal control (NC) groups for each of the four movement patterns of the wrist task. During the task, an auditory "go" signal was used to cue the subject to produce either flexion (A and C) or extension (B and D) of the wrist from the start point to the target position. The target position was either unbounded (A and B), requiring that the subject stop the movement, or bounded (C and D) by a mechanical stop, beyond which the movement could not be continued. Black bars = FDR; white bars = NC.
The FDR of patients with PSP had a significantly higher prevalenceof abnormalities on the PD Battery than did NC subjects withouta family history of movement disorders. Consistent with thiswas the finding that the performance of the two groups was significantlydifferent across all three subtests of the battery. It is impossibleto know at this point which, if any, of the FDR might go onto develop PSP at some point in the future. The increasing numberof familial cases being reported in the literature suggeststhat there may be some increase in risk, but just how much isnot clear. There was no family history of PSP beyond the singleindex case for each of the FDR participating in this study.In any case, what is clear is that many of the FDR testing inthe abnormal range in the current study are unlikely to go onto develop PSP, suggesting that the PD Battery may be detectingan asymptomatic carrier state or subclinical form of the disease.
Investigations into the factors responsible for PSP, whetherfocused on genetics or environmental toxins, are complicatedby the late onset and rarity of the disease as well as the limitedreliability of historical information from families. Moreover,similar to what has been observed in PD, there may be a familialform of PSP that differs genetically from the more typical andseemingly sporadic form of the disease. Indeed, the patternof inheritance suggested by reports in the literature has beenmixed, with both recessive5,22 and dominant3,4,6 patterns observed.Other familial case reports are not sufficiently complete toallow a confident determination to be made.7 However, a recentinvestigation examining the frequency of tau polymorphisms inPSP patients with no family history of the disease showed evidenceof linkage disequilibrium between PSP and the tau marker usinga recessive as opposed to a dominant model of inheritance.15Although certainly complicated by the factors mentioned previously,this study provides some evidence that the more sporadic varietyof PSP may be recessively inherited with variable penetrance.
If we assume an autosomal recessive mode of transmission, then25% or approximately 6 of the 23 FDR tested in the current studywould be expected to carry the putative gene or be at risk.Alternatively, an autosomal dominant pattern suggests that 50%or approximately 12 of the 23 subjects should be at risk. Theactual prevalence of abnormalities in the FDR tested was 39%or 9 of 23, a figure that falls about midway between the differentmodels. The absence of false positives in the matched NC group,although worthy of note, does not bear a significant impacton this finding. Within the larger database of 120 NC individualsfrom which the matched subjects were selected, the total falsepositive rate is 9%. Although there is no correlation betweenage and PD score in that group (r = -0.13, p = 0.144, n = 120),the false positive rate for individuals under 52 years of ageis only 3.1%. Given that 20 of the 23 FDR of PSP patients were51 years of age or younger, it is not surprising that the NCsample should be without false positives. Even if we were toallow for a 9% false positive rate in NC individuals, this wouldpredict that only 1 of the 11 FDR without the gene would havea false positive abnormality using the dominant model or 2 of17 using the recessive model. Thus, the PD Battery would haveaccurately identified 66% (8 of 12) under the autosomal dominantmodel and 42% (7 of 17) using the autosomal recessive modelmuchhigher than the rather conservative 9% false positive rate inthe NC sample. Finally, a sex-linked inheritance pattern doesnot seem likely; however, the power of the performed test wasinsufficient to completely rule out such a pattern in this smallsample.
The observed difference in olfactory function between the twogroups is of interest given the lack of olfactory findings inpatients with PSP. Reports in the literature have shown thatthe odor identification ability of patients with PSP is comparableto normal control subjects and significantly better than patientswith idiopathic PD.23,24 However, in reviewing both reportsit is clear that there is a marked trend toward reduced olfactoryfunction in the patients with PSP. Neither set of authors reportedthe results of subsequent power analysis, leaving open the possibilityof a type II error in their results. That is to say, the possibilityexists that the null hypothesis, which in this case would statethat there is no difference between the groups, may have beenfalsely accepted. The higher rate of smoking in the FDR groupis of some concern given the potential impact of smoking onthe sense of smell. However, the PDscore reflects performanceon all three subtests and abnormal performance on any singlesubtest of the battery will not result in an abnormal score.The observed difference on the BDI is not surprising, givenprevious reports of psychiatric symptoms, including depression-likesymptoms, in patients with PSP.25-26
Reaction time was observed to be significantly longer in theFDR group as compared to the NC group across all tasks. If weassume the possibility of a subclinical disease state or anasymptomatic carrier state in PSP, there is both theoreticaland empirical evidence that coincides with this finding. Previousstudies have suggested that motor initiation utilizes physiologicmechanisms separate from those underlying motor execution.27,28These studies have suggested that the anterior striatum, consistingof the head of the caudate nucleus and the anterior putamen,may be more involved in motor initiation, whereas the posteriorstriatum is more involved in motor execution. PET and SPECThave shown preservation of dopamine in the anterior striatumrelative to posterior striatum of PD compared to PSP patients.29,30Several groups have demonstrated that reaction time is delayedin patients with PSP,31-34 even in those with relatively milddisease.33 All of this suggests that reaction time may be ofsome value in further improving the identification of PSP aswell as the asymptomatic carrier state or subclinical form ofthe disease.
There was an observed trend in the current study for extensionmovements to be more affected than flexion movements in theFDR group. This is consistent with observations in experimentalanimal studies. DennyBrown35 showed that nonhuman primatesbecame immobile in a flexed posture following large lesionsof the globus pallidus. Similarly, injections of muscimol, agamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist that inactivates theglobus pallidus, have been shown to produce a greater slowingof extension movements compared to flexion movements on a wristflexion and extension task similar to that used in the currentstudy.36 Finally, recordings of neuronal activity changes madein nonhuman primates and correlated with wrist flexion and extensionmovements before and following induction of parkinsonism usingn-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahyrdopyridine (MPTP) showed thatgreater changes in neuronal activity following MPTP were associatedwith the wrist extension task than with the flexion task.37
One possible explanation for the greater impairment of extensionmovements may be that there is a greater representation or dedicationof neurons to flexion motor control in the basal ganglia. Thisgreater representation could explain the predominance of flexionafter stimulation and may convey increased resistance to degradationof performance of flexion movements. Thus, flexion is relativelywell preserved, resulting in a flexor bias such as flexed posture.Also, there would be greater impairment of extension movementswith disease.
The results of the current study are of considerable interestregardless of whether the pathogenesis of PSP involves geneticor environmental factors. In either case, the PD Battery, eitherin its present form or with the addition of reaction time data,could help advance research into the cause of PSP. If the causeis genetic, then the PD Battery may be able to detect the asymptomaticcarrier state or risk. Comparing the genetic makeup of the FDRscoring in the abnormal range with that of the unaffected parentsor siblings who score in the normal range could lead to theidentification of a shared genetic makeup that could cause orfacilitate PSP. Likewise, if the cause is environmental, thePD Battery may be able to detect preclinical or subclinicalinvolvement. As such, comparing the environmental exposure ofFDR who score in the abnormal range with those who do not mayhelp to identify potential causative agents. Further, the presumablyearlier detection would be closer to the time of exposure, therebyfacilitating the discovery of causative environmental factors.
Acknowledgments
Supported in part by the Movement Disorders Research Fund ofthe Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
The authors thank John Gale for his assistance.
Footnotes
Additional material related to this article can be found onthe Neurology Web site. Go to www.neurology.org and then scrolldown the Table of Contents for the January 9 issue to find thetitle link for this article.
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Received June 7, 2000.
Accepted in final form September 28, 2000.