Anthony E Lang

An Apple a Day Will Not Keep the (Parkinson Disease) Doctor at Bay! An Apple a Day Will Not Keep the (Parkinson Disease) Doctor at Bay! Ann Neurol. 2024 Mar 30. doi: 10.1002/ana.26936. Online ahead of print. Authors Alexandra Boogers 1 , Alfonso Fasano 1 2 3 , Anthony Lang 1 2 Affiliations 1 Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease and Morton and Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, and Division of Neurology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 2 Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 3 Center for Advancing Neurotechnological Innovation to Application, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. PMID: 38553985 DOI: 10.1002/ana.26936 No abstract available Publication types Letter Grants and funding University Health Network University of Toronto …

Parkinsonism outcomes in different settings: How the type of care matters Parkinsonism outcomes in different settings: How the type of care matters Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2024 Apr 12:106972. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2024.106972. Online ahead of print. Authors Berta Solano 1 , Ana Cámara 2 , Yaroslau Compta 3 Affiliations 1 Neurology Department of the Universitary Hospital Josep Trueta. Avinguda de França, S/N, 17007, Girona, Catalonia, Spain. 2 Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), ERN- RND, InstitutClínic de Neurociències UBNeuro (Maria de Maeztu Excellence Centre), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. 3 Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic I Universitari de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERNED (CB06/05/0018-ISCIII), …

INTRODUCTION We investigated whether novel plasma biomarkers are associated with cognition, cognitive decline, and functional independence in activities of daily living across and within neurodegenerative diseases. METHODS Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL), phosphorylated tau (p‐tau)181 and amyloid beta (Aβ)42/40 were measured using ultra‐sensitive Simoa immunoassays in 44 healthy controls and 480 participants diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease/mild cognitive impairment (AD/MCI), Parkinson's disease (PD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) spectrum disorders, or cerebrovascular disease (CVD). RESULTS GFAP, NfL, and/or p‐tau181 were elevated among all diseases compared to controls, and were broadly associated with worse baseline cognitive performance, greater cognitive decline, and/or lower functional independence. While GFAP, NfL, and p‐tau181 …

Background Functional parkinsonism is an important differential diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Based on anecdotal experience, we hypothesized that arm swing while walking and running could differentiate these two conditions, but this assumption has not been previously explored systematically. Objectives To examine differences in arm swing while walking and running between patients with PD and functional parkinsonism. Methods We analyzed blinded video assessments of arm swing and other gait parameters in patients with asymmetrical PD (n = 81) and functional parkinsonism (n = 8) while walking and running. The groups were matched for age, sex and disease duration. Results In contrast to those with PD, patients with functional parkinsonism (i) were more likely to have a marked asymmetry in arm swing while walking (5/8 vs. 25/81; P = 0.06), (ii) were less likely to improve arm swing …

Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is the strongest prodromal marker for α‐synucleinopathies. The Horvath DNA methylation age (DNAm‐age) is an epigenetic clock reflecting biological aging. We found an association of DNAm‐age acceleration with RBD age at onset at baseline (N = 162, B = −0.68, standard error [SE] = 0.12, p = 2.59e‐08) and follow‐up (n = 45, B = −1.07, SE = 0.21, p = 9.73e‐06). The result remained similar after accounting for genetic risk factors (eg, RBD polygenic risk score). On average, RBD patients with faster versus slow/normal epigenetic aging had a 5.2‐year earlier phenoconversion, and the Cox regression analysis revealed a trend toward significance (n = 53, hazard ratio = 1.05, 95% confidence interval = 0.99–1.11, p = 0.06). Our findings suggest that DNAm‐age acceleration is a potential biomarker for earlier RBD onset. ANN NEUROL …

BackgroundMucolipidosis type IV (MLIV) is a rare, progressive lysosomal storage disorder characterized by severe intellectual disability, delayed motor milestones and ophthalmologic abnormalities. MLIV is an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the MCOLN1 gene, encoding mucolipin-1 which is responsible for maintaining lysosomal function.Objectives and MethodsHere, we report a family of four Iranian siblings with cognitive decline, progressive visual and pyramidal disturbances, and abnormal movements manifested by severe oromandibular dystonia and parkinsonism. MRI scans of the brain demonstrated signal abnormalities in the white matter and thinning of the corpus callosum.Results and ConclusionsWhole-exome sequencing identified a novel homozygous variant, c.362C > T:p. Thr121Met in the MCOLN1 gene consistent with a diagnosis of MLIV. The presentation of MLIV may overlap …

Objectives To evaluate the effect of Alzheimer's disease (AD) ‐related biomarker change on clinical features, brain atrophy and functional connectivity of patients with corticobasal syndrome (CBS) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Methods Data from patients with a clinical diagnosis of CBS, PSP, and AD and healthy controls were obtained from the 4‐R‐Tauopathy Neuroimaging Initiative 1 and 2, the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, and a local cohort from the Toronto Western Hospital. Patients with CBS and PSP were divided into AD‐positive (CBS/PSP‐AD) and AD‐negative (CBS/PSP‐noAD) groups based on fluid biomarkers and amyloid PET scans. Cognitive, motor, and depression scores; AD fluid biomarkers (cerebrospinal p‐tau, t‐tau, and amyloid‐beta, and plasma ptau‐217); and neuroimaging data (amyloid PET, MRI and fMRI) were collected. Clinical features, whole‐brain gray …

Background and Objective The Levodopa in EArly Parkinson's disease study showed no effect of earlier versus later levodopa initiation on Parkinson's disease (PD) progression over 80 weeks. We now report the effects over 5 years. Methods The Levodopa in EArly Parkinson's disease study randomly assigned patients to levodopa/carbidopa 300/75 mg daily for 80 weeks (early start) or to placebo for 40 weeks followed by levodopa/carbidopa 300/75 mg daily for 40 weeks (delayed start). Follow‐up visits were performed 3 and 5 years after baseline. We assessed the between‐group differences in terms of square root transformed total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score at 3 and 5 years with linear regression. We compared the prevalence of dyskinesia, prevalence of wearing off, and the levodopa equivalent daily dose. Results A total of 321 patients completed the 5‐year visit. The adjusted …