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Andrew J Lees

Publications and source records attributed to Andrew J Lees.

97 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Progressive supranuclear palsy: where are we now?

This review provides an update on progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP, or Steele-Richardson-Olszewski disease), an adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterised by early postural instability, which leads to falls, and a vertical supranuclear-gaze palsy. Recent epidemiological studies have shown that the disorder is more common than previously recognised, that it is commonly misdiagnosed, and that it may present to a wide range of hospital specialists. The diagnosis of PSP hinges on clinical acumen. Attempts to identify a suitable biomarker in the CSF or a specific and sensitive imaging or neurophysiological technique have so far failed to have a significant effect on the diagnostic process. Better understanding of the molecular pathology of PSP has highlighted the importance of tau-protein accumulation and tau-genotype susceptibility in its pathogenesis. No drug treatment significantly and consistently benefits patients, and novel therapies are urgently required.

Brain↗
PubMed2002

The accuracy of diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes in a specialist movement disorder service.

We have reviewed the clinical and pathological diagnoses of 143 cases of parkinsonism seen by neurologists associated with the movement disorders service at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London who came to neuropathological examination at the United Kingdom Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Research Centre, over a 10-year period between 1990 and the end of 1999. Seventy-three (47 male, 26 female) cases were diagnosed as having idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) and 70 (42 male, 28 female) as having another parkinsonian syndrome. The positive predictive value of the clinical diagnosis for the whole group was 85.3%, with 122 cases correctly clinically diagnosed. The positive predictive value of the clinical diagnosis of IPD was extremely high, at 98.6% (72 out of 73), while for the other parkinsonian syndromes it was 71.4% (50 out of 70). The positive predictive values of a clinical diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) were 85.7 (30 out of 35) and 80% (16 out of 20), respectively. The sensitivity for IPD was 91.1%, due to seven false-negative cases, with 72 of the 79 pathologically established cases being diagnosed in life. For MSA, the sensitivity was 88.2% (30 out of 34), and for PSP it was 84.2% (16 out of 19). The diagnostic accuracy for IPD, MSA and PSP was higher than most previous prospective clinicopathological series and studies using the retrospective application of clinical diagnostic criteria. The seven false-negative cases of IPD suggest a broader clinical picture of disease than previously thought acceptable. This study implies that neurologists with particular expertise in the field of movement disorders may be using a method of pattern recognition for diagnosis which goes beyond that inherent in any formal set of diagnostic criteria.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Progression of nigrostriatal dysfunction in a parkin kindred: an [18F]dopa PET and clinical study.

Molecular and clinical characterization of parkin-associated parkinsonism is well described; however, there are no data available on progression of dopamine terminal dysfunction in parkin-associated disease. We have used [(18)F]dopa PET serially to study members of a family with young-onset parkinsonism who are compound heterozygous for mutations in the parkin gene, having an exonic deletion and a novel intronic splice site mutation. Four patients have been studied twice, 10 years apart, to assess disease progression. Additionally, we have studied five asymptomatic family members, four of whom carry a single parkin mutation and one individual who has a normal genotype. Two of the carriers and the individual with the normal genotype had repeat [(18)F]dopa PET. The group of parkin patients showed a significantly slower loss of putamen [(18)F]dopa uptake (P = 0.0008) compared with a group of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) patients who had baseline putamen [(18)F]dopa uptake and disease severity similar to the parkin group. These results indicate that disease progression in patients with parkin mutations is slower than that of IPD patients. The group of asymptomatic parkin carriers also showed significant striatal dopaminergic dysfunction, and three of them developed subtle extrapyramidal signs. However, the two carriers scanned twice showed no progression over a 7-year period. The slower rate of disease progression in parkin patients may explain the near normal longevity of these patients with young onset parkinsonism.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A common LRRK2 mutation in idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Mutations in the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene have been shown to cause autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease. Few mutations in this gene have been identified. We investigated the frequency of a common heterozygous mutation, 2877510 g-->A, which produces a glycine to serine aminoacid substitution at codon 2019 (Gly2019 ser), in idiopathic Parkinson's disease. We assessed 482 patients with the disorder, of whom 263 had pathologically confirmed disease, by direct sequencing for mutations in exon 41 of LRRK2. The mutation was present in eight (1.6%) patients. We have shown that a common single Mendelian mutation is implicated in sporadic Parkinson's disease. We suggest that testing for this mutation will be important in the management and genetic counselling of patients with Parkinson's disease.

Adult↗