Oral sialic acid supplementation in NANS-CDG: Results of a single center, open-label, observational pilot study.

NANS-CDG is a congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG) caused by biallelic variants in NANS, encoding an essential enzyme in de novo sialic acid synthesis. It presents with intellectual developmental disorder (IDD), skeletal dysplasia, neurologic impairment, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Some patients suffer progressive intellectual neurologic deterioration (PIND), emphasizing the need for a therapy. In a previous study, sialic acid supplementation in knockout nansa zebrafish partially rescued skeletal abnormalities. Here, we performed the first in-human pre- and postnatal sialic-acid study in NANS-CDG. In this open-label observational study, 5 patients with NANS-CDG (range 0-28 years) were treated with oral sialic acid for 15 months. The primary outcome was safety. Secondary outcomes were psychomotor/cognitive testing, height and weight, seizure control, bone health, gastrointestinal symptoms, and biochemical and hematological parameters. Sialic acid was well tolerated. In postnatally treated patients, there was no significant improvement. For the prenatally treated patient, psychomotor and neurologic development was better than two other genotypically identical patients (one treated postnatally, one untreated). The effect of sialic acid treatment may depend on the timing, with prenatal treatment potentially benefiting neurodevelopmental outcomes. Evidence is limited, however, and longer-term follow-up in a larger number of prenatally treated patients is required.

Diagnosing, discarding, or de-VUSsing: A practical guide to (un)targeted metabolomics as variant-transcending functional tests.

PURPOSE: For patients with inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs), any diagnostic delay should be avoided because early initiation of personalized treatment could prevent irreversible health damage. To improve diagnostic interpretation of genetic data, gene function tests can be valuable assets. For IMDs, variant-transcending functional tests are readily available through (un)targeted metabolomics assays. To support the application of metabolomics for this purpose, we developed a gene-based guide to select functional tests to either confirm or exclude an IMD diagnosis. METHODS: Using information from a diagnostic IMD exome panel, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and Inborn Errors of Metabolism Knowledgebase, we compiled a guide for metabolomics-based gene function tests. From our practical experience with this guide, we retrospectively selected illustrative cases for whom combined metabolomic/genomic testing improved diagnostic success and evaluated the effect hereof on clinical management. RESULTS: The guide contains 2047 metabolism-associated genes for which a validated or putative variant-transcending gene function test is available. We present 16 patients for whom metabolomic testing either confirmed or ruled out the presence of a second pathogenic variant, validated or ruled out pathogenicity of variants of uncertain significance, or identified a diagnosis initially missed by genetic analysis. CONCLUSION: Metabolomics-based gene function tests provide additional value in the diagnostic trajectory of patients with suspected IMD by enhancing and accelerating diagnostic success.

TNPO2 variants associate with human developmental delays, neurologic deficits, and dysmorphic features and alter TNPO2 activity in Drosophila.

Transportin-2 (TNPO2) mediates multiple pathways including non-classical nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of >60 cargoes, such as developmental and neuronal proteins. We identified 15 individuals carrying de novo coding variants in TNPO2 who presented with global developmental delay (GDD), dysmorphic features, ophthalmologic abnormalities, and neurological features. To assess the nature of these variants, functional studies were performed in Drosophila. We found that fly dTnpo (orthologous to TNPO2) is expressed in a subset of neurons. dTnpo is critical for neuronal maintenance and function as downregulating dTnpo in mature neurons using RNAi disrupts neuronal activity and survival. Altering the activity and expression of dTnpo using mutant alleles or RNAi causes developmental defects, including eye and wing deformities and lethality. These effects are dosage dependent as more severe phenotypes are associated with stronger dTnpo loss. Interestingly, similar phenotypes are observed with dTnpo upregulation and ectopic expression of TNPO2, showing that loss and gain of Transportin activity causes developmental defects. Further, proband-associated variants can cause more or less severe developmental abnormalities compared to wild-type TNPO2 when ectopically expressed. The impact of the variants tested seems to correlate with their position within the protein. Specifically, those that fall within the RAN binding domain cause more severe toxicity and those in the acidic loop are less toxic. Variants within the cargo binding domain show tissue-dependent effects. In summary, dTnpo is an essential gene in flies during development and in neurons. Further, proband-associated de novo variants within TNPO2 disrupt the function of the encoded protein. Hence, TNPO2 variants are causative for neurodevelopmental abnormalities.

NANS-CDG: Delineation of the Genetic, Biochemical, and Clinical Spectrum.

Background: NANS-CDG is a recently described congenital disorder of glycosylation caused by biallelic genetic variants in NANS, encoding an essential enzyme in de novo sialic acid synthesis. Sialic acid at the end of glycoconjugates plays a key role in biological processes such as brain and skeletal development. Here, we present an observational cohort study to delineate the genetic, biochemical, and clinical phenotype and assess possible correlations. Methods: Medical and laboratory records were reviewed with retrospective extraction and analysis of genetic, biochemical, and clinical data (2016-2020). Results: Nine NANS-CDG patients (nine families, six countries) referred to the Radboudumc CDG Center of Expertise were included. Phenotyping confirmed the hallmark features including intellectual developmental disorder (IDD) (n = 9/9; 100%), facial dysmorphisms (n = 9/9; 100%), neurologic impairment (n = 9/9; 100%), short stature (n = 8/9; 89%), skeletal dysplasia (n = 8/9; 89%), and short limbs (n = 8/9; 89%). Newly identified features include ophthalmological abnormalities (n = 6/9; 67%), an abnormal septum pellucidum (n = 6/9; 67%), (progressive) cerebral atrophy and ventricular dilatation (n = 5/9; 56%), gastrointestinal dysfunction (n = 5/9; 56%), thrombocytopenia (n = 5/9; 56%), and hypo-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (n = 4/9; 44%). Biochemically, elevated urinary excretion of N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) is pathognomonic, the concentrations of which show a significant correlation with clinical severity. Genotypically, eight novel NANS variants were identified. Three severely affected patients harbored identical compound heterozygous pathogenic variants, one of whom was initiated on experimental prenatal and postnatal treatment with oral sialic acid. This patient showed markedly better psychomotor development than the other two genotypically identical males. Conclusions: ManNAc screening should be considered in all patients with IDD, short stature with short limbs, facial dysmorphisms, neurologic impairment, and an abnormal septum pellucidum +/- congenital and neurodegenerative lesions on brain imaging, to establish a precise diagnosis and contribute to prognostication. Personalized management includes accurate genetic counseling and access to proper supports and tailored care for gastrointestinal symptoms, thrombocytopenia, and epilepsy, as well as rehabilitation services for cognitive and physical impairments. Motivated by the short-term positive effects of experimental treatment with oral sialic, we have initiated this intervention with protocolized follow-up of neurologic, systemic, and growth outcomes in four patients. Research is ongoing to unravel pathophysiology and identify novel therapeutic targets.

Genotype-phenotype correlations and novel molecular insights into the DHX30-associated neurodevelopmental disorders.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to define the clinical and variant spectrum and to provide novel molecular insights into the DHX30-associated neurodevelopmental disorder. METHODS: Clinical and genetic data from affected individuals were collected through Facebook-based family support group, GeneMatcher, and our network of collaborators. We investigated the impact of novel missense variants with respect to ATPase and helicase activity, stress granule (SG) formation, global translation, and their effect on embryonic development in zebrafish. SG formation was additionally analyzed in CRISPR/Cas9-mediated DHX30-deficient HEK293T and zebrafish models, along with in vivo behavioral assays. RESULTS: We identified 25 previously unreported individuals, ten of whom carry novel variants, two of which are recurrent, and provide evidence of gonadal mosaicism in one family. All 19 individuals harboring heterozygous missense variants within helicase core motifs (HCMs) have global developmental delay, intellectual disability, severe speech impairment, and gait abnormalities. These variants impair the ATPase and helicase activity of DHX30, trigger SG formation, interfere with global translation, and cause developmental defects in a zebrafish model. Notably, 4 individuals harboring heterozygous variants resulting either in haploinsufficiency or truncated proteins presented with a milder clinical course, similar to an individual harboring a de novo mosaic HCM missense variant. Functionally, we established DHX30 as an ATP-dependent RNA helicase and as an evolutionary conserved factor in SG assembly. Based on the clinical course, the variant location, and type we establish two distinct clinical subtypes. DHX30 loss-of-function variants cause a milder phenotype whereas a severe phenotype is caused by HCM missense variants that, in addition to the loss of ATPase and helicase activity, lead to a detrimental gain-of-function with respect to SG formation. Behavioral characterization of dhx30-deficient zebrafish revealed altered sleep-wake activity and social interaction, partially resembling the human phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the usefulness of social media to define novel Mendelian disorders and exemplifies how functional analyses accompanied by clinical and genetic findings can define clinically distinct subtypes for ultra-rare disorders. Such approaches require close interdisciplinary collaboration between families/legal representatives of the affected individuals, clinicians, molecular genetics diagnostic laboratories, and research laboratories.

Adult GAMT deficiency: A literature review and report of two siblings.

Guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) deficiency is a creatine deficiency disorder and an inborn error of metabolism presenting with progressive intellectual and neurological deterioration. As most cases are identified and treated in early childhood, adult phenotypes that can help in understanding the natural history of the disorder are rare. We describe two adult cases of GAMT deficiency from a consanguineous family in Pakistan that presented with a history of global developmental delay, cognitive impairments, excessive drooling, behavioral abnormalities, contractures and apparent bone deformities initially presumed to be the reason for abnormal gait. Exome sequencing identified a homozygous nonsense variant in GAMT: NM_000156.5:c.134G>A (p.Trp45*). We also performed a literature review and compiled the genetic and clinical characteristics of all adult cases of GAMT deficiency reported to date. When compared to the adult cases previously reported, the musculoskeletal phenotype and the rapidly progressive nature of neurological and motor decline seen in our patients is striking. This study presents an opportunity to gain insights into the adult presentation of GAMT deficiency and highlights the need for in-depth evaluation and reporting of clinical features to expand our understanding of the phenotypic spectrum.

Biallelic variants in the RNA exosome gene EXOSC5 are associated with developmental delays, short stature, cerebellar hypoplasia and motor weakness.

The RNA exosome is an essential ribonuclease complex required for processing and/or degradation of both coding and non-coding RNAs. We identified five patients with biallelic variants in EXOSC5, which encodes a structural subunit of the RNA exosome. The clinical features of these patients include failure to thrive, short stature, feeding difficulties, developmental delays that affect motor skills, hypotonia and esotropia. Brain MRI revealed cerebellar hypoplasia and ventriculomegaly. While we ascertained five patients, three patients with distinct variants of EXOSC5 were studied in detail. The first patient had a deletion involving exons 5-6 of EXOSC5 and a missense variant, p.Thr114Ile, that were inherited in trans, the second patient was homozygous for p.Leu206His and the third patient had paternal isodisomy for chromosome 19 and was homozygous for p.Met148Thr. The additional two patients ascertained are siblings who had an early frameshift mutation in EXOSC5 and the p.Thr114Ile missense variant that were inherited in trans. We employed three complementary approaches to explore the requirement for EXOSC5 in brain development and assess consequences of pathogenic EXOSC5 variants. Loss of function for exosc5 in zebrafish results in shortened and curved tails/bodies, reduced eye/head size and edema. We modeled pathogenic EXOSC5 variants in both budding yeast and mammalian cells. Some of these variants cause defects in RNA exosome function as well as altered interactions with other RNA exosome subunits. These findings expand the number of genes encoding RNA exosome subunits linked to human disease while also suggesting that disease mechanism varies depending on the specific pathogenic variant.

Variants in NGLY1 lead to intellectual disability, myoclonus epilepsy, sensorimotor axonal polyneuropathy and mitochondrial dysfunction.

NGLY1 encodes the enzyme N-glycanase that is involved in the degradation of glycoproteins as part of the endoplasmatic reticulum-associated degradation pathway. Variants in this gene have been described to cause a multisystem disease characterized by neuromotor impairment, neuropathy, intellectual disability, and dysmorphic features. Here, we describe four patients with pathogenic variants in NGLY1. As the clinical features and laboratory results of the patients suggested a multisystem mitochondrial disease, a muscle biopsy had been performed. Biochemical analysis in muscle showed a strongly reduced ATP production rate in all patients, while individual OXPHOS enzyme activities varied from normal to reduced. No causative variants in any mitochondrial disease genes were found using mtDNA analysis and whole exome sequencing. In all four patients, variants in NGLY1 were identified, including two unreported variants (c.849T>G (p.(Cys283Trp)) and c.1067A>G (p.(Glu356Gly)). Western blot analysis of N-glycanase in muscle and fibroblasts showed a complete absence of N-glycanase. One patient showed a decreased basal and maximal oxygen consumption rates in fibroblasts. Mitochondrial morphofunction fibroblast analysis showed patient specific differences when compared to control cell lines. In conclusion, variants in NGLY1 affect mitochondrial energy metabolism which in turn might contribute to the clinical disease course.

PLPHP deficiency: clinical, genetic, biochemical, and mechanistic insights.

Biallelic pathogenic variants in PLPBP (formerly called PROSC) have recently been shown to cause a novel form of vitamin B6-dependent epilepsy, the pathophysiological basis of which is poorly understood. When left untreated, the disease can progress to status epilepticus and death in infancy. Here we present 12 previously undescribed patients and six novel pathogenic variants in PLPBP. Suspected clinical diagnoses prior to identification of PLPBP variants included mitochondrial encephalopathy (two patients), folinic acid-responsive epilepsy (one patient) and a movement disorder compatible with AADC deficiency (one patient). The encoded protein, PLPHP is believed to be crucial for B6 homeostasis. We modelled the pathogenicity of the variants and developed a clinical severity scoring system. The most severe phenotypes were associated with variants leading to loss of function of PLPBP or significantly affecting protein stability/PLP-binding. To explore the pathophysiology of this disease further, we developed the first zebrafish model of PLPHP deficiency using CRISPR/Cas9. Our model recapitulates the disease, with plpbp-/- larvae showing behavioural, biochemical, and electrophysiological signs of seizure activity by 10 days post-fertilization and early death by 16 days post-fertilization. Treatment with pyridoxine significantly improved the epileptic phenotype and extended lifespan in plpbp-/- animals. Larvae had disruptions in amino acid metabolism as well as GABA and catecholamine biosynthesis, indicating impairment of PLP-dependent enzymatic activities. Using mass spectrometry, we observed significant B6 vitamer level changes in plpbp-/- zebrafish, patient fibroblasts and PLPHP-deficient HEK293 cells. Additional studies in human cells and yeast provide the first empirical evidence that PLPHP is localized in mitochondria and may play a role in mitochondrial metabolism. These models provide new insights into disease mechanisms and can serve as a platform for drug discovery.

Recessive mutations in ATP8A2 cause severe hypotonia, cognitive impairment, hyperkinetic movement disorders and progressive optic atrophy.

BACKGROUND: ATP8A2 mutations have recently been described in several patients with severe, early-onset hypotonia and cognitive impairment. The aim of our study was to characterize the clinical phenotype of patients with ATP8A2 mutations. METHODS: An observational study was conducted at multiple diagnostic centres. Clinical data is presented from 9 unreported and 2 previously reported patients with ATP8A2 mutations. We compare their features with 3 additional patients that have been previously reported in the medical literature. RESULTS: Eleven patients with biallelic ATP8A2 mutations were identified, with a mean age of 9.4 years (range 2.5-28 years). All patients with ATP8A2 mutations (100%) demonstrated developmental delay, severe hypotonia and movement disorders, specifically chorea or choreoathetosis (100%), dystonia (27%) and facial dyskinesia (18%). Optic atrophy was observed in 78% of patients for whom funduscopic examination was performed. Symptom onset in all (100%) was noted before 6 months of age, with 70% having symptoms noted at birth. Feeding difficulties were common (91%) although most patients were able to tolerate pureed or thickened feeds, and 3 patients required gastrostomy tube insertion. MRI of the brain was normal in 50% of the patients. A smaller proportion was noted to have mild cortical atrophy (30%), delayed myelination (20%) and/or hypoplastic optic nerves (20%). Functional studies were performed on differentiated induced pluripotent cells from one child, which confirmed a decrease in ATP8A2 expression compared to control cells. CONCLUSIONS: ATP8A2 gene mutations have emerged as the cause of a novel neurological phenotype characterized by global developmental delays, severe hypotonia and hyperkinetic movement disorders, the latter being an important distinguishing feature. Optic atrophy is common and may only become apparent in the first few years of life, necessitating repeat ophthalmologic evaluation in older children. Early recognition of the cardinal features of this condition will facilitate diagnosis of this complex neurologic disorder.

Ataxia-telangiectasia: recommendations for multidisciplinary treatment.

Ataxia-telangiectasia is a rare, neurodegenerative, and multisystem disease, characterized by cerebellar ataxia, oculocutaneous telangiectasia, immunodeficiency, progressive respiratory failure, and an increased risk of malignancies. It demands specialized care tailored to the individual patient's needs. Besides the classic ataxia-telangiectasia phenotype, a variant phenotype exists with partly overlapping but some distinctive disease characteristics. This guideline summarizes frequently encountered medical problems in the disease course of patients with classic and variant ataxia-telangiectasia, in the domains of neurology, immunology and infectious diseases, pulmonology, anaesthetic and perioperative risk, oncology, endocrinology, and nutrition. Furthermore, it provides a practical guide with evidence- and expert-based recommendations for the follow-up and treatment of all these different clinical topics.

Ataxia-telangiectasia: Immunodeficiency and survival.

Ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by ataxia, telangiectasia, and immunodeficiency. An increased risk of malignancies and respiratory diseases dramatically reduce life expectancy. To better counsel families, develop individual follow-up programs, and select patients for therapeutic trials, more knowledge is needed on factors influencing survival. This retrospective cohort study of 61 AT patients shows that classical AT patients had a shorter survival than variant patients (HR 5.9, 95%CI 2.0-17.7), especially once a malignancy was diagnosed (HR 2.5, 95%CI 1.1-5.5, compared to classical AT patients without malignancy). Patients with the hyper IgM phenotype with hypogammaglobulinemia (AT-HIGM) and patients with an IgG2 deficiency showed decreased survival compared to patients with normal IgG (HR 9.2, 95%CI 3.2-26.5) and patients with normal IgG2 levels (HR 7.8, 95%CI 1.7-36.2), respectively. If high risk treatment trials will become available for AT, those patients with factors indicating the poorest prognosis might be considered for inclusion first.

Phenytoin as a last-resort treatment in SCN8A encephalopathy.

SCN8A encodes Nav1.6, one of the main voltage-gated sodium channel subunits in the brain, and SCN8A mutations lead to epileptic encephalopathy. Particular mutations render the mutant channel more susceptible to inhibition by phenytoin. Yet, the potentially severe side effects of phenytoin maintenance therapy, especially cognitive impairment, are undesirable in these already cognitively impaired patients. We describe a 5-year-old patient with SCN8A encephalopathy in whom phenytoin proved successful as emergency treatment to prevent clustering of seizures and status epilepticus, thus hospital stays. The ketogenic diet, levetiracetam, zonisamide, topiramate, and phenytoin maintenance therapy resulted in adverse reactions not previously documented in SCN8A encephalopathy.

Biallelic Mutations in TBCD, Encoding the Tubulin Folding Cofactor D, Perturb Microtubule Dynamics and Cause Early-Onset Encephalopathy.

Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeletal elements coordinating and supporting a variety of neuronal processes, including cell division, migration, polarity, intracellular trafficking, and signal transduction. Mutations in genes encoding tubulins and microtubule-associated proteins are known to cause neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Growing evidence suggests that altered microtubule dynamics may also underlie or contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegeneration. We report that biallelic mutations in TBCD, encoding one of the five co-chaperones required for assembly and disassembly of the αß-tubulin heterodimer, the structural unit of microtubules, cause a disease with neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative features characterized by early-onset cortical atrophy, secondary hypomyelination, microcephaly, thin corpus callosum, developmental delay, intellectual disability, seizures, optic atrophy, and spastic quadriplegia. Molecular dynamics simulations predicted long-range and/or local structural perturbations associated with the disease-causing mutations. Biochemical analyses documented variably reduced levels of TBCD, indicating relative instability of mutant proteins, and defective ß-tubulin binding in a subset of the tested mutants. Reduced or defective TBCD function resulted in decreased soluble α/ß-tubulin levels and accelerated microtubule polymerization in fibroblasts from affected subjects, demonstrating an overall shift toward a more rapidly growing and stable microtubule population. These cells displayed an aberrant mitotic spindle with disorganized, tangle-shaped microtubules and reduced aster formation, which however did not alter appreciably the rate of cell proliferation. Our findings establish that defective TBCD function underlies a recognizable encephalopathy and drives accelerated microtubule polymerization and enhanced microtubule stability, underscoring an additional cause of altered microtubule dynamics with impact on neuronal function and survival in the developing brain.

Pathogenic mechanism of recurrent mutations of SCN8A in epileptic encephalopathy.

OBJECTIVE: The early infantile epileptic encephalopathy type 13 (EIEE13, OMIM #614558) results from de novo missense mutations of SCN8A encoding the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.6. More than 20% of patients have recurrent mutations in residues Arg1617 or Arg1872. Our goal was to determine the functional effects of these mutations on channel properties. METHODS: Clinical exome sequencing was carried out on patients with early-onset seizures, developmental delay, and cognitive impairment. Two mutations identified here, p.Arg1872Leu and p.Arg1872Gln, and two previously identified mutations, p.Arg1872Trp and p.Arg1617Gln, were introduced into Nav1.6 cDNA, and effects on electrophysiological properties were characterized in transfected ND7/23 cells. Interactions with FGF14, G-protein subunit Gßγ, and sodium channel subunit ß1 were assessed by coimmunoprecipitation. RESULTS: We identified two patients with the novel mutation p.Arg1872Leu and one patient with the recurrent mutation p.Arg1872Gln. The three mutations of Arg1872 and the mutation of Arg1617 all impaired the sodium channel transition from open state to inactivated state, resulting in channel hyperactivity. Other observed abnormalities contributing to elevated channel activity were increased persistent current, increased peak current density, hyperpolarizing shift in voltage dependence of activation, and depolarizing shift in steady-state inactivation. Protein interactions were not affected. INTERPRETATION: Recurrent mutations at Arg1617 and Arg1872 lead to elevated Nav1.6 channel activity by impairing channel inactivation. Channel hyperactivity is the major pathogenic mechanism for gain-of-function mutations of SCN8A. EIEE13 differs mechanistically from Dravet syndrome, which is caused by loss-of-function mutations of SCN1A. This distinction has important consequences for selection of antiepileptic drugs and the development of gene- and mutation-specific treatments.

Risk of Disabling Response Fluctuations and Dyskinesias for Dopamine Agonists Versus Levodopa in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Response fluctuations and dyskinesias develop during the use of both levodopa (LD) and dopamine agonists (DA), but may not be equally disabling. OBJECTIVE: To compare the risk and time of onset of disabling response fluctuations and dyskinesias (DRFD) among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who were initially treated with either LD or DA. METHODS: Open cohort study of all consecutive de-novo PD patients in routine clinical practice, included over a period of 15 years (median follow-up: 8.1 years, range 1.1-17.7), since embarking on LD or DA. Older patients and patients with more severe PD were started on LD (n = 77), younger patients on a DA (n = 50). Therapy was adjusted according to generally accepted guidelines. The primary endpoints were: the onset of response fluctuations, dyskinesias, and the moment when these complications became disabling (DRFD). RESULTS: LD-starters developed response fluctuations 0.8 years earlier than DA-starters (p = 0.07), while dyskinesias appeared around 2.5 years earlier (p = 0.003). However, the risk and time of onset of DRFD did not differ statistically between the groups (LD-starters: 60% , median interval 7.3 years, DA-starters: 52% , 6.1 years, p = 0.63). DA-starters displayed a 0.19 points lower adjusted mean improvement in motor scores than LD-starters (p = 0.002). Adjustments for age and severity of PD at start of dopaminergic therapy did not change these results. CONCLUSIONS: In routine clinical practice, the risk and time of onset of DRFD is comparable for LD-starters versus DA-starters, but motor functioning is worse in DA-starters. These results support the use of LD as initial therapy for PD.

Artistic occupations are associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is preceded by a premotor phase of unknown duration. Dopaminergic degeneration during this phase may lead to subtle cognitive and behavioural changes, such as decreased novelty seeking. Consequently, premotor subjects might be most comfortable in jobs that do not require optimal dopamine levels, leading to an overrepresentation in structured and predictable occupations, or an underrepresentation in artistic occupations. In a case-control study, 750 men with PD (onset ≥40 years) and 1300 healthy men completed a validated questionnaire about their lifetime occupational status. Occupations were classified using the RIASEC model. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for the conventional and artistic categories, both for the most recent occupation before symptom onset, and for the very first occupation. Because farming has been associated with a PD risk, ORs were calculated separately for farming. A reduced risk of PD was found for men with an artistic occupation late in life (OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.04-0.53), while an artistic first occupation did not prevent PD (OR 0.72, CI 0.32-1.59). Conventional occupations showed no increased risk (recent: OR 1.07, CI 0.70-1.64; first: OR 1.14, CI 0.77-1.71). In support of previous reports, farming was associated with an increased risk of PD (recent: OR 2.6, CI 1.4-4.6; first: OR 2.7, CI 1.6-4.5). PD patients were older than controls, but various statistical corrections for age all lead to similar results. Artistic occupations late in life are associated with a reduced risk of subsequent PD, perhaps because this reflects a better preserved dopaminergic state. No initial occupation predicted PD, suggesting that the premotor phase starts later in life.

[A neonate with a sacrococcygeal mass]. / Een neonaat met een lumbosacrale zwelling.

A neonate was born with a sacrococcygeal mass. Initially, spina bifida was suspected. However, neurological examination was unremarkable. An MRI of the neuraxis showed a large cystic presacral lesion without signs of spina bifida. Surgical resection of the lesion was performed. Pathologic evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of a sacrococcygeal teratoma.

Freezer or non-freezer: clinical assessment of freezing of gait.

INTRODUCTION: Freezing of gait (FOG) is both common and debilitating in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Future pathophysiology studies will depend critically upon adequate classification of patients as being either 'freezers' or 'non-freezers'. This classification should be based ideally upon objective confirmation by an experienced observer during clinical assessment. Given the known difficulties to elicit FOG when examining patients, we aimed to investigate which simple clinical test would be the most sensitive to provoke FOG objectively. METHODS: We examined 50 patients with PD, including 32 off-state freezers (defined as experiencing subjective 'gluing of the feet to the floor'). Assessment including a FOG trajectory (three trials: normal speed, fast speed, and with dual tasking) and several turning variants (180° vs. 360° turns; leftward vs. rightward turns; wide vs. narrow turning; and slow vs. fast turns). RESULTS: Sensitivity of the entire assessment to provoke FOG in subjective freezers was 0.74, specificity was 0.94. The most effective test to provoke FOG was rapid 360° turns in both directions and, if negative, combined with a gait trajectory with dual tasking. Repeated testing improved the diagnostic yield. The least informative tests included wide turns, 180° turns or normal speed full turns. Sensitivity to provoke objective FOG in subjective freezers was 0.65 for the rapid full turns in both directions and 0.63 for the FOG trajectory. DISCUSSION: The most efficient way to objectively ascertain FOG is asking patients to repeatedly make rapid 360° narrow turns from standstill, on the spot and in both directions.