Nonparkinsonian Diseases Caused by LRRK2 Mutations

Mutations in the gene for leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) have arisen as the most common known cause of Parkinson disease (PD), but it is unclear how often mutations in this gene cause other neurodegenerative disorders. Most genetic screenings for LRRK2 mutations have been done in patients from PD clinics. In this study, the authors screened for common mutations in LRRK2 among 254 patients recruited from neurodegenerative disease clinics and 180 autopsy samples from patients with neurodegenerative diseases. The clinic patients had been diagnosed clinically with frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal syndrome, AD, ALS, progressive supranuclear palsy, unspecified dementia, or (in only 20 cases) PD or dementia with Lewy bodies. Most (123) …