Clinical and Genetic Study of Neurodegenerative Disorders With Cognitive Impairment

Patients with different types of dementia will be recruited and evaluated in national hospital departments for their usual neurological follow-ups. A blood sample will be proposed in the field of this research project, and the biological material will be stored at the DNA and Cell Bank of Institut de Fédératif Recherche (IFR) of Neurosciences (Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris). The clinical research network is already set up for Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementias, which permits an evaluation according to a clinical standardized protocol.

Among these disorders, a monogenic sub-group has been identified. In Alzheimer's disease, it is associated with the APP, PSEN1 and PSEN2 genes, which account only for 75% of the familial forms with early onset. In frontotemporal dementias, the tau gene mutations account only for 10% of the cases with an autosomal dominant inheritance. The identification of familial forms with a genetic inquiry in the relatives is essential for a greater knowledge of the molecular bases of forms not caused by the known genes, using linkage approaches and candidate gene analysis. The familial forms are also useful for identifying the modifier genes.

In the multifactorial forms, the aim is to assemble a wide cohort of patients and controls matched for localizing and identifying susceptibility genetic factors. The strategies will use a candidate gene approach, and in the near future, studies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spread out in the whole genome. Meanwhile, similar approaches, particularly with candidate genes, could be used for identifying predictive factors of tolerance and response to the treatment.

Finally, correlations will be performed with seric markers according to each kind of dementia.

Specialized clinical teams in diagnosis and follow-up in dementias are assembled for this project, and in the study of neurological disorders of genetic origin.

• Patients presenting with a neurodegenerative disorder
• At risk patients

• Alzheimer's Disease
• Dementia
• Neurodegenerative Disorders

• Neurodegenerative disorders with cognitive impairment
  Intervention: Other: Blood sampling, skin biopsy
• Control
  Intervention: Other: Blood sampling, skin biopsy
• At risk reactive
  Intervention: Other: Blood sampling, skin biopsy

• Le Ber I, Guedj E, Gabelle A, Verpillat P, Volteau M, Thomas-Anterion C, Decousus M, Hannequin D, Vera P, Lacomblez L, Camuzat A, Didic M, Puel M, Lotterie JA, Golfier V, Bernard AM, Vercelletto M, Magne C, Sellal F, Namer I, Michel BF, Pasquier J, Salachas F, Bochet J; French research network on FTD/FTD-MND; Brice A, Habert MO, Dubois B. Demographic, neurological and behavioural characteristics and brain perfusion SPECT in frontal variant of frontotemporal dementia. Brain. 2006 Nov;129(Pt 11):3051-65.
• van der Zee J, Le Ber I, Maurer-Stroh S, Engelborghs S, Gijselinck I, Camuzat A, Brouwers N, Vandenberghe R, Sleegers K, Hannequin D, Dermaut B, Schymkowitz J, Campion D, Santens P, Martin JJ, Lacomblez L, De Pooter T, Peeters K, Mattheijssens M, Vercelletto M, Van den Broeck M, Cruts M, De Deyn PP, Rousseau F, Brice A, Van Broeckhoven C. Mutations other than null mutations producing a pathogenic loss of progranulin in frontotemporal dementia. Hum Mutat. 2007 Mar 7;28(4):416 [Epub ahead of print]
• Baba Y, Baker MC, Le Ber I, Brice A, Maeck L, Kohlhase J, Yasuda M, Stoppe G, Bugiani O, Sperfeld AD, Tsuboi Y, Uitti RJ, Farrer MJ, Ghetti B, Hutton ML, Wszolek ZK. Clinical and genetic features of families with frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 with a P301S tau mutation. J Neural Transm. 2007 Feb 23; [Epub ahead of print]
• Le Ber I, van der Zee J, Hannequin D, Gijselinck I, Campion D, Puel M, Laquerriere A, De Pooter T, Camuzat A, Van den Broeck M, Dubois B, Sellal F, Lacomblez L, Vercelletto M, Thomas-Anterion C, Michel BF, Golfier V, Didic M, Salachas F, Duyckaerts C, Cruts M, Verpillat P, Van Broeckhoven C, Brice A. Progranulin null mutations in both sporadic and familial frontotemporal dementia. Hum Mutat. 2007 Apr 13; [Epub ahead of print]
• Guedj E, Le Ber I, Lacomblez L, Dubois B, Verpillat P, Didic M, Salachas F, Vera P, Hannequin D, Lotterie JA, Puel M, Decousus M, Thomas-Anterion C, Magne C, Vercelletto M, Bernard AM, Golfier V, Pasquier J, Michel BF, Namer I, Sellal F, Bochet J, Volteau M, Brice A, Meininger V; French Research Network on FTD/FTD-MND; Habert MO. Brain spect perfusion of frontotemporal dementia associated with motor neuron disease. Neurology. 2007 Jul 31;69(5):488-90. No abstract available.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients presenting with a neurodegenerative disorder with cognitive impairment controls (without signs of the disease), matched with sex and age with the patients
• Relatives for the familial cases

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women
• Minors
• Persons refusing to sign the informed consent