{beta}-N-methylamino-L-alanine analysis in the brains of patients with Kii ALS/PDC

The Kii Peninsula of Japan and the island of Guam are known as high-incidence areas of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism–dementia complex (ALS/PDC). The disorder is clinically characterized by a variable presentation of parkinsonism, dementia, and motor neuron symptoms and pathologically by tau protein deposits in the CNS.1 Both genetic and environmental factors are implicated in ALS/PDC pathogenesis. Exposure to β-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA), a neurotoxin produced by cyanobacteria, has been proposed as a risk factor for ALS/PDC in Guam.2 It is not known whether Kii ALS/PDC shares the same etiology as Guam ALS/PDC. To address these issues, we conducted BMAA analyses of brain samples from 5 patients with Kii ALS/PDC using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS).

Source: Neurology - September 4, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Kokubo, Y., Banack, S. A., Morimoto, S., Murayama, S., Togashi, T., Metcalf, J. S., Cox, P. A., Kuzuhara, S. Tags: Parkinson's disease/Parkinsonism, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, All Cognitive Disorders/Dementia, Other toxicology CLINICAL/SCIENTIFIC NOTES Source Type: research