Background::Genetic variants of dopaminergic transcription factor-encoding genes are suggested to be Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk factors; however, no comprehensive analyses of these genes in patients with PD have been undertaken. Therefore, we aimed to genetically analyze 16 dopaminergic transcription factor genes in Chinese patients with PD.Methods::Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed using a Chinese cohort comprising 1917 unrelated patients with familial or sporadic early-onset PD and 1652 controls. Additionally, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed using another Chinese cohort comprising 1962 unrelated patients with sporadic late-onset PD and 1279 controls.Results::We detected 308 rare and 208 rare protein-altering variants in the WES and WGS cohorts, respectively. Gene-based association analyses of rare variants suggested that MSX1 is enriched in sporadic late-onset PD. However, the significance did not pass the Bonferroni correction. Meanwhile, 72 and 1730 common variants were found in the WES and WGS cohorts, respectively. Unfortunately, single-variant logistic association analyses did not identify significant associations between common variants and PD. Conclusions::Variants of 16 typical dopaminergic transcription factors might not be major genetic risk factors for PD in Chinese patients. However, we highlight the complexity of PD and the need for extensive research elucidating its etiology.

Rare diseases are diseases whose number of patients accounts for 0.065%-0.1% of the total population. The incidence rate of a single rare disease is low, but there are many kinds of rare diseases. According to statistics, there are more than 20 million patients with various rare diseases, which shows that rare diseases are not rare. About 40% of rare diseases are neurorare, including neuroimmune diseases (such as autoimmune encephalitis) and neurogenetic diseases (such as spinocerebellar ataxia, leukodystrophy, and intranuclear inclusion body disease). Neurological rare diseases are progressive and often lifelong, and in severe cases can be life-threatening. However, rare neurological diseases face numerous difficulties and challenges, such as difficulties in seeking medical treatment, diagnosis, and treatment. Therefore, we urgently need to pay attention to rare neurological diseases, strengthen our understanding of rare diseases, improve the level of diagnosis and treatment, service quality, carry out popular science education and innovative clinical research, in order to establish a sound diagnosis and treatment system for rare neurological diseases.

Anti N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is a rare autoimmune encephalitis, and its diverse etiology and clinical manifestations have attracted attention. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of anti NMDAR encephalitis are not yet fully understood, and its diagnosis and treatment still have certain limitations. This review mainly explores the environmental genetic factors that drive the occurrence of diseases and the biological indicators that are beneficial for diagnosis. It also elaborates on the current immune regulation and emerging treatment pathways, points out potential targeted interventions, and looks forward to the challenges and future development directions they face.

Anti γ-aminobutyric acid B receptor encephalitis is a type of autoimmune encephalitis characterized by the production of self specific antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid and/or serum, with seizures, memory loss, and consciousness disorders as the main clinical manifestations. This type of encephalitis caused by autoantibodies has the same pathological characteristics as other peripheral encephalitis. There are many different etiologies and pathophysiological processes that lead to the occurrence of limbic encephalitis, and it is necessary to understand their heterogeneity in order to find effective treatment methods. This article will systematically review the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of anti γ-aminobutyric acid B receptor encephalitis, aiming to enhance clinical doctors' understanding of this disease and provide reference for clinical decision-making.

Humans ; Parkinson Disease/therapy* ; Phototherapy ; Treatment Outcome

Scientific and efficient collaborative innovation system plays a key role in driving the construction and development of national clinical medical research centers. As the entity in building the national clinical medical research center for geriatric diseases, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University has carried out the " two-in-one integration" construction of the center hospital based on the principle of " simultaneous construction of the center and the hospital" . Leveraging the research, promotion and application of key technologies for common diseases and frequently occurring diseases among the elderly, a collaborative innovation system has come into being since 2018, consisting of three organically linked platforms of technology support platform, core research platform and public service platform, as well as four support systems of collaborative innovation network support system, innovation management system support system, special innovation fund support system and innovation ability training support system. By 2021, the collaborative innovation system has been completed in general, and desirable results have been achieved in clinical research, achievements translation and technology promotion for geriatric diseases. These achievements have strongly promoted the development of China′s elderly health sector.

Objective: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) is one of the most common autosomal dominant ataxias in the world. Several reports revealed that CAG repeats in some polyQ-containing genes may affect the age at onset (AAO) of patients with SCA2, however, little studies were conducted among Chinese patients with SCA2. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of CAG repeats on the AAO of patients with SCA2 in China.Methods:A total of 119 patients with SCA2 were enrolled and were divided into 2 groups according to their major phenotype:17 patients from 9 families with Parkinson ' s syndrome were grouped as the Parkinson ' s disease-SCA2 (PD-SAC2); 91 patients from 66 SCA2 families and 11 sporadic SCA2 patients were grouped as the ataxia-SCA2 (A-SCA2). Blood samples were obtained from the subjects, and the CAG repeat length in ATXN2 and other (CAG)n-containing genes was screened using fluorescent PCR. The Spearman ' s rank correlation between the CAG repeat length in (CAG)n-containing genes and AAO was analyzed. Regression analysis was performed to investigate whether the CAG repeat length could explain the variant of AAO. A t-test was used to compare the difference of CAG repeat length in (CAG)n-containing genes between the PD-SAC2 and A-SCA2 groups. Results:The CAG repeat length in the longer allele of ATXN2 was negatively correlated with AAO of SCA2 (R=?0.251, P<0.05), and the CAG repeat length could explain 41.7％of the variation of AAO. AAO negatively correlated with the CAG repeat length in the shorter allele of ATXN7 (R=?0.251, P=0.006) or in the longer allele of TBP gene (R=?0.197, P=0.034). A tendency of delay in the AAO was also observed in patients with SCA2 carrying the CAG repeat within the ATXN3, CACNA1A, ATXN7, TBP, and RAI1. In addition, we found that the CAG repeat length in ATXN7 and ATXN2 between the A-SCA2 and the PD-SCA2 groups was significantly different (both P<0.05).Conclusion:The CAG repeat in ATXN2 is a major genetic factor for the AAO of patients with SCA2 in China. The CAG repeat length in ATXN3, CACNA1A, ATXN7, TBP, and RAI1 genes might be a potential factor associated with the AAO of SCA2. The CAG repeat in ATXN7 might be a potential factor affecting the Parkinson??s syndrome in SCA2.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons selectively. Although the motor system lesion is the most predominant clinical manifestation of ALS, with the progression of the understanding of the pathogenesis and clinical detection of the disease, more and more patients are found to have extra-motor features of ALS, such as somatosensory involvement, etc. The research results demonstrated that ALS might be a kind of disorder combined with sensory disturbance according to the electrophysiology, neuropathology, neuroimaging, animal model simulation, genetic evidence, and other methods detected. We, herein, review the prevalence and detection methods especially the aspect of genetic associations implicated in the sensory nerve disturbance of ALS.

Essential tremor (ET) is a common movement disorder. It is characterized by a distinctive 4-12 Hz action tremor typically affecting bilateral upper limbs. Existing drugs for ET mainly include β-blockers, anticonvulsants, benzodiazepines, etc. However, the efficacy of existing drugs is limited. With the development of the medical research, some progress has been made in the treatment of ET. The review will explore the recent advances in the treatment of ET,such as new drugs, surgical treatment, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, rehabilitation treatment, etc., in order to provide clinical application prospects.

Essential tremor(ET)is one of the most common movement disorders, with a prevalence of 4.6% in people over 65 years old.Action tremor of both upper limbs at 4-12 Hz action tremor in both upper limbs is the main clinical feature of ET patients.ET was previously considered to be a benign isolated symptomatic disease, but in recent years, researches have found that ET is a family of diseases with high clinical and genetic heterogeneities.In addition to tremor, it can also be accompanied by soft neurological signs and various non-motor symptoms, leading to different degrees of function impairment in patients.Early comprehensive evaluation and long-term follow-up of patients with ET are essential.The standardized scale is the most important tool for ET assessment.This article reviews various tremor assessment scales.