Long Leukocyte Telomere Length at Diagnosis Is a Risk Factor for Dementia Progression in Idiopathic Parkinsonism

Abstract

Telomere length (TL) is regarded as a marker of cellular aging due to the gradual shortening by each cell division, but is influenced by a number of factors including oxidative stress and inflammation. Parkinson's disease and atypical forms of parkinsonism occur mainly in the elderly, with oxidative stress and inflammation in afflicted cells. In this study the relationship between blood TL and prognosis of 168 patients with idiopathic parkinsonism (136 Parkinson's disease [PD], 17 Progressive Supranuclear Palsy [PSP], and 15 Multiple System Atrophy [MSA]) and 30 controls was investigated. TL and motor and cognitive performance were assessed at baseline (diagnosis) and repeatedly up to three to five years follow up. No difference in TL between controls and patients was shown at baseline, nor any significant difference in TL stability or attrition during follow up. Interestingly, a significant relationship between TL at diagnosis and cognitive phenotype at follow up in PD and PSP patients was found, with longer mean TL at diagnosis in patients that developed dementia within three years.

Telomere length in Parkinson's disease: A meta-analysis

“…Eight primary studies were included in the meta-analysis for PD and telomere length (Degerman et al, 2014; Eerola et al, 2010; Guan et al, 2008; Hudson et al, 2011; Schurks et al, 2014; Wang et al, 2008; Watfa et al, 2011). One study was not included in the meta-analysis as TL data were not available and it was not possible to obtain the information from the corresponding author after multiple attempts (Maeda et al, 2012).…”

“…A comprehensive description of the advantages and disadvantages of these two methods is beyond the scope of this study and is provided elsewhere (Aviv et al, 2011; Elbers et al, 2014; Lustig, 2015). Results from published studies on TL and PD are inconsistent (Degerman et al, 2014; Wang et al, 2008), highlighting the need for a meta-analysis (Eitan et al, 2014). In the current work, we carried out a meta-analysis of published studies on TL and PD.…”

Psychological Profiles in the Prediction of Leukocyte Telomere Length in Healthy Individuals

“…Longer TL in peripheral blood leukocytes has also been associated with a significantly increased risk of endometrial cancer [111]. Moreover, individuals with longer TL at diagnosis of either Parkinson's disease or Progressive Supranuclear Palsy respectively had an increased risk of developing dementia three years later [112]. Genetic factors may play a role in the relations observed.…”

Decreased telomere length in children with cartilage-hair hypoplasia

“…Telomere length was determined by the qPCR method described by Cawthon,16 with minor modifications 17. Briefly, sample DNA was analysed in triplicate wells in a separate Telomere (TEL) and a single-copy gene human beta-hemoglobin (HBG) reaction on the ABI 7900HT Instrument (Applied Biosystems) at two separate times.…”