TY - JOUR
T1 - Blood harmane (1-Methyl-9 H -Pyrido[3,4- b ]indole) concentrations in essential tremor
T2 - Repeat observation in cases and controls in New York
AU - Louis, Elan D.
AU - Jiang, Wendy
AU - Gerbin, Marina
AU - Viner, Amanda S.
AU - Factor-Litvak, Pam
AU - Zheng, Wei
N1 - Funding Information:
Elan D. Louis was funded by R01 NS39422, P30 ES09089, and CTSA grant number UL1 RR024156 from the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD, and Research Triangle, NC). Pam Factor-Litvak was funded by R01 ES12231 and R01 ES017024 from the National Institutes of Health (Research Triangle, NC). Wei Zheng was funded by R01 NS39422, R01 ES008146, and R21 ES017055 from the National Institutes of Health (Research Triangle, NC). The National Institutes of Health played no role in the study design, the collection of data, the analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the article, or the decision to submit the article for publication. The authors were free to design, conduct, interpret, and publish research and this was not compromised by the National Institutes of Health.
PY - 2012/6/15
Y1 - 2012/6/15
N2 - Essential tremor (ET) is a widespread late-life neurological disease. Genetic and environmental factors are likely to play important etiological roles. Harmane (1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole) is a potent tremor-producing neurotoxin. Previously, elevated blood harmane concentrations were demonstrated in ET cases compared to controls, but these observations have all been cross-sectional, assessing each subject at only one time point. Thus, no one has ever repeat-assayed blood harmane in the same subjects twice. Whether the observed case-control difference persists at a second time point, years later, is unknown. The current goal was to reassess a sample of our ET cases and controls to determine whether blood harmane concentration remained elevated in ET at a second time point. Blood harmane concentrations were quantified by a well-established high-performance liquid chromatography method in 63 ET cases and 70 controls. A mean of approximately 6 yr elapsed between the initial and this subsequent blood harmane determination. The mean log blood harmane concentration was significantly higher in cases than controls (0.30 ± 0.61 g-10/ml versus 0.08 ± 0.55 g-10/ml), and the median value in cases was double that of controls: 0.22 g-10/ml versus 0.11 g-10/ml. The log blood harmane concentration was highest in cases with a family history of ET. Blood harmane concentration was elevated in ET cases compared to controls when reassessed at a second time point several years later, indicating what seems to be a stable association between this environmental toxin and ET.
AB - Essential tremor (ET) is a widespread late-life neurological disease. Genetic and environmental factors are likely to play important etiological roles. Harmane (1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole) is a potent tremor-producing neurotoxin. Previously, elevated blood harmane concentrations were demonstrated in ET cases compared to controls, but these observations have all been cross-sectional, assessing each subject at only one time point. Thus, no one has ever repeat-assayed blood harmane in the same subjects twice. Whether the observed case-control difference persists at a second time point, years later, is unknown. The current goal was to reassess a sample of our ET cases and controls to determine whether blood harmane concentration remained elevated in ET at a second time point. Blood harmane concentrations were quantified by a well-established high-performance liquid chromatography method in 63 ET cases and 70 controls. A mean of approximately 6 yr elapsed between the initial and this subsequent blood harmane determination. The mean log blood harmane concentration was significantly higher in cases than controls (0.30 ± 0.61 g-10/ml versus 0.08 ± 0.55 g-10/ml), and the median value in cases was double that of controls: 0.22 g-10/ml versus 0.11 g-10/ml. The log blood harmane concentration was highest in cases with a family history of ET. Blood harmane concentration was elevated in ET cases compared to controls when reassessed at a second time point several years later, indicating what seems to be a stable association between this environmental toxin and ET.
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U2 - 10.1080/15287394.2012.688485
DO - 10.1080/15287394.2012.688485
M3 - Article
C2 - 22757671
AN - SCOPUS:84863675425
SN - 1528-7394
VL - 75
SP - 673
EP - 683
JO - Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health - Part A: Current Issues
JF - Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health - Part A: Current Issues
IS - 12
ER -