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BACKGROUND: Parkinson’s disease (PD)-associated psychosis is a well-known non-motor complication, occurring years after diagnosis of PD. Incidence data vary across different studies highlighting a need for long-term observation and clinical definition. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of psychosis in patients with PD and to investigate their survival in an incident cohort study from 1991–2010 in Olmsted County, MN. METHODS: We used the Rochester Epidemiology Project to define an incident-cohort study of parkinsonism (1991–2010) in Olmsted County, MN. A movement-disorder specialist reviewed the electronic medical records and applied diagnosis criteria to PD. Psychosis was diagnosed using of NINDS/NIMH unified criteria. RESULTS: We identified 669 cases of parkinsonism; 297 patients were clinically diagnosed with PD. 114/297 (38.4%) patients had evidence of psychosis (60% male); the median onset age of psychosis was 79.4 years. The incidence of Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP) was 4.28/100 person-years. PDP patients had a 71% increased risk of death compared to PD patients. In PD patients without psychosis, men had 73.4% increased risk of death compared to women, whereas no significant sex difference was observed among PDP men vs. women. Of 114 patients diagnosed with psychosis, 59 were treated with antipsychotics. There was no significant difference in survival between treated and untreated patients. CONCLUSION: PDP increased the odds of death compared to PD patients. Men with PD without psychosis had greater odds of death compared to women; however, in PD with psychosis the odds of death were comparable among sexes. Lastly, treatment with anti-psychotics did not significantly affect survival.

Parkinson's disease (PD) most commonly surfaces at middle age. Earlier onset is characterized as Early-onset Parkinson's disease (EOPD), but the exact definition has been a matter of ongoing scientific debate. We investigated 40-year EOPD incidence trends in a population-based cohort of parkinsonism in Olmsted County, MN.We used the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) to identify all incident EOPD cases in Olmsted County between 1976 and 2015. A movement-disorder specialist reviewed all cases to confirm the EOPD diagnosis. For EOPD definition, we used two age cut-offs: 50 and 55 years.EOPD incidence was 1.43/100,000 person-years for ≤55 and 0.55/100,000 for ≤50 years. Men had a higher incidence than women in both groups [1.84 vs 1.03 (p = 0.04); and 0.70 vs 0.40 (p = 0.24), respectively]. EOPD incidence diagnosed before age 55 increased each decade: from 1.02/100.000 person-year 1976-1985, to 1.32/100.000 person-year 2006-2015. A similar trend was observed when ≤50 years of age cut off was used (0.28/100,000 person-years 1976-1985, to 0.59/100,000 person-year 2006-2015). Incidence was consistently higher in men than women. Median time from EOPD-symptoms onset to death was shorter in the EOPD ≤55 group (21.9 years) compared to the EOPD ≤50 group (25.6 years).We observed an increased trend in the incidence of EOPD, both in ≤55 and ≤ 50 years of age. Overall, incidence of EOPD was 1.43 (≤55) and 0.55 (≤50) cases per 100,000 person-years, and although not significant, was higher in men than in women.

OBJECTIVE The aim was to analyze the timeline, prevalence, and survival of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in patients who developed alpha-synucleinopathies (Parkinson disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and Parkinson disease dementia) compared with age- and sex-matched controls in a population-based incident-cohort study. METHODS We used a population-based, 1991 to 2010 incident-cohort study of alpha-synucleinopathies. A movement-disorder specialist reviewed medical records to confirm diagnoses. RBD was diagnosed by reported dream-enactment symptoms or polysomnography. Probable RBD and polysomnographically confirmed RBD were analyzed separately and combined. RESULTS Among the 444 incident cases of alpha-synucleinopathy, 86 were clinically diagnosed with RBD (19.8%), including 30 (35%) by polysomnography and 56 (65%) as probable. The prevalence of idiopathic RBD at alpha-synucleinopathy diagnosis was 3.4%, increasing to 23.8% after 15 years. Cumulative lifetime incidence was 53 times greater in alpha-synucleinopathy patients than in controls (odds ratio [OR] = 53.1, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 13.0-217.2, p

BACKGROUND Few studies have investigated the incidence of PSP and CBS in the population. OBJECTIVE To examine the incidence of and trends in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS) in a population-based cohort of residents of Olmsted County, MN. METHODS We used the 1991-2005 population-based, Olmsted County Parkinsonism-cohort study, defined via the Rochester Epidemiology Project. A movement-disorder specialist reviewed medical records, to confirm PSP and CBS diagnoses. RESULTS We identified 21 patients with these diagnoses 1991-2005 : 18 (85.7%), PSP; 3 (14.3%), CBS. The median diagnosis age was 78 (range: 66-88). 13/21 (62.0%) were male. MRI was performed pre-diagnosis in 11 patients (8 PSP and 3 CBD); 10 showed atrophy consistent with clinical diagnoses. We observed concordance between clinical and pathological diagnoses in two PSP patients who underwent autopsy. Combined incidence for PSP and CBS in Olmsted County was 3.1 per 100,000 person-years (2.6 per 100,000 person-years, PSP; 0.4 per 100,000 person-years, CBS). Incidence was higher in men (4.5, 95% CI, 2.0-7.0) than women (1.8, 95% CI, 0.5-2.9). A combined, significant trend of increasing incidence was observed between 1991 and 2005 (B=0.69, 95% CI 0.42, 0.96, p

INTRODUCTION: Frontotemporal-dementia disorders (FTDs) are heterogeneous phenotypical behavioral and language disorders usually associated with frontal and/or temporal lobe degeneration. We investigated their incidence in a population-based cohort. METHODS: Using a records-linkage system, we identified all patients with a diagnostic code for dementia in Olmsted County, MN, 1995–2010, and confirmed the diagnosis of FTD. A behavioral neurologist verified the clinical diagnosis and determined phenotypes. RESULTS: We identified 35 FTDs cases. Overall, the incidence of FTDs was 4.3/100,000/year (95% CI 2.9, 5.7). Incidence was higher in men (6.3/100,000, 95% CI 3.6, 9.0) than women (2.9/100,000; 95% CI 1.3, 4.5); we observed an increased trend over time (B= 0.83, 95% CI 0.54, 1.11, P

ObjectiveTo investigate the frequency of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLBs) and Parkinson disease with dementia (PDD) and compare these frequencies with patients with incident Parkinson disease (PD) through a population-based cohort study.MethodsWe identified all patients with DLB, PDD, and PD without dementia in a 1991–2010 population-based parkinsonism-incident cohort, in Olmsted County, Minnesota. We abstracted information about levodopa-induced dyskinesia. We compared patients with DLB and PDD with dyskinesia with patients with PD from the same cohort.ResultsLevodopa use and dyskinesia data were available for 141/143 (98.6%) patients with a diagnosis of either DLB or PDD; 87 (61.7%), treated with levodopa. Dyskinesia was documented in 12.6% (8 DLB and 3 PDD) of levodopa-treated patients. Among these patients, median parkinsonism diagnosis age was 74 years (range: 64–80 years); 63.6%, male. The median interval from levodopa initiation to dyskinesia onset was 2 years (range: 3 months–4 years); the median daily levodopa dosage was 600 mg (range: 50–1,600 mg). Dyskinesia severity led to levodopa adjustments in 5 patients, and all improved. Patients with dyskinesia were diagnosed with parkinsonism at a significantly younger age compared with patients without dyskinesia (p < 0.001). Levodopa dosage was unrelated to increased risk of dyskinesias among DLB and PDD. In contrast, 30.1% of levodopa-treated patients with PD developed dyskinesia. In age-, sex-, and levodopa dosage–adjusted models, Patients with DLB and PDD each had lower odds of developing dyskinesia than patients with PD (odds ratio = 0.42, 95% CI 0.21–0.88; p = 0.02).ConclusionsThe dyskinesia risk for levodopa-treated patients with DLB or PDD was substantially less than for levodopa-treated patients with PD.

Introduction Preclinical studies suggest that inhalational anesthetics may induce neuropathology changes in the nigrostriatal system, leading to development of α-synucleinopathies. We explored the role of general anesthesia in the development of Parkinson disease (PD) and other α-synucleinopathies. Methods All α-synucleinopathy cases in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from January 1991, to December 2010, were identified from diagnostic codes, and then reviewed for type and index date of diagnosis. Cases were matched by sex and age (±1 year) to a referent control, a resident living in Olmsted County, and free of α-synucleinopathies before the index date (year of onset of the α-synucleinopathy). Medical records of both cases and controls were reviewed for lifetime exposure to anesthesia prior to the index date. Results A total of 431 cases with clinically defined α-synucleinopathies were identified. Of these, 321 (74%) underwent 1,069 procedures under anesthesia before the diagnosis date, and in the control group, 341 (79%) underwent 986 procedures. When assessed as a dichotomous variable, anesthetic exposure was not significantly associated with α-synucleinopathies (odds ratio [OR], 0.75; 95% CI, 0.54-1.05; P=.094). No association was observed when anesthetic exposure was quantified by the number of exposures (OR, 0.64, 0.89, and 0.74, for 1, 2–3, and ≥4 exposures, respectively, compared to no exposure as the reference; P=.137) or quantified by the cumulative duration of exposure assessed as a continuous variable (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.97-1.02 per 1-h increase of anesthetic exposure; P=.776). Conclusions We did not observe a significant association between exposure to general anesthesia and risk for the development of α-synucleinopathies.

To determine whether vitamin B12 level at Parkinson's disease (PD) diagnosis predicts time to develop dementia.We utilized a population-based cohort of Parkinsonism patients to examine the relationship between serum vitamin B12 at the time of PD diagnosis and dementia risk. Receiver operating curves were calculated for vitamin B12 cutoffs maximizing sensitivity and specificity for determining who developed dementia. Time from Parkinsonism diagnosis to dementia, death, or censoring was calculated utilizing Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox-proportional hazard models.PD patients who did not develop dementia had higher baseline levels of vitamin B12 at PD diagnosis (648.5 ng/L vs 452 ng/L, p 0.05) than those who developed dementia. Dementia risk was significantly lower in the 3rd tertile compared with 2nd tertile and trended towards significance compared to the 1st tertile. Each 100 unit increase in vitamin B12 level had a hazard ratio of 0.31 (95% CI 0.44-0.95) for future dementia (p 0.05). Vitamin B12 cutoff of587 ng/L was 87% sensitive and 70% specific (AUC 0.79, 95% CI 0.60-0.98) distinguishing patients with dementia. PD patients with vitamin B12 levels587 ng/L were 5.4 times more likely to develop dementia, with 50% having dementia within 5 years of PD diagnosis compared with 11% in those with a vitamin B12 level of ≥587 ng/L (p 0.05).Higher levels of serum vitamin B12 at PD diagnosis correlate with lower risk of future dementia. The role of vitamin B12 in the development of dementia among PD patients deserves further evaluation.