LRRK2 G2385R variant carriers of female Parkinson's disease are more susceptible to motor fluctuation

The relation between the LRRK2 mutation and its effect on Parkinson’s disease (PD) has always caught a lot attention. Recent studies found that the G2385R polymorphism of LRRK2 may increase the risk of PD in Asian populations. Here we tried to clarify the relationship between the LRRK2 G2385R variant and the clinical profiles including motor complication in Chinese PD patients. We identified the LRRK2 variant in the Chinese Han population in northern China and evaluated the relationship between the G2385R variant and clinical profiles through comparison between 36 carriers and 139 non-carriers. We found that G2385R carriers scored significantly higher in motor fluctuation and dyskinesia than non-carriers. Logistic regression analysis showed that the G2385R variant was an independent risk factor for motor fluctuation in females (odds ratio = 12.538, 95 % CI 2.216–70.942, P = 0.004), and a Chi-squared test showed that the frequency of dyskinesia tended to be higher in the carrier group compared to the non-carrier group (16 vs. 4.4 %, P = 0.050, OR = 4.127, 95 % CI 1.074–15.864). These findings indicate that the variant was closely related to the occurrence of motor complication. Additionally, the G2385R variant was significantly related to the early-onset of PD in female carriers (20.0 vs. 1.5 %, odds ratio = 16.25, 95 % CI 1.557–169.618, P = 0.020). Our study found that the G2385R variant was significantly associated with motor complications and that this variant was an independent risk factor for motor fluctuation in females. These findings provide the necessary preliminary data to better understand the unique profile of PD G2385R variant carriers.