Stable two-year longitudinal clinical outcomes in LRRK2 G2019S non-manifest carriers in a remote nationwide study.

BACKGROUND

Interest in Parkinson's disease (PD) prevention trials is growing, and genetically at-risk individuals may be ideal candidates. LRRK2 G2019S is the most common autosomal dominant genetic cause of PD and exhibits incomplete penetrance.

OBJECTIVE

In a remote, prospective cohort study of LRRK2 G2019S carriers without PD, we examined change over time to better understand the natural history of LRRK2 PD.

METHODS

Clinical measures completed during annual video visits included the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS parts I-III), Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease-Autonomic (SCOPA-AUT), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Screening Questionnaire (RBDSQ), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Parkinson Anxiety Scale (PAS), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). To examine change from baseline to year two, we performed mixed model repeated measures analysis. To compare change over two years between different subgroups, we used generalized estimating equations.

RESULTS

We enrolled 211 LRRK2 G2019S carriers without PD, of whom 201 (mean (standard deviation) 53.9 (14.9) years of age, 119 (59 %) women, 151 (75 %) Ashkenazi Jewish) contributed longitudinal data. Over two years, mean change ± standard error (effect size) for the MoCA was 0.71 ± 0.12 (0.43), MDS-UPDRS part II 0.07 ± 0.15 (0.03), MDS-UPDRS part III 0.17 ± 0.19 (0.06), SCOPA-AUT -0.50 ± 0.27 (0.13), ESS -0.27 ± 0.15 (0.13), RBDSQ -0.32 ± 0.13 (0.18), BDI-II -0.11 ± 0.32 (0.02), and PAS -0.94 ± 0.29 (0.22).

CONCLUSION

Remotely administered motor, sleep, and autonomic measures were stable over two years. We need more sensitive measures of disease progression (e.g., biomarkers) and a better understanding of predictors of development of clinically manifest LRRK2 PD.