title: Heredity in multiple system atrophy.
abstract: We investigated the family histories of 157 Japanese patients with probable or possible multiple system atrophy (MSA). A family history of neurodegenerative disorders was only detected in three MSA patients (1.9%). We evaluated these patients by careful neurological examination, neuroimaging studies, and genetic studies to exclude hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia with a similar clinical phenotype to MSA. The results indicated that one of them had a family history of MSA. Although the familial presence of neurodegenerative disorders is rare in MSA patients, the existence of such cases suggests that MSA may have a genetic background.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Medicine, and Hokuyukai Neurology Hospital, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8368, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soma
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yabe
authors.forename: Asako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takei
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujiki
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yanagihara
authors.forename: Hidenao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D040941:Heredity; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019578:Multiple System Atrophy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology