Parkinson's disease GWAS-linked Park16 variant is associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment: a 4-year observational study.

Abstract

Genome wide association study (GWAS)-linked variant (Park16 rs6679073) modulates the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). We postulate that there may be differences in clinical characteristics between Park16 rs6679073 carriers and non-carriers. In a prospective study, we investigate the clinical characteristics between Park16 rs6679073 A allele carriers and non-carriers over 4 years. A total of 204 PD patients, comprising 158 Park16 rs6679073 A allele carriers and 46 non carriers were recruited. All patients underwent motor, non-motor symptoms and cognitive assessments yearly over 4 years. Park16 rs6679073 carriers were less likely to have mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared to non-carriers at both baseline (48.1% vs 67.4%, p=0.027) and 4-year follow-up (29.3% vs 58.6%, p=0.007). PD Park16 rs6679073 carriers had significantly lower frequency of MCI in a 4-year follow-up study, suggesting that the variant may have potential neuroprotective effect on cognitive functions.