A family with a tau P301L mutation presenting with parkinsonism.

We report a sib-pair with a tau P301L mutation. Unlike most previous cases with this mutation, parkinsonism, rather than dementing features were the predominant and presenting feature. We have also observed that the P301L mutation has occurred on the H1 tau haplotype background.

Ethnic differences in the expression of neurodegenerative disease: Machado-Joseph disease in Africans and Caucasians.

We describe several families of African origin with SCA3/Machado-Joseph disease gene expansions. In these cases, the phenotype ranges from ataxia with parkinsonian signs to a syndrome clinically almost indistinguishable from idiopathic, L-dopa-responsive Parkinson's disease. In contrast, these parkinsonian phenotypes are rare in those of European descent.

The tau H1 haplotype is associated with Parkinson's disease in the Norwegian population.

We investigated the association of Parkinson's disease (PD) with tau gene H1 haplotypes in the Norwegian population. In a sample of 96 unrelated PD cases and 68 control subjects, we observed an increased risk of PD for persons with the tau H1 haplotype (odds ratio=5.52; 95% confidence interval: 2.