Parkinson's disease, smoking, and family history. EUROPARKINSON Study Group.

There is growing evidence that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in the etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). The hypothesis of an interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors has been little explored, and never using a population-based case-control study design. Our objective was to investigate the possible interaction between smoking and family history in the etiology of PD, as part of a collaborative population-based case-control study.

[New treatments in dementia].

The advances in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, mainly related to anticholinesterase drugs (tacrine, donepezil, metriphonate and rivastigmine) and the methodology of their application in clinical studies and in everyday neurologic practice are reviewed. Recent discoveries with the immunization with Abeta-42 of transgenic rats expressing a mutation related to Alzheimer's disease may lead to new possibilities of etiopathogenic treatments.

Familial aggregation of Parkinson's disease: a population-based case-control study in Europe. EUROPARKINSON Study Group.

Objective: To investigate the familial aggregation of PD in a large collaborative population-based case-control study.

Background: Most previous case-control studies of the familial aggregation of PD have been hospital- or clinic-based.

Methods: We included 219 prevalent cases ascertained in three European populations (centers), using a two-phase design consisting of screening and examination by a neurologist.

Smoking and Parkinson's disease. An age-dependent risk effect? The EUROPARKINSON Study Group.

We studied the association between smoking and Parkinson's disease (PD) through a case-control study. Several studies have shown an inverse association between smoking and PD. This association has been interpreted as spurious by some investigators, and as real and causal by others.

Prevalence of parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease in Europe: the EUROPARKINSON Collaborative Study. European Community Concerted Action on the Epidemiology of Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: To assess and compare the prevalence of parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease in five European populations that were surveyed with similar methodology and diagnostic criteria.

Methods: Joint analysis of five community surveys--Gironde (France), eight centres in Italy, Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Girona (Spain), and Pamplona (Spain)--in which subjects were screened in person for parkinsonism. Overall, these surveys comprised 14,636 participants aged 65 years or older.