[A Pair of Siblings with Frontotemporal Dementia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and a Novel Thr462Lysfs Mutation in the TBK1 Gene]

Abstract

We report on a pair of siblings with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a novel Thr462Lysfs mutation in the TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) gene identified through the European Early-Onset Dementia Consortium. The patients presented at the age of 77 and 75 years and displayed dementia and bulbar symptoms as well as progressive paresis. After a progressive course, both of them died only a few months after diagnosis. Most recently, TBK1 mutations were identified in patients with FTD and ALS. A loss of expression of the mutant allele, leading to 50 % reduced TBK1 protein levels, seems to be causative. The occurrence of TBK1 mutations in FTD and ALS underlines the fact that FTD and ALS are part of the same disease spectrum. For future therapeutic trials, characterization of TBK1 mutation carriers in presymptomatic cohorts, such as the genetic frontotemporal dementia initiative (GENFI), is of great importance.