In depth investigation of TMEM106B as first common risk factor for FTLD in a Flanders-Belgian population of clinically diagnosed patients.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease and one of the leading causes of dementia affecting the younger population. In Belgium 10.000 people are estimated to be affected, and over 1 million people world-wide. Disease onset generally occurs between 45 to 65 years but can also touch younger and older age groups. Although a lot of progress was made in recent years identifying causal genes and underlying brain pathology, as yet the disease is not fully understood and no effective treatment is available. Frontotemporal lobar degeneration has a strong genetic component with up to 40% of patients having another family member with a similar disease. The four known genes to date can explain 10 to 20% of all patients, leaving a significant fraction unresolved. Based on this observation molecular genetic studies are now focusing on the identification of more common genetic factors that increase the risk for frontotemporal lobar degeneration. In the present study we seek to investigate the role of TMEM160B in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and its impact on disease susceptibility in a powerful, well-documented, homogenous Flanders-Belgian study population.

Keywords:FRONTOTEMPORAL LOBAR DEGENERATION, NEUROGENETICS

Disciplines:Genetics, Systems biology, Molecular and cell biology, Neurosciences, Biological and physiological psychology, Cognitive science and intelligent systems, Developmental psychology and ageing