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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Elevated blood harmane (1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole) concentrations in essential tremor.

Authors: Louis, Elan D; Jiang, Wendy; Pellegrino, Kathryn M; Rios, Eileen; Factor-Litvak, Pam; Henchcliffe, Claire; Zheng, Wei

Published In Neurotoxicology, (2008 Mar)

Abstract: Essential tremor (ET) is a widespread late-life neurological disease. Genetic and environmental factors likely play an etiological role. Harmane (1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole) is a potent tremor-producing neurotoxin. In 2002, we demonstrated elevated blood harmane concentrations in an initial sample of 100 ET cases compared to 100 controls. Between 2002 and 2007, we assembled a new and larger sample of ET cases and controls. We now attempt to replicate our previous findings. Cases and controls were frequency-matched on age, gender, and race. Blood harmane concentrations were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Subjects comprised 150 ET cases and 135 controls (mean age 65.3+/-15.5 vs. 65.5+/-14.2 years, p=0.94). Mean log blood harmane concentration was approximately 50% higher in cases than controls (0.50+/-0.54g(-10)/ml vs. 0.35+/-0.62g(-10)/ml, p=0.038). In a logistic regression analysis, log blood harmane concentration was associated with ET (OR(adjusted) 1.56, 95% CI 1.01-2.42, p=0.04), and odds of ET was 1.90 (95% CI 1.07-3.39, p=0.029) in the highest versus lowest log blood harmane tertile. Log blood harmane was highest in ET cases with familial ET (0.53+/-0.57g(-10)/ml), intermediate in cases with sporadic ET (0.43+/-0.45g(-10)/ml) and lowest in controls (0.35+/-0.62g(-10)/ml) (test for trend, p=0.026). Blood harmane appears to be elevated in ET. The higher concentrations in familial ET suggests that the mechanism may involve genetic factors.

PubMed ID: 18242711 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Case-Control Studies; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Environmental Pollutants/adverse effects; Environmental Pollutants/blood*; Essential Tremor/blood*; Essential Tremor/chemically induced; Essential Tremor/genetics; Female; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Harmine/adverse effects; Harmine/analogs & derivatives*; Harmine/blood; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Up-Regulation

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