Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is an adult-onset progressive neurodegenerative disorder that manifests clinically with autonomic failure, parkinsonism, and ataxia in any combination. Oligodendroglial cytoplasmatic inclusions consisting of misfolded α-synuclein are a pathological hallmark of disease. The clinical diagnosis of MSA is typically delayed as a result of incomplete or nonspecific manifestations during ...
To identify novel genes associated with ALS, we undertook two lines of investigation. We carried out a genome-wide association study comparing 20,806 ALS cases and 59,804 controls. Independently, we performed a rare variant burden analysis comparing 1,138 index familial ALS cases and 19,494 controls. Through both approaches, we identified kinesin family member 5A (KIF5A) as a novel gene associated with ALS. Int...