• Adriano Chiò, Andrea Calvo, Letizia Mazzini, Roberto Cantello, Gabriele Mora, Cristina Moglia, Lucia Corrado, Sandra D'Alfonso, Elisa Majounie, Alan Renton, Fabrizio Pisano, Irene Ossola, Maura Brunetti, Bryan J Traynor, Gabriella Restagno, and PARALS.
• ALS Center, Department of Neurosciences, University of Torino and AOU San Giovanni Battista of Torino, Torino, Italy. achio@usa.net
• Neurology. 2012 Nov 6; 79 (19): 1983-9.

ObjectiveTo assess the frequency and clinical characteristics of patients with mutations of major amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) genes in a prospectively ascertained, population-based epidemiologic series of cases.MethodsThe study population includes all ALS cases diagnosed in Piemonte, Italy, from January 2007 to June 2011. Mutations of SOD1, TARDBP, ANG, FUS, OPTN, and C9ORF72 have been assessed.ResultsOut of the 475 patients included in the study, 51 (10.7%) carried a mutation of an ALS-related gene (C9ORF72, 32; SOD1, 10; TARDBP, 7; FUS, 1; OPTN, 1; ANG, none). A positive family history for ALS or frontotemporal dementia (FTD) was found in 46 (9.7%) patients. Thirty-one (67.4%) of the 46 familial cases and 20 (4.7%) of the 429 sporadic cases had a genetic mutation. According to logistic regression modeling, besides a positive family history for ALS or FTD, the chance to carry a genetic mutation was related to the presence of comorbid FTD (odds ratio 3.5; p = 0.001), and age at onset ≤54 years (odds ratio 1.79; p = 0.012).ConclusionsWe have found that ∼11% of patients with ALS carry a genetic mutation, with C9ORF72 being the commonest genetic alteration. Comorbid FTD or a young age at onset are strong indicators of a possible genetic origin of the disease.

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