Bonn

Principal investigator:
Prof. Thomas Klockgether

University of Bonn
Department of Neurology
Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25
D-53105 Bonn
thomas.klockgether(at)ukb.uni-bonn.de

Expertise of the participating organization:

The Bonn group has a strong clinical and scientific background in neurodegenerative disorders, in particular ataxias and MSA. The group is leaded by Professor Thomas Klockgether, head of the Department of Neurology at the University of Bonn and Professor Ullrich Wüllner. Continuing work that has been done until 1998 in Tübingen, the group has performed extensive imaging studies using both MRI and SPECT. In addition, the natural history of MSA has been studied in a large retrospective study and compared with other degenerative ataxias. Ongoing research is related to PET ligands that can be used to visualize dopaminergic nerve terminals and to clinical differentiation of MSA patients from other sporadic ataxias. Both research projects are currently supported by grants from the DFG. Professor Ullrich Wüllner is the prinicipal coordinator of the the German Parkinson´s disease gene bank project (GEPARD) that also collected DNA samples from MSA patients and their families. Scientific work at the Department of Neurology in Bonn is devoted to studies of the molecular basis of neurodegenerative cell death. The group has shown that the death of cerebellar neurons in MSA is associated with altered expression myelin – associated genes, generated in vitro models  of MSA, identified familiar forms of MSA and key susceptibility genes.

Recent publications relevant to the EMSA-SG:

Klockgether T. Sporadic adult-onset ataxia of unknown etiology. Handb Clin Neurol 2012;103:253-262.

Winter Y, Stamelou M, Cabanel N, Sixel-Doring F, Eggert K, Hoglinger GU, Herting B, Klockgether T, Reichmann H, Oertel WH, Dodel R, Spottke AE. Cost-of-illness in multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy. J Neurol 2011;258:1827-1834.

Winter Y, Spottke AE, Stamelou M, Cabanel N, Eggert K, Hoglinger GU, Sixel-Doering F, Herting B, Klockgether T, Reichmann H, Oertel WH, Dodel R. Health-related quality of life in multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy. Neurodegener Dis 2011;8:438-446.

Minnerop M, Luders E, Specht K, Ruhlmann J, Schimke N, Thompson PM, Chou YY, Toga AW, Abele M, Wullner U, Klockgether T. Callosal tissue loss in multiple system atrophy--a one-year follow-up study. Mov Disord 2010;25:2613-2620.

Klockgether T. Sporadic ataxia with adult onset: classification and diagnostic criteria. Lancet Neurol 2010;9:94-104.

Dodel R, Spottke A, Gerhard A, Reuss A, Reinecker S, Schimke N, Trenkwalder C, Sixel-Doring F, Herting B, Kamm C, Gasser T, Sawires M, Geser F, Kollensperger M, Seppi K, Kloss M, Krause M, Daniels C, Deuschl G, Bottger S, Naumann M, Lipp A, Gruber D, Kupsch A, Du Y, Turkheimer F, Brooks DJ, Klockgether T, Poewe W, Wenning G, Schade-Brittinger C, Oertel WH, Eggert K. Minocycline 1-year therapy in multiple-system-atrophy: effect on clinical symptoms and [(11)C] (R)-PK11195 PET (MEMSA-trial). Mov Disord 2010;25:97-107.

Minnerop M, Specht K, Ruhlmann J, Schimke N, Abele M, Weyer A, Wullner U, Klockgether T. Voxel-based morphometry and voxel-based relaxometry in multiple system atrophy-a comparison between clinical subtypes and correlations with clinical parameters. Neuroimage 2007;36:1086-1095.

Klockgether T. Parkinsonism & related disorders. Ataxias. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2007;13 Suppl 3:S391-394.

Abele M, Minnerop M, Urbach H, Specht K, Klockgether T. Sporadic adult onset ataxia of unknown etiology : a clinical, electrophysiological and imaging study. J Neurol 2007;254:1384-1389.

Vogt IR, Lees AJ, Evert BO, Klockgether T, Bonin M, Wullner U. Transcriptional changes in multiple system atrophy and Parkinson's disease putamen. Exp Neurol 2006;199:465-478.

Specht K, Minnerop M, Muller-Hubenthal J, Klockgether T. Voxel-based analysis of multiple-system atrophy of cerebellar type: complementary results by combining voxel-based morphometry and voxel-based relaxometry. Neuroimage 2005;25:287-293.

Klotz L, Klockgether T. Multiple system atrophy with macrosquare-wave jerks. Mov Disord 2005;20:253-254.

Wüllner U, Abele M, Schmitz-Hübsch T, Wilhelm K, Deuschl G, Beneke R, Klockgether T (2004) Multiple System Atrophy in a German family. J Neurol, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 75:924-5.

Abele M, Riet A, Hummel T, Klockgether T, Wüllner U (2003) Olfactory dysfunction in cerebellar ataxia and multiple system atrophy. J Neurol 250:1453-5.

Specht K, Minnerop M, Abele M, Reul J, Wüllner U, Klockgether T (2003) In vivo voxel-based morphometry in multiple system atrophy of cerebellar type (MSA-C). Arch Neurol 60:1413-35.

Wüllner U, Kornhuber J, Bornemann A, Schulz JB, Riederer P, Klockgether T (2000) Calcium Binding And Apoptosis Modulating Proteins In Multiple System Atrophy. Mov Disord 15:269-75.

Klockgether T, Bürk K, Wüllner U, Wenning G, Schulz JB, Döller, G, Wessel K, Huss P, Krämer A, Lüdtke R (1998) Risk factors for idopathic cerebellar ataxia of late onset. J Neurol Sci 160:171-74.

Wüllner U, Weller M, Groscurth P, Löschmann P-A, Schulz JB, Müller I, Klockgether T, (1997) Evidence for an active type of cell death with ultrastructural features distinct from apoptosis: the effects of 3-acetylpyridine neurotoxicity. Neuroscience 81:721-34.