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Atypical Parkinsonism in the French West Indies: The Plant Toxin Annonacin as a Potential Etiological Factor

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Cortico-Subcortical Dynamics in Parkinson's Disease

Part of the book series: Contemporary Neuroscience ((CNEURO))

This chapter describes the phenotypic and clinical features of an atypical parkinsonian syndrome endemic to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. The clinical entity was much more frequent than idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. It corresponded to a unique combination of levodopa-resistant parkinsonism, tremor, myoclonus, hallucinations, REM sleep behavior disorder and fronto-subcortical dementia. Epidemiological and experimental studies suggested that the neurological syndrome resulted from chronic intoxication by a mitochondrial complex I inhibitor, the plant toxin annonacin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM, UMR_S 975, Neurology and Experimental Therapeutics, F-75013 Paris, France

    Annie Lannuzel

  2. UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 975, F-75005 Paris, France

    Annie Lannuzel

  3. Department of Neurology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, F-97159 Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe F.W.I

    Annie Lannuzel

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  1. Annie Lannuzel
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  2. Patrick Pierre Michel
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Correspondence to Annie Lannuzel .

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    © 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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    Lannuzel, A., Michel, P.P. (2009). Atypical Parkinsonism in the French West Indies: The Plant Toxin Annonacin as a Potential Etiological Factor. In: Tseng, KY. (eds) Cortico-Subcortical Dynamics in Parkinson's Disease. Contemporary Neuroscience. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-252-0_18

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