Familial parkinsonism with depression: a clinicopathological study

A family with autosomal dominant inheritance of an early-onset and rapidly progressive parkinsonian syndrome and associated severe depression is reported. Three members had parkinsonism with depression, 3 had parkinsonism alone, and 2 suffered depression only. Pathological brain examination in 2 members with parkinsonism and depression revealed distinctive changes, with devastation of the substantia nigra, scarce Lewy bodies, and gliosis of the caudate nucleus and globus pallidus. The clinical and pathological findings were similar to those in four previously described families with autosomal dominant parkinsonism, depression, and alveolar hypoventilation.