Expansions of the noncoding GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat in the Chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72) gene cause frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this study we aimed to determine whether the length of the normal-unexpanded-allele of the GGGGCC repeat in C9ORF72 plays a role in the presentation of disease or affects age at onset in C9ORF72 mutation carriers. We also studied whether the GGGGCC repeat length confers risk or affects age at onset in FTD and ALS patients without C9ORF72 repeat expansions. C9ORF72 genotyping was performed in 580 FTD, 995 ALS, and 160 FTD-ALS patients, and 1444 controls, leading to the identification of 211 patients with pathogenic C9ORF72 repeat expansions. No meaningful association between the repeat length of the normal alleles of the GGGGCC repeat in C9ORF72 and disease phenotype or age at onset was observed in C9ORF72 mutation carriers or nonmutation carriers.

Expansions of the noncoding GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat in the Chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72) gene cause frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this study we aimed to determine whether the length of the normal-unexpanded-allele of the GGGGCC repeat in C9ORF72 plays a role in the presentation of disease or affects age at onset in C9ORF72 mutation carriers. We also studied whether the GGGGCC repeat length confers risk or affects age at onset in FTD and ALS patients without C9ORF72 repeat expansions. C9ORF72 genotyping was performed in 580 FTD, 995 ALS, and 160 FTD-ALS patients, and 1444 controls, leading to the identification of 211 patients with pathogenic C9ORF72 repeat expansions. No meaningful association between the repeat length of the normal alleles of the GGGGCC repeat in C9ORF72 and disease phenotype or age at onset was observed in C9ORF72 mutation carriers or nonmutation carriers.

Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting movement and cognition, definitively diagnosed only at autopsy. Here, we conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in CBD cases (n=152) and 3,311 controls, and 67 CBD cases and 439 controls in a replication stage. Associations with meta-analysis were 17q21 at MAPT (P=1.42 × 10(-12)), 8p12 at lnc-KIF13B-1, a long non-coding RNA (rs643472; P=3.41 × 10(-8)), and 2p22 at SOS1 (rs963731; P=1.76 × 10(-7)). Testing for association of CBD with top progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) GWAS single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified associations at MOBP (3p22; rs1768208; P=2.07 × 10(-7)) and MAPT H1c (17q21; rs242557; P=7.91 × 10(-6)). We previously reported SNP/transcript level associations with rs8070723/MAPT, rs242557/MAPT, and rs1768208/MOBP and herein identified association with rs963731/SOS1. We identify new CBD susceptibility loci and show that CBD and PSP share a genetic risk factor other than MAPT at 3p22 MOBP (myelin-associated oligodendrocyte basic protein).