Corticobasal degeneration shares a common genetic background with progressive supranuclear palsy

Corticobasal degeneration is a sporadic form of tauopathy, involving the ce rebral cortex and extrapyramidal motor system. A series of affected subject s was genotyped for a set of genetic markers along the tau protein gene. A specific haplotype is significantly overrepresented in patients versus cont rols. This haplotype is the same already reported in association with progr essive supranuclear palsy. These data show that corticobasal degeneration a nd progressive supranuclear palsy, in addition to several clinical, patholo gical, and molecular features, may have the same genetic background.