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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Toxicol.
Sec. Neurotoxicology
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/ftox.2024.1451235
This article is part of the Research Topic A Toxic Aging Coin Perspective to Investigate the Intersection of Toxicology and Aging View all 4 articles

A Rare Case of Early Onset Lewy Body Dementia with Parkinsonism Associated with Chronic Exposure to Copper Contaminated Drinking Water

Provisionally accepted
Marcia H. Ratner Marcia H. Ratner 1*Jonathan S. Rutchik Jonathan S. Rutchik 2,3
  • 1 Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, United States
  • 2 Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic, Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
  • 3 European Society for Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Mill Valley, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    There is a well-recognized relationship between a person's body burden of essential trace elements such as copper and their neurological function in which both deficiencies and exposures to excessive concentrations are associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Preclinical studies indicate chronic excess copper exposure is associated with altered motor function, dopaminergic neuronal loss, astrocytosis, and microgliosis. Copper also promotes oligomerization and fibrilization of α-synuclein suggesting it may hasten the course of an α-synucleinopathy. Here we report a rare case of early onset Lewy Body Dementia with Parkinsonism in a 53-year-old Caucasian woman exposed to copper contaminated drinking water for more than 10 years. Her hair and that of her daughter had streaks of blue/green discoloration as did the porcelain sinks in their home. Testing confirmed copper contamination of the drinking water. A neurologist diagnosed her with Lewy Body Dementia with Parkinsonism. Skin biopsy for phosphorylated a-synuclein was consistent with a diagnosis of an a-synucleinopathy. These findings suggest chronic exposure to excessive copper may act as disease modifying factor in Lewy Body Dementia with Parkinsonism. It has previously been recommended that individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) avoid excessive intake of copper. Genetic studies indicate that Lewy Body Dementia shares risk factors and pathways with AD. Based on the observations in this patient we recommend that individuals at risk for an a-synucleinopathy based on a positive family history, genetic testing, and/or positive results on a skin biopsy for phosphorylated a-synuclein avoid exposure to excess copper.

    Keywords: Copper, α-Synuclein, Parkinson's disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Water

    Received: 18 Jun 2024; Accepted: 07 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ratner and Rutchik. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Marcia H. Ratner, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.