Claudio Ruffmann MRCP, PhD

Neurologist with over 15 years of experience as a consultant, specializing in Parkinson's disease. Full-time neurology consultant at a busy district hospital for the past decade. Conducted research on the neuropathology of Parkinson's and earned a PhD in Clinical Neuroscience from the University of Oxford.

Primary Professional Registration: 

General Medical Council 

Registration number: 7122870

On GMC specialist register (Neurology)

Other Memberships: 

Royal College of Physicians

Association of British Neurologists

Movement Disorder Society

1. Lo C, Arora S, Baig F, Lawton MA, El Mouden C, Barber TR, Ruffmann C, Klein JC, Brown P, Ben-Shlomo Y, de Vos M, Hu MT.
Predicting motor, cognitive and functional impairment in Parkinson's.
Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2019 Aug;6(8):1498-1509. doi: 10.1002/acn3.50853. Epub 2019 Jul 26.
PMID: 31402628

2. Baig F, Kelly MJ, Lawton MA, Ruffmann C, Rolinski M, Klein JC, Barber T, Lo C, Ben-Shlomo Y, Okai D, Hu MT.
Impulse control disorders in Parkinson disease and RBD: A longitudinal study of severity.
Neurology. 2019 Aug 13;93(7):e675-e687. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000007942. Epub 2019 Jul
16. PMID: 31311842

3. Kelly MJ, Lawton MA, Baig F, Ruffmann C, Barber TR, Lo C, Klein JC, Ben-Shlomo Y, Hu MT.
Predictors of motor complications in early Parkinson's disease: A prospective cohort study.
Mov Disord. 2019 Aug;34(8):1174-1183. doi: 10.1002/mds.27783. Epub 2019 Jul 8. PMID:
31283854

4. Smith AM, Depp C, Ryan BJ, Johnston GI, Alegre-Abarrategui J, Evetts S, Rolinski M, Baig F, Ruffmann C, Simon AK, Hu MTM, Wade-Martins R.
Mitochondrial dysfunction and increased glycolysis in prodromal and early Parkinson’s
blood cells.
Mov Disord. 2018 Oct;33(10):1580-1590. doi: 10.1002/mds.104. Epub 2018 Oct 7.
PMID: 30294923

5. Arora S, Baig F, Lo C, Barber TR, Lawton MA, Zhan A, Rolinski M, Ruffmann C, Klein JC, Rumbold J, Louvel A, Zaiwalla Z, Lennox G, Quinnell T, Dennis G, Wade-Martins R, Ben-Shlomo Y, Little MA, Hu MT.
Smartphone motor testing to distinguish idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder,
controls, and PD.
Neurology. 2018 Oct 16;91(16):e1528-e1538. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000006366. Epub 2018 Sep 19.
PMID: 30232246

6. Ruffmann C, Bengoa-Vergniory N, Poggiolini I, Ritchie D, Hu MT, Alegre-Abarrategui J, Parkkinen L.
Detection of alpha-synuclein conformational variants from gastro-intestinal biopsy tissue
as a potential biomarker for Parkinson’s disease.
Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol. 2018 Dec;44(7):722-736. doi: 10.1111/nan.12486. Epub 2018 May 8.
PMID: 29676021

7. Klein JC, Rolinski M, Griffanti L, Szewczyk-Krolikowski K, Baig F, Ruffmann C, Groves AR, Menke RAL, Hu MT, Mackay C.
Cortical structural involvement and cognitive dysfunction in early Parkinson’s disease.
NMR Biomed. 2018 Apr;31(4):e3900. doi: 10.1002/nbm.3900. Epub 2018 Feb 13.
PMID: 29436039

8. Barber TR, Lawton M, Rolinski M, Evetts S, Baig F, Ruffmann C, Gornall A, Klein JC, Lo C, Dennis G, Bandmann O, Quinnell T, Zaiwalla Z, Ben-Shlomo Y, Hu MTM. 

ProdromalParkinsonism and Neurodegenerative Risk Stratification in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder.
Sleep. 2017 Aug 1;40(8):zsx071. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsx071.
PMID: 28472425

9. Baig F, Lawton MA, Rolinski M, Ruffmann C, Klein JC, Nithi K, Okai D, Ben-Shlomo Y, Hu MT.
Personality and addictive behaviours in early Parkinson’s disease and REM sleep
behaviour disorder.
Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2017 Apr;37:72-78. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2017.01.017. Epub 2017
Feb 1.
PMID: 28173973

10. Fairfoul G, McGuire LI, Pal S, Ironside JW, Neumann J, Christie S, Joachim C, Esiri M, Evetts SG, Rolinski M, Baig F, Ruffmann C, Wade-Martins R, Hu MT, Parkkinen L, Green AJ.
Alpha-synuclein RT-QuIC in the CSF of patients with alpha-synucleinopathies.
Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2016 Aug 28;3(10):812-818. doi: 10.1002/acn3.338. eCollection 2016 Oct.
PMID: 27752516

11. Lawton M, Hu MT, Baig F, Ruffmann C, Barron E, Swallow DM, Malek N, Grosset KA, Bajaj N, Barker RA, Williams N, Burn DJ, Foltynie T, Morris HR, Wood NW, May MT, Grosset DG, Ben-Shlomo Y.
Equating scores of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test and Sniffin’
Sticks Test in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2016 Dec;33:96-101. Doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2016.09.023.

12. Swallow DM, Lawton MA, Grosset KA, Malek N, Klein J, Baig F, Ruffmann C, Bajaj NP, Barker RA, Ben-Shlomo Y, Burn DJ, Foltynie T, Morris HR, Williams N, Wood NW, Hu MT, Grosset DG.
Statins are underused in recent-onset Parkinson’s disease with increased vascular riks:
findings from the UK Tracking Parkinson’s and Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre
(OPDC) discovery cohorts.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2016 Nov;87(11):1183-1190. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2016-313642.

13. Baig F, Lawton MA, Rolinski M, Ruffmann C, Klein JC, Nithi K, Okai D, Ben-Shlomo Y, Hu MT. 

Personality and addictive behaviours in early Parkinson’s disease and REM sleep
behaviour disorder.
Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2017 Feb 1. pii: S1353-8020(17)30031-7. doi:
10.1016/j.parkreldis.2017.01.017.

14. Fairfoul G, McGuire LI, Pal S, Ironside JW, Neumann J, Christie S, Joachim C, Esiri M, Evetts SG, Rolinski M, Baig F, Ruffmann C, Wade-Martins R, Hu MT, Parkkinen L, Green AJ.
Alpha-synuclein RT-QuIC in the CSF of patients with alpha-synucleinopathies.
Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2016 Aug 28;3(10):812-818.

15. Ruffmann C, Parkkinen L.
Gut Feelings About a-Synuclein in Gastrointestinal Biopsies: Biomarker in the Making?
Mov Dis, Vol. 31, No. 2, 2016

16. Ruffmann C, Calboli FC, Bravi I, Gveric D, Curry LK, de Smith A, Pavlou S, Buxton JL, Blakemore AI, Takousis P, Molloy S, Piccini P, Dexter DT, Roncaroli F, Gentleman SM, Middleton LT.
Cortical Lewy bodies and Aβ burden are associated with prevalence and timing of
dementia in Lewy body diseases.
Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol. 2015 Nov 3. doi: 10.1111/nan.12294.

17. Ruffmann C, Parkkinen L, Woulfe JM, Gray MT, Munoz DG, Visanji NP, Lang AE, Hazrai LN.
Colonic mucosal α-synuclein lacks specificity as a biomarker for Parkinson’s disease.
Neurology. 2015 Sep 1;85(9):834-5. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001904.

18. Gallo V, Brayne C, Forsgren L, Barker RA, Petersson J, Hansson O, Lindqvist D, Ruffmann C, Ishihara L, Luben R, Arriola L, Bergareche A, Gavrila D, Erro ME, Vanacore N, Sacerdote C, Bueno-de-Mesquita B, Vermeulen R, Seelen M, Sieri S, Masala G, Ramat S, Kyrozis A, Thricopolou A, Panico S, Mattiello A, Kaaks R, Teucher B, Katzke V, Kloss M, Curry L, Calboli F, Riboli E, Vineis P, Middleton L.
Parkinson’s disease case ascertainment in the EPIC cohort: the NeuroEPIC4PD study.
Neurodegener Dis. 2015 Sep 17. [Epub ahead of print]

19. Baig F, Lawton M, Rolinski M, Ruffmann C, Nithi K, Evetts SG, Fernandes HR, Ben-Shlomo Y, Hu MT.
Delineating nonmotor symptoms in early Parkinson’s disease and first-degree relatives.
Mov Disord. 2015 Jul 14. doi: 10.1002/mds.26281. [Epub ahead of print]

20. Cilia R, Cereda E, Klersy C, Canesi M, Zecchinelli AL, Mariani CB, Tesei S, Sacilotto G, Meucci N, Zini M, Ruffmann C, Isaias IU, Goldwurm S, Pezzoli G.
Parkinson’s disease beyond 20 years. 

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2015 Aug;86(8):849-55.

21. Pezzoli G, Klersy C, Cilia R, Canesi M, Zecchinelli AL, Mariani CB, Tesei S, Sacilotto G, Meucci N, Zini M, Isaias IU, Ruffmann C, Barichella M, Cassani E, Goldwurm S, Cereda E.
Later age at onset in Parkinson’s disease over twenty years in an Italian tertiary clinic.
Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2014; 20: 1181-1185

22. Cilia R, Siri C, Canesi M, Zecchinelli AL, De Gaspari D, Natuzzi F, Tesei S, Meucci N, Mariani CB, Sacilotto G, Zini M, Ruffmann C, Pezzoli G.
Dopamine dysregulation syndrome in Parkinson’s disease: from clinical and neuropsychological characterisation to management and long-term outcome.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2013 Apr 16 [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 23591553

23. Tremolizzo L, Difrancesco JC, Rodriguez-Menendez V, Riva C, Conti E, Galimberti G, Ruffmann C, Ferrarese C.
Valproate induces epigenetic modifications in lymphomonocytes from epileptic patients.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2012 Oct 1; 39 (1): 47-51
PMID: 22584634

24. Ruffmann C, Zini M, Goldwurm S, Bramerio M, Spinello S, Rusconi D, Gambacorta M, Tagliavini F, Pezzoli G, Giaccone G.
Lewy body pathology and typical Parkinson disease in a patient with a heterozygous (R275W) mutation in the Parkin gene (PARK2).
Acta Neuropathol. 2012 Jun;123(6):901-3. doi: 10.1007/s00401-012-0991-7. Epub 2012 May 4.
PMID: 22555654 No abstract available.

25. Ruffmann C, Giaccone G, Canesi M, Bramerio M, Goldwurm S, Gambacorta M, Rossi G, Tagliavini F, Pezzoli G.
Atypical tauopathy in a patient with LRRK2-G2019S mutation and tremor-dominant Parkinsonism.
Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol. 2012 Jun;38(4):382-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.2011.01216.x.
PMID: 21883375 No abstract available.

26. DiFrancesco JC, Brioschi M, Brighina L, Ruffmann C, Saracchi E, Costantino G, Galimberti G, Conti E, Curtò NA, Marzorati L, Remida P, Tagliavini F, Savoiardo M, Ferrarese C.
Anti-Aβ autoantibodies in the CSF of a patient with CAA-related inflammation: a case report.
Neurology. 2011 Mar 1;76(9):842-4. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31820e773c.
PMID: 21357837 No abstract available.

27. Sironi F, Primignani P, Zini M, Tunesi S, Ruffmann C, Ricca S, Brambilla T, Antonini A, Tesei S, Canesi M, Zecchinelli A, Mariani C, Meucci N, Sacilotto G, Cilia R, Isaias IU, Garavaglia B, Ghezzi D, Travi M, Decarli A, Coviello DA, Pezzoli G, Goldwurm S.
Parkin analysis in early onset Parkinson's disease.
Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2008;14(4):326-33. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2007.10.003. Epub 2007 Nov 19. PMID: 18519021

28. Galbussera A, Tremolizzo L, Tagliabue E, Ceresa C, Cilia R, Ruffmann C, Ferrarese C, Appollonio I.
Third cranial nerve palsy? Look for a sicca syndrome.
J Neurol Sci. 2007 Feb 15;253(1-2):88-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2006.11.018. Epub 2007 Jan 10.

29. Ruffmann C, Bogliun G, Beghi E.
Epileptogenic drugs: a systematic review.
Expert Rev Neurother. 2006 Apr;6(4):575-89. doi: 10.1586/14737175.6.4.575.

• Tennis
• Snowboarding

Married

Three children (born 2008, 2009, 2013)