Parkinson's Disease occurs due to genetic mutation

Parkinson's Disease occurs due to genetic mutation
Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have discovered that a genetic mutation is responsible for the high occurrence of Parkinson's disease in North Africans, Jews and Arabs. This finding could galvanize researchers to look for more genetic links to Parkinson's, which was always thought to have little to do with genes.

"Genetics are going to be a lot more important in Parkinson's than people have appreciated," agreed lead researcher Susan Bressman of the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. Around 120 unrelated Ashkenazi Jews with known Parkinson's were compared with 317 members of the same ethnic background, who did not have the disease.

The details of the study that appear in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, could throw more light on the Parkinson riddle that has puzzled researchers over the years. Parkinson's disease is considered to be a senile disease, meaning that it occurs as individuals' age.

Some of the main features of the disease include tremors, rigidity, mask-like appearance of the face and mental degeneration. The disease is now on the increase in the aging population and so far any exact cause has not been pinpointed. But genetics was never thought to play a major role in the workings of the disease.

The current study proves that like any other disease, Parkinson's also has a strong genetic link, at least in the ethnic groups of the Middle East. "Like the discovery of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations for breast cancer, this finding will directly affect the way Parkinson's disease is diagnosed in Ashkenazi Jews," Dr Bressman said.

The mutation called G2019S occurs on a gene that is labeled LRRK2. And even though this mutation has been found to have ethnic predilection, it would be interesting to see if other ethnic or perhaps racial groups also carry any such mutations.

"Our finding could bring genetic counseling for Parkinson's disease to the forefront, along with genetic testing for early detection of Parkinson's disease," said co-author Dr. Laurie J. Ozelius.