Complete Genomic Screen in Parkinson Disease

Abstract

Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects more than a half-million people in the United States.¹ The economic, social, and emotional burden of PD will increase as the population ages. Controversy has surrounded the etiology of PD, with evidence suggesting that both genetic and environmental factors influence disease risk. Familial aggregation of PD has been observed for decades.² Data from family studies, including a recent large study from Iceland,³ have shown that the sibling recurrence risk ratio ranges from 2 to 10, suggesting that a genetic component to PD exists. However, twin studies^4-6 have produced conflicting results about the genetic contributions, suggesting that little if any genetic contribution exists in the development of PD.