Three Studies Link Gene to Parkinson's disease

Three studies published by The Lancet have indicated that a single gene mutation could be involved in the development of Parkinson's disease.

On Jan. 18, abstracts of the studies were posted on the publication's Web site, in which researchers suggested that screening for the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene could become a part of genetic testing for Parkinson's disease in the future.

The studies indicate that the LRRK2 gene causes an estimated 5 percent of inherited Parkinson's cases and around 2 percent of isolated cases.

The three studies are 'Genetic Screening for a Single Common LRRK2 Mutation in Familial …