Genetic dissection of familial Parkinson's disease

Olaf Riess*, Ross Jakes, Rejko Krüger

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In the past few years, the genetic contribution to Parkinson's disease (PD) has gained major attention and has resulted in the identification of the first mutant gene, called α-synuclein, involved in the pathogenesis of autosomal-dominant PD. α-Synuclein is a major component of Lewy bodies, which are a neuropathological feature of PD. Furthermore, deletions in the parkin gene have been identified as the primary cause in rare forms of autosomal-recessive juvenile PD. The elucidation of polygenic changes in the dopamine pathway, mitochondrial dysfunction, and metabolism of xenobiotics is now technically possible by means of association and genotype studies. The increasing knowledge of the pathogenesis of PD at a molecular level will have important implications for the development of individual therapeutic strategies to prevent disease progression.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)438-444
Number of pages7
JournalMolecular Medicine Today
Volume4
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 1998
Externally publishedYes

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