A team from the New York Department of Public Health has discovered that genes within the immune system are linked to Parkinson’s Disease. The NeuroGenetics Research Consortium, which led the study, published the work in the online version of Nature Genetics.
The study has provided much more convincing evidence of what scientists have suspected for years - that there is a relationship between Parkinson’s Disease and the immune system. Additionally, the study has provided “... a better idea of which parts of the immune system might be involved,” said one of the consortium directors Dr. Cyrus Zabetian.
Nearly 4000 volunteers were used in the study, half of which had Parkinson’s and half of which were in the control group. Some of the subjects had been with the study for nearly 20 years. The genomes of all subjects were scanned and replicated previously existing links with SNCA, MAPT, and GAK genes as well as identified a new link with the HLA region. They also assessed environmental and genetic risks. For more information please visit http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/197803.php.
