Genetic Drivers Linked to Progression in Parkinson's Disease Discovered
by Colleen Fleiss on
May 8, 2021 at 5:22 PM
Five genetic locations associated with Parkinson's disease progression have been discovered by scientists. The findings of the study are published in Nature Genetics. The team also developed the first risk score for predicting progression of PD over time to dementia (PDD), a major determinant of quality of life.
"The patients who come to see me in the clinic are concerned about their future, rather than their past risk factors," said corresponding author Clemens Scherzer, MD, the director of the Center for Advanced Parkinson Research at the Brigham and director of the Brigham Precision Neurology Program. "They want to know how they will be doing in the future and need medications designed to stop the disease from rapidly progressing. This is the central question in our study: Which genes determine whether a patient will have an aggressive or benign course, and which variants influence who will develop dementia?"