Research shows genetic variants are more common in people with Parkinson’s disease than previously thought

Investigators in the Parkinson’s Foundation-backed PD GENEration study—which reached its goal of 15,000 participants ahead of schedule this spring—found that 13% of participants have a genetic form of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is a significant observation compared to long-standing estimates. Results from the first 3.5 years of the study, which examined a broad North American cohort, were published in the peer-reviewed journal Brain. PD GENEration, which tests for clinically-relevant Parkinson’s-related genes, has been offered by the Parkinson’s Foundation since 2019 to any person with a confirmed PD diagnosis. The study is the first of its kind to return results at Read More