Investigation of age-at-onset genetic modifier loci in LRRK2 parkinsonism
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized clinically by motor dysfunction and currently affecting over 10 million patients world-wide. Some forms of PD are inherited and runs in families. The most common genetic cause of PD is a mutation Leucine rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2). The LRRK2 p.G2019S mutation accounts for up to 40% of familial PD in the Arab Berber population and 15-20% in Ashkenazi Jewish population. Even though patients have the exact same mutation, some patients can get PD at age 20 and some remain healthy at age 90.