Parkinson's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Parkinson's Disease, including details on symptoms, treatment, genetics, medication.

Altered alpha-synuclein homeostasis causing Parkinson's disease: the potential roles of dardarin.

Singleton AB

Molecular Genetics Unit, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Porter Neuroscience Research Center, Room 1A1000, MSC3707, 35 Lincoln Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. singleta@mail.nih.gov

The past decade has been a fruitful one for geneticists involved in Parkinson's disease (PD) research. The initial hurdle of identifying the first gene underlying parkinsonism was cleared with apparent ease in 1997 and four additional genes have since been found to contain mutations causing this disorder. Driving this research is the belief that these data will highlight disease mechanisms and directly implicate a pathway amenable to therapeutic intervention. This article will focus on recent genetic advances in the field, focusing on data that suggest alpha-synuclein expression is key in the etiology of PD. In addition, it will discuss the recent identification of LRRK2 mutation as a cause of PD and the potential of this finding to provide further insight into disease.

Published 25 July 2005 in Trends Neurosci, 28(8): 416-21.
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