Systematic review and UK-based study of PARK2 (parkin), PINK1, PARK7 (DJ-1) and LRRK2 in early-onset Parkinson's disease.

Approximately 3.6% of patients with Parkinson's disease develop symptoms before age 45. Early-onset Parkinson's disease (EOPD) patients have a higher familial recurrence risk than late-onset patients, and 3 main recessive EOPD genes have been described.

Genetics of Parkinson's disease and parkinsonism.

The past 10 years has seen a shift in our etiological concepts of Parkinson's disease, moving from a nearly exclusively environmentally mediated disease towards a complex disorder with important genetic contributors. The identification of responsible mutations in certain genes, particularly alpha-synuclein, Parkin, PINK1, DJ-1 and LRRK2, has increased our understanding of the clinical and pathological changes underlying Parkinson's disease, with implications for patient diagnosis, management and future research. This review will outline the specific genetic advances, discuss their implications for clinical practice and hint at future directions for research into this common and disabling disease.

Genetics of parkinsonism.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. Some debate still exists as to whether PD is predominantly environmental or genetic in etiology. The genetic hypothesis of PD etiology has been driven recently by the identification of a number of PD loci.