Results of a worldwide study could help revolutionise how Parkinson's disease is treated, according to research published this week.
A team of researchers, which included BRC Neurosciences Programme Director Professor Nick Wood, looked at which variations in genes increase the risk of people developing Parkinson’s.
The team analysed DNA from more than 100,000 people with and without the condition using data from existing genome-wide association studies. Looking at this large amount of data allowed the team to find common variants – or subtle differences – in the genetic codes of large groups of individuals.
Researchers identified potential genetic risk variants which increase the chances that a person may develop Parkinson's and results suggested the more variants a person has the greater the risk – up to three times higher – for developing Parkinson’s in some cases.
The study means researchers can now look at the new genetic variants to find how they contribute to the development of the Parkinson's, potentially helping scientists find new pathways involved in brain cell death and leading to new ways to prevent and treat the condition.
Claire Bale, Research Communications Manager at Parkinson's UK, which helped to fund the study, said: "We know people develop Parkinson's when nerve cells in their brain die.
"But we still don't have a complete picture of the genetic fingerprints that are putting people at higher risk of developing the condition.
"We're excited to see that this study has unearthed more genetic clues about who is at risk. The results could unearth new ways to tackle the condition, so we can stop the death of precious brain cells once and for all."
There are 127,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK. As well as affecting movement, people with Parkinson's can find that other issues, such as tiredness, pain and depression can have an impact on their day-to-day lives.
The findings have been published in Nature Genetics. Click here to read Large-scale meta-analysis of genome-wide association data identifies six new risk loci for Parkinson's disease in full.
