An Overview of the Genetics of Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

While the etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) in most cases remains unknown, 10-15% of PD patients show a prognosis of monogenic forms of the disease with classical Mendelian type of inheritance. Indeed, the identified causative mutations contribute to dopaminergic neurons degeneration. In spite of the rarity of the genetic forms of PD, new molecular pathways are likely to be identified which are relevant in the sporadic form as well. In this chapter, the authors represent an update on the most relevant advances in the genetics of PD.