Mayo Clinic Jacksonville finds Parkinson's-protective gene...

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville say they've found a "genetic variation" that protects against Parkinson's disease and another variation of the same gene that increases the risk (in Caucasians and Asians).

"The idea that Parkinson's disease occurs mostly in a random sporadic fashion is changing. Our study, one of the largest to date in the study of the genetics of Parkinson's disease, shows that a single gene, LRRK2, harbors both rare and common variants that in turn alter the susceptibility to PD in diverse populations," lead investigator and Mayo neuroscientist Owen Ross, Ph.D. was quoted as saying in an announcement from the clinic.

Parkinson's, according to the National Institutes of Health, is a motor system disorder that can cause "tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and postural instability, or impaired balance and coordination."

Pulse on Health
By Jeff Hansel, member Association of Health Care Journalists
Health Reporter for the PostBulletin.com, 18 1st Ave. S.E. in Rochester, Minnesota 55904 
Twitter Hansel's Pulse: @Jeff Hansel