Mapping of a gene for Parkinson's disease to chromosome 4q21-q23

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease, affecting approximately 1 percent of the population over age 50. Recent studies have confirmed significant familial aggregation of PD and a large number of large multicase families have been documented. Genetic markers on chromosome 4q21-q23 were found to be linked to the PD phenotype in a large kindred with autosomal dominant PD, with a Z(max) = 6.00 for marker D4S2380. This finding will facilitate identification of the gene and research on the pathogenesis of PD.