Unveiling the Genetic Trigger for Parkinson's: A Breakthrough Discovery by Scientists
Scientists have discovered a new genetic trigger for Parkinson's disease, which is more commonly found in individuals with recent African ancestry. Conducting a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on nearly 200,000 people of African or mixed ancestry, researchers identified a novel variant of the GBA1 gene that significantly increased the risk of developing Parkinson's. Individuals with one copy of the variant were 1.5 times more likely to have Parkinson's, while those with two copies were about 3.5 times more likely. The findings highlight the importance of including diverse populations in genetic research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the disease.