Is there DNA testing for Parkinson's Disease?

PINK1 appears to be a rare cause of inherited Parkinson's disease. A small percentage (~2 percent) of those developing the condition at an early age appear to carry mutations in the PINK1 gene. Genetic testing for the PARK7, SNCA and LRRK2 genes is also available. read more

For years, scientists thought there was no genetic basis for Parkinson's. Then, in 1997, researchers at the National Institutes of Health discovered that mutations in a gene called SNCA (which encodes alpha-synuclein) were common in several families with a high prevalence of Parkinson's. read more

As far as I can tell there are about 7 genes linked to Parkinson’s and at least 5 can be tested for. See the web site of the National Human Genome Research Project at Learning About Parkinson's Disease. So the answer is yes, there is some genetic testing available. read more

There is a lot of research on genes and the environment that is attempting to understand how all these factors interact. Top of page. Genetic Testing in Parkinson's Disease. Genetic testing has recently become available for the parkin and PINK1 genes. Parkin is a large gene and testing is difficult. read more