"From a research point of view, this is the first time we could identify what appears to be typical Parkinson's disease cases before people develop symptoms," says Mayo Clinic neuroscientist Matthew Farrer. "We know if someone inherits the mutation they are going to get Parkinson's disease." The mutation was discovered by sequencing the LRRK2 gene in families with Parkinson's from the US, Norway, Ireland and Poland.
A genetic mutation has been linked with Parkinson's disease.