Análisis genético de la enfermedad de Parkinson

The molecular analysis of monogenic forms of neurodegenerative diseases has borne fruit in terms of identification of genes and proteins that, at least, provide information about the etiology and pathological mechanism that acts in such diseases. However, despite the demonstrated high heritability for Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease, has not yet been able to move this type of results to the common forms of these diseases, those of non-Mendelian inheritance. Therefore, the aim of this project is to identify genetic factors related to non-Mendelian forms of Parkinson’s disease using approximations of type «high throughput». We will analyze genetically a population of approximately 300 patients of Parkinson’s disease and as many controls with the particularity that they all have in common is that of Basque origin. Through this approach we aim to benefit from reduced genetic heterogeneity of the Basque population to maximize t he chances of locating genes involved in the risk for this disease. In a second phase, polymorphisms associated with this disease in this population will be analyzed in patient populations of different origin. This study leads, inevitably, to the identification of genetic variables that may be specific for the Spanish population and that will need to be analyzed in a general Spanish population sample.