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Maternal inheritance in Parkinson's disease
Author(s) -
Wooten G. Frederick,
Currie Lillian J.,
Bennett James P.,
Harrison Madaline B.,
Trugman Joel M.,
Parker W. Davis
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410410218
Subject(s) - offspring , age of onset , disease , parkinson's disease , paternal age , medicine , pediatrics , inheritance (genetic algorithm) , family history , genetics , biology , pregnancy , gene
To evaluate possible matrilineal factors in the inheritance of Parkinson's disease, we prospectively identified families in which a parent and multiple siblings had Parkinson's disease. In each of the 5 families identified, the affected parent was the mother ( p < 0.03). The age at onset in the offspring generation in these 5 families was younger than the age at onset in the parental generation ( p < 0.001). In addition, the age at onset in all patients with an affected mother (n = 18) was younger than the age at onset in the affected mothers ( p > 0.001). No difference was found between the age at onset in patients with an affected father (n = 14) and the age at onset in the affected fathers. These results are consistent with a role for inherited abnormalities of mitochondrial DNA in the pathogenesis of at least some cases of Parkinson's disease.