Israeli researchers have added another gene to the list of those possibly linked to Parkinson’s disease, saying their finding could one day “affect the treatment options available to patients."The gene is one that, in a mutated form, causes Gaucher’s disease, a genetic condition in which lipids -- blood fats -- can’t be metabolized properly. There is a high incidence of the disease among Ashkenazi Jews, who are from Eastern Europe.Researchers at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa said their study of 99 Ashkenazi Jews with Parkinson’s disease found that 31 of them had mutations of the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene, which produces a protein that metabolizes fats.That finding adds support to the theory that Parkinson’s disease, which affects one of every 100 people over age 60 and causes progressive loss of muscle control, results from faulty lipid metabolism that slowly kills nerve cells.The research appears in the Nov. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
