title: Maternal inheritance in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville 22908, USA.
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Wooten
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Currie
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Trugman
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Parker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000235:genetics*