title: Mendelian Randomization - the Key to Understanding Aspects of Parkinson's Disease Causation?
abstract: Parkinson's disease has multiple determinants and is associated with a wide range of exposures that appear to modify risk in traditional observational studies, including numerous lifestyle and environmental factors. Across other fields of medicine, Mendelian randomization has emerged as a powerful method to examine whether associations between exposures and disease outcomes are causal. Here we discuss the concept of Mendelian randomization, its potential relevance to Parkinson's disease, and suggest avenues through which the method could be employed to further understanding of the causal basis of Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Reta Lila Weston Institute for Neurological Studies, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
authors.forename: Alastair J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Noyce
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Mike A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nalls
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D057182:Mendelian Randomization Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Mendelian randomization; Parkinson's disease; causation; observational study