alpha-synuclein gene haplotypes are associated with Parkinson's disease

We report haplotype analysis of the alpha -synuclein gene in Parkinson's di sease (PD), extending earlier reports of an association with a polymorphism within the gene promoter. This analysis showed significant differences in haplotypes between PD cases and controls. Our analyses demonstrate that gen etic variability in the alpha -synuclein gene is a risk factor for the deve lopment of PD. These genetic findings are analogous to the tau haplotype ov er-represented in progressive supranuclear palsy and further extend the sim ilarity in the etiologies and pathogeneses of the synucleinopathies and tau opathies.