Association between Parkinson's disease and glucocerebrosidase mutations in Brazil

ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between parkinsonism and mutations in the glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) in Brazilian patients.MethodsWe searched for three GBA common mutations (N370S, L444P and G377S) in 65 Brazilian patients affected by PD with disease onset before the age of 55 and compared the results to 267 age- and sex-matched controls.ResultsGBA mutations were detected at a significantly higher frequency among Parkinson's disease patients (2/65=3%), when compared to the control group (0/267): P=0.0379.ConclusionThese results provide further evidence for GBA mutations being a possible hereditary risk factor for PD.