Objective/Rationale:
Mutations in LRRK2 are a major genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease. This study aims to determine what happens to the amount of LRRK2 protein in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease.
Project Description:
The project will use standard techniques to measure the amount of LRRK2 in a large number of donor brains sourced throughout the world. We will determine if the amount of LRRK2 differs in Parkinson’s disease brain tissue compared to healthy control tissue over the course of Parkinson’s disease.
Relevance to Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease:
Understanding the function of the LRRK2 protein has the potential to provide insight into the causes of Parkinson’s disease. Furthermore, LRRK2 itself may be a therapeutic target for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. It is therefore important to understand how LRRK2 is behaving in brain tissue.
Anticipated Outcome:
We aim to determine whether or not altered levels of LRRK2 protein contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. The results will also provide information about the usefulness of LRRK2 as a therapeutic target for the disease.