Parkinson’s disease may be linked to genetic variation in blood cells

Could blood platelets (small cells in the bloodstream) serve as biological markers of Parkinson’s?

Researchers in Australia and the US have found that variation in platelet size may be more common in people with the condition.

The team consulted data from a genome-wide association study (GWAS), which captured information about genes in individuals’ cells to identify small genetic alterations. The data set included 37,688 people with Parkinson’s and 18,618 people linked genetically to the condition, such as siblings and children – along with a control group of over 1.4m.

Variation in platelet size was found to be greater in people with Parkinson’s, highlighting this as a potentially useful indicator for diagnosis.

Commenting on the research, senior author Dr Jake Gratten said the findings “provide a foundation for future work to improve prevention and prognosis of common neurological diseases”.

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