Abstract
Zero concordance for Parkinson disease was found in the first 12 monozygotic twin pairs examined in an ongoing twin study. One co-twin (subject without Parkinson disease) had essential tremor, another had cerebral vascular disease, and a third was an alcoholic. Cigarette smoking appeared to be less frequent in the probands than in the co-twins (11.9 versus 16.1 pack-years). There was also evidence of premorbid personality differences between probands and co-twins dating back to late adolescence or early adult years. These preliminary findings suggest that genetic factors do not play a major role in the etiology of Parkinson disease and point to a prodromal onset of the disease as early as late adolescence or early adult life.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 77-80 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Neurology |
Volume | 31 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1981 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology