The "shaking palsy" of Parkinson's disease is fairly well recognized, but the cause and the cure have eluded the medical world although various treatments from physical therapy to deep brain surgery (DBS) have made a positive difference in the lives of Parkinson's patients.

    Now researchers studying more than 2,000 Parkinson's disease patients and 2,000 healthy volunteers from clinics in Oregon, Washington, New York, and Georgia have detected a new association with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region, which contains a large number of genes related to immune system function in humans. The discovery offers new evidence that Parkinson's disease may have an infectious or autoimmune origin. With the new findings and the link to HLA, researchers will be encouraged to take a renewed interest in the possible role of infections, inflammation, and autoimmunity in Parkinson's disease.

    According to Dr. Cyrus Zabetian, associate professor of neurology at the University of Washington, "Over the years, there have been subtle hints that immune function might be linked to Parkinson's disease. But now we have much more convincing evidence of this and a better idea of which parts of the immune system might be involved." He adds, "Our results also pointed to several other genes that might play a role in developing Parkinson's disease, and these findings need to be confirmed."

--Source: "U.S. researchers discover genetic link between immune system, Parkinson's disease," Xinhuanet, August 15, 2010