Common genetic marker associated with faster Parkinson’s disease progression | Mass General Brigham

People with Parkinson’s disease who carried the Melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) loss-of-function variants experienced 30% to 50% faster motor decline than non-carriers across two independent cohorts. More than 60% of Parkinson’s patients of European descent carry at least one of these variants, suggesting that the finding may apply to a large subgroup of patients.