Parkinson’s disease (PD) represents the top rising neurological disease, the chief cause of disability worldwide. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the presence of significant motor deficits, as well as other non-motor symptoms. The lack of any disease-modifying treatments and the high overall disease burden emphasize an urgent need for effective therapies. This study aims to detect and characterize brain region-specific somatic mutations in post-mortem brain tissue that are absent or rarely seen in UK BioBank germline population controls. This would allow us to gain critical insights into how Parkinson’s disease arises and how specific genes or biological pathways may affect individual variation in the onset or progression of the disease. An enhanced understanding of the genetic underpinnings and disease pathogenesis could inform the development of new strategies for therapeutic treatments.
