Mitochondrial DNA haplogroup cluster UKJT reduces the risk of PD

There is increasing evidence that genetic variants of mitochondrial DNA have an important role in the cause of idiopathic Parkinson's disease. We determined the mitochondrial DNA haplogroup of 455 Parkinson's disease cases, 185 Alzheimer's disease cases, and 447 healthy English control subjects. The UKJT haplogroup duster was associated with a 22% reduction in population-attributable risk for Parkinson's disease. There was no association between individual haplogroups or the UKJT cluster and Alzheimer's disease, confirming that the association with Parkinson's disease was disease specific and not a general effect seen in all neurodegenerative diseases.