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[Association between dopamine transporter gene polymorphism and Parkinson's disease]
1Institute of Neuroscience, Capital University of Medical Science, Beijing, 100054 P. R. China. pbchan@hotmail.com
Objective:
To detect the association between dopamine transporter gene polymorphism and Parkinson's disease (PD).
Methods:
The authors analyzed the difference in the distribution of the variable number tandem repeat (VNTR ) polymorphism within the 3' untranslated region of the DAT gene between 85 normal controls and 128 PD patients that were further divided into the senile subgroup (aged >50 years at onset of PD ) and the early-onset subgroup (aged
Results:
There were significant differences in genotypic and allelic distribution between the control group and the PD group. The senile PD was strongly associated with the 7-copy allele and weakly with the 10-copy allele, and the early onset PD was mainly associated with the 9-copy allele.
Conclusion:
The findings not only support an association between DAT gene and PD but also suggest the relationship of the 3'VNTR polymorphism of DAT gene with the age at the onset of PD.