What is the role of genetics in neurodegenerative diseases? The example of Parkinson's

Registrations coming soon!

As part of the Rencontres avec un académicien cycle, come and listen to and ask questions of Alexis Brice. Trained as a neurologist and researcher at the Brain Institute, Alexis Brice is a professor of medical genetics. His field of research is neurodegenerative diseases. His work focuses on common diseases, such as Parkinson's, and rare diseases of the nervous system.

His talk will therefore focus on the role of genetics in neurodegenerative diseases, using Parkinson's disease as an example.

Summary: Genetic factors of different kinds play an important role in Parkinson's disease. They may be simple risk factors, conferring a slightly increased risk of developing the disease compared with that of the general population. Or, in other less frequent cases, these genetic factors are associated with a strong effect, as in Mendelian forms, where the genetic variant is both necessary and sufficient to cause Parkinson's disease. These Mendelian forms are transmitted according to Mendel's laws (dominant, recessive or X-linked). While some fifteen Mendelian genes are already known, others have yet to be found. A few examples of these genes (SNCA, GBA1, LRRK2 and PRKN) will serve to illustrate the applications of this knowledge to understanding pathophysiological mechanisms, establishing diagnosis and prognosis, and exploring new therapeutic approaches.

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