Parkinson's disease in twins.

Among nine monozygotic (MZ) and 12 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs in which an index case had typical Parkinson's disease (PD) or PD with associated dementia, three MZ and three DZ pairs were concordant. Three of the six affected co-twins were first diagnosed during the study. Occurrence of PD in families of MZ and DZ index cases was more frequent than expected from population rates. The study underlines the need for personal examination using defined criteria in a cross-sectional twin study on PD. Although the study did not establish a major genetic impact in the etiology of PD, a genetic predisposition for the disease cannot be ruled out for some individuals.