New research has found that genetic variants associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are more common than researchers previously believed. Investigators in the Parkinson’s Foundation-backed PD GENEration study – which reached its goal of 15,000 participants ahead of schedule this spring – found that 13% of participants have a genetic form of PD, which is a significant observation compared to long-standing estimates. Results from the first 3.5 years of the study, which examined a broad North American cohort, were published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Brain.