The most common mutations that contribute to Parkinson’s occur in the gene known as PARK8 or LRRK2. Mutations in many different parts of this gene have been discovered, and they can occur in people who do not have a family history of PD. In fact, mutations in this gene have been identified in more than two percent of people with Parkinson’s in North America and England, who do not have a family history of the disease. They are found even more frequently among people with Parkinson’s disease who are of Portuguese, Spanish, Ashkenazi Jewish and North African descent. It is not yet understood how the abnormal LRRK2 protein causes PD. This should be an area of intense research in the future.