A pioneering study, published in Scientific Reports, found that the Parkinon’s gene PINK1 is important for the generation of dopamine-producing neurons throughout life, and is not just responsible for the premature death of these neuronsThe international research, led by University of Sheffield’s Neuroscience Institute, used two model systems to examine how neurons are produced throughout our lifetimeParkinson’s disease is a relentlessly progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects around 145,000 people in the UKA gene defect linked to Parkinson’s disease may not only cause the early death of neurons, but also impair the process that generates neurons in the brain throughout our lifetime, a new study has revealed.