SQSTM1 and neurodegenerative disease: Through the investigation of p62/SQSTM1 as a candidate gene may further insight into our understanding of p62/SQSTM1 function in both ageing and neurodegenerative disease. It was predicted that inhibiting the Ref(2)P gene in Drosophila would impair median organism lifespan and locomotor ability, as the loss-of-function mutations in the orthologous p62/SQSTM1 gene have been observed in ALS, FTD and PD patients.