SNCA and Parkinson disease: Interestingly, other PD-related genes such as LRRK2, VPS35, and GBA play essential roles in astrocytes, and it has been shown that variants in these genes lead to impairments in intracellular vesicle trafficking, dopaminergic neuron degeneration, and accumulation of toxic α-synuclein species in surviving neurons and glia [3].