Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting nearly 1 million people in the USA and more than 6 million people worldwide.1 Death of substantia nigra (SN) neurons and intracellular inclusions composed of α-synuclein (α-syn) are the neuropathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease.2,3 This pathology is thought to lead to the classic motor symptoms of rest tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity and balance impairments, which make up the core diagnostic criteria of Parkinson’s disease. The gene discussed is SNCA; the disease is Parkinson disease.