PRKN and Parkinson disease: Parkinson’s disease (PD) has long-been thought to be, in part, driven by metabolic vulnerability of dopamine (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) as two of the earliest identified genetic drivers of PD, PARK2 (PARKIN) and PARK6 (PINK1), when mutated, compromise the integrity of mitochondria (5), a central hub of cellular bioenergetic support.