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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jun 2.
Published in final edited form as: Prog Brain Res. 2010;183:21–41. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(10)83002-X

Figure 1. Timeline of key discoveries in PD pathogenesis.

Figure 1

Parkinson’s disease was first formally described in 1817 by James Parkinson. From then until the late twentieth century, advances were made in describing the pathological features of PD and in understanding possible causes of the disease, such as exposure to pesticides and MPTP. The recent discovery of multiple genetic causes of PD has generated insight into novel mechanisms of PD etiology. Studies using genetic models of PD will, no doubt, continue to advance our understanding of disease pathogenesis.