HOUSTONâJustin Friendâs parents have doctoral degrees and have worked as university lecturers and researchers. So Mr. Friend might have been expected to head for a university after graduating from high school in Bryan, Texas, five years ago. Instead, he attended Texas State Technical College in Waco, and received a two-year degree in welding.
A flurry of emergent research has linked mitochondrial dysfunction to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction results in impaired ATP generation, loss of cellular repair mechanisms, and cellular inefficiency.
Risk factors for Parkinson's disease include: 1  Age. Young adults rarely experience Parkinson's disease. 2  Heredity. Having a close relative with Parkinson's disease increases the chances that you'll develop the disease. 3  Sex. Men are more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than are women.  Exposure to toxins.