The DRD2 TaqIA polymorphism and demand of dopaminergic medication in Parkinson's disease

Previous studies have demonstrated that the TaqIA polymorphism of the D2 dopamine receptor gene (DRD2) is associated with response to dopaminergic and antidopaminergic treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD) and schizophrenia, respectively. We tested whether the TaqIA genotype in PD is responsible for demand of dopaminergic medication, measured in total dopaminergic load per year of disease, in a large scale association study based on the gene bank of the German Competence Network on Parkinson's disease. Regression analysis yielded no significant differences between the TaqIA genotypes. We conclude that the DRD2 TaqIA polymorphism alone has no pivotal role for interindividual variability of dopaminergic requirement in PD. We propose a practicable system of measuring dopaminergic treatment for future pharmacogenetic studies in PD.