LRRK2 p.G2385R and p.R1628P variants in a multi-ethnic Asian Parkinson’s Cohort: epidemiology and clinical insights

The frequency and clinical impact of LRRK2 p.G2385R and p.R1628P risk variants in Parkinson's disease (PD) remain uncertain, particularly across different Asian populations. We genotyped 3058 multi-ethnic Malaysian PD patients, performed detailed phenotyping in 185, and analyzed disease progression in 635 using longitudinal Clinical Impression of Severity Index for PD scores. p.G2385R was largely confined to Chinese (8.2%), while p.R1628P occurred in mixed ancestry (11.0%), Chinese (8.3%), Malays (7.7%), and is reported for the first time in indigenous groups (3.9%). Double-variant carriers had younger onset and more frequently had positive family history. Compared with non-carriers, p.R1628P carriers had lower rates of dementia and orthostatic hypotension, and slower progression of global PD severity. Our findings highlight ethnic differences in the distribution of LRRK2 Asian variants, and suggest that these variants influence onset age, familial occurrence, non-motor features, and disease course, with implications for personalized approaches to PD in Asian populations.