My PD Story

2026 Environmental Trigger Award

Searching for Parkinson’s Risks in Early Childhood Exposures 

Research suggests that many Parkinson’s disease (PD) cases are likely caused by environmental factors. One of the greatest theorized environmental risk factors is exposure to toxicants in the form of certain pesticides, solvents, metals and other pollutants. These exposures could happen before the appearance of PD symptoms by decades and may even take place during childhood. However, despite strong scientific evidence in animal studies, the association between early-life toxicant exposures and PD later in life has been difficult to confirm in humans.

Ethan Brown, MD, recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Trailblazer Award, is striving to more firmly link early toxicant exposure to PD in humans. From his research center at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Brown will be analyzing data from the Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS) cohort, a clinical study group of nearly 30,000 mothers and fathers. Enrolled in the early 1960s, these participants provided years of information about their habits, behaviors and home setting to help researchers look for links between environmental exposures and effects on their children’s development. Scientists were also able to collect blood samples of pregnant mothers to look for hidden chemical exposures that may impact the developing child. 

The children of these CHDS parents are now at an age where PD diagnosis is increasingly common, around 65 years old. Using the CHDS cohort, Dr. Brown can search for any exposure patterns from childhood that are consistent among those who have developed PD. Identifying these common factors could help scientists build tools to better assess PD risk in adults based on their childhood environment, improving our ability to catch the disease earlier.

“Identifying early-life risk factors for Parkinson’s could expand our understanding of how the disease develops and open new opportunities for prevention decades before symptoms appear.” – Dr. Brown

Dr. Brown will also evaluate data from the parents themselves, assessing who developed PD and if their reported exposures or habits were associated with the disease. Analyzing the maternal blood samples for evidence of toxicant exposure will also provide valuable insights into what chemicals may have increased PD risk for not only the mother, but the child as well. 

Establishing strong data-driven associations between PD and environmental exposures could drive the development of new tests to better understand people’s risk for the disease and attempt to diagnose it sooner. These insights could also help inform the public of the dangers of certain exposures, shaping public policy to reduce PD risk for everyone. 

“Receiving the Parkinson's Foundation Trailblazer Award is a tremendous honor and exciting milestone in my career as a Parkinson's disease researcher,” said Dr. Brown. “The findings from this study could also help guide future research aimed at developing earlier and more effective treatments.”

Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.