Clinical relevance and translational impact of reduced penetrance in genetic movement disorders

Reduced penetrance is an important but underreported aspect in monogenic diseases. It refers to the phenomenon that carriers of pathogenic variants do not manifest with an overt disease. Clinical expressivity, on the other hand, describes the degree to which certain disease characteristics are present. In this article, we discuss the implications of reduced penetrance on genetic testing and counseling, outline how penetrance can be estimated in rare diseases using large cohorts and review the ethical, legal and social implications of studying non-manifesting carriers of pathogenic mutations. We highlight the interplay between reduced penetrance and the prodromal phase of a neurodegenerative disorder through the example of monogenic Parkinson's disease and discuss the therapeutic implications.