methods and associated references appear online . note : 
 supplementary information 
 is available on the nature genetics website .
we performed a genome - wide association study ( gwas ) in 1,713 caucasian patients with parkinson s disease ( pd ) and 3,978 controls . 
 after replication in 3,361 cases and 4,573 controls , two strong association signals were observed : in the -synuclein gene(snca ) ( rs2736990 , or=1.23 , p=2.241016 ) and at the mapt locus ( rs393152 , or=0.77 , p=1.951016 ) . 
 we exchanged data with colleagues performing a gwas in asian pd cases . 
 association at snca was replicated in the asian gwas1 , confirming this as a major risk locus across populations . 
 we were able to replicate the effect of a novel locus detected in the asian cohort ( park16 , rs823128 , or=0.66 , p=7.29108 ) and provide evidence supporting the role of common variability around lrrk2 in modulating risk for pd ( rs1491923 , or=1.14 , p=1.55105 ) . 
 these data demonstrate an unequivocal role for common genetic variability in the etiology of typical pd and suggest population specific genetic heterogeneity in this disease .