Parkinson's advocate says neurodegenerative disease risk remains unexplained as father's Parkinson's after career as plumber showed environmental causes demanded urgent research

Michael J Fox Foundation Akbar Gbajabiamila says at a news conference to introduce the HEALTHY BRAINS Act that while research showed 30% of neurodegenerative disease risk related to genetics, the remaining 70% remained unknown and the Healthy Brains Act could help answer those environmental questions, and he shared the personal story of his father, a plumber who developed Parkinson's despite never taking the kind of hits he took as an NFL player, describing the guilt he initially felt as a son wondering if his father was faking before realizing there was simply not enough education or information about the disease, and thanking the Michael J. Fox Foundation for the impact it made on Parkinson's research.