Question: Is there any evidence of animals having similar brain diseases such as Parkinsons?

Tora Smulders-Srinivasan answered on 10 Nov 2014:

It’s not clear if other animals get the disease naturally. However, researchers have set up model animals — flies in my case — that do have the same problems with their brain cells as do people with Parkinson’s disease.

In the case of my flies, the same gene that is defective in people exists in the flies and if we make that one defective, the same kinds of brain cells that die in people die in the flies!