Alpha-synuclein is a member of the synuclein protein family, the other two members being β and γ-synuclein, each protein is coded for by a distinct but related gene. α-synuclein was originally isolated as a major synaptic vesicle associated protein from the electric organ of the fish Torpedo (1), and direct homologues of α-synuclein are found in all vertebrates. Later work connected α-synuclein expression with several human brain pathologies, it is a major component of the Lewy bodies of Parkinson’s disease (2). Point mutations of α-synuclein proved to be causative of some forms of familial Parkinson’s disease (3-5). One genetic cause of early onset Parkinson’s disease is duplication or triplication of one of the α-synuclein genes leading to excess production of the protein (6,7). α-synuclein is also found in the Lewy bodies of patients with diffuse Lewy body disease and inclusions in glial cells in the brains of patients with multiple system atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. α-synuclein is normally heavily expressed in brain and appears to be localized primarily to presynaptic regions, though not with a typical synaptic vesicle distribution pattern.