Michael J. Fox part of B.C. Parkinson's 'cluster'

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Doctors are taking a close look right now about a possible nearby connection between Michael J. Fox and his battle with Parkinson's.

Fox and three other cast members on a TV show filmed in Vancouver, B.C., all now have Parkinson's.

Fox's legacy includes being the quirky kid from the TV show "Family Ties" and the star of the movie trilogy "Back To The Future." Most recently he was the guy who made us laugh on "Spin City."

The world was shocked when the actor was diagnosed at the young age of 30.

"This is a disease people think Uncle Willy has, a senior citizen's disease, or at least it was perceived that way," Fox said.

And now comes word that Fox's roots in British Columbia may hold the key to explain why he was stricken with Parkinson's so young.

In 1976, Fox was 16 years old and starring in the Canadian sitcom "Leo and Me."

In a startling turn of events, three other crew members on the show were also diagnosed with Parkinson's before they were 40, including actor/director Don Williams.

"It was stunning in the possibilities it suggested," Williams said.

Doctors wondered: What could have caused this odd cluster of Parkinson's cases at that Vancouver studio?

"It could be coincidence," said Dr. Donald Calne, a Vancouver neurologist. "But it's intriguing, it might be something they were exposed to."

Two of the former "Leo and Me" crew members are his patients.

Calne said the incidence of Parkinson's in society is about 1 in 300. But on the Vancouver set of "Leo and Me," it was 4 in 125.

"It suggests that infective causes may be quite important for most cases," he said.

Although his theory hasn't been widely accepted by the medical community, Calne believes the crew was exposed to a viral infection or some sort of toxin that infiltrates the brain and damages cells.

As cells die, Parkinson's symptoms progress -- attacking the central nervous system.

But Don Williams can't remember any sweeping illness among the crew.

"No, I've tried to think back those years and I'm trying to remember if there was anything significant like that but I can't recall anything," he said.

But Dr. Calne says his own research suggests there is a higher incidence of Parkinson's among people who are frequently exposed to viruses.

"It's common in teachers, the medical workers, and it's very uncommon in people who are at home all the time," he said.

To date, no one has established a link between Parkinson's Disease and viruses or other environmental causes. But there are some studies under way -- one at the University of Washington and another at the Mayo Clinic.

For now, Calne's theory remains just that -- an intriguing theory that, at the very least, raises some interesting questions.