Two twins who have volunteered to take part in a London medical study are tackling genetics myths surrounding Parkinson’s disease – after it was discovered that just one of the identical brothers had the condition.

The two brothers, Paul and Peter Rodrigues, 47, made their discovery after Peter, Enfield, London, was diagnosed with the condition in 2013.

Peter’s first instinct was to get in touch with his twin brother, Paul, who had since moved to America, to alert him of the likelihood he would face a similar fate.

But Doctors found that Paul did not have the disease.

Peter said: “We were pretty much two peas in a pod; our friends couldn’t tell us apart.

“We had our tonsils removed at the same time, wisdom teeth removed at the same time. Whatever he had, I had.

“I was extremely relieved when I found out he didn’t have it. If I could choose for one of us to have it I would want it to be me, and I know Paul feels the same about me.”

The identical twins have since joined a medical study at Royal Free London, entitled the Parkinson’s Families Project – which aims to investigate their unusual case alongside similar anomalies.

Study leader, Professor Huw Morris, consultant neurologist and professor of clinical neuroscience at the UCL Institute of Neurology, said: “The participation of Peter and Paul Rodrigues and similar families is essential for our work.

“We are focussed on understanding the basic steps that lead some people to develop Parkinson’s while others are unaffected.

“We hope that understanding these mechanisms will in time lead to new treatments that might halt this condition.”