Monday 5 December 2016

Where Exactly Parkinson's Disease Starts From?

Parkinson's Disease

"Parkinson's disease 'may start in gut'," BBC News reports. New research involving mice suggests that bacteria in the gut may lead to a greater decline in motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease.

The study involved a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. The researchers gave some of the mice gut bacteria from people with Parkinson's disease, some were given gut bacteria from healthy individuals, and some mice were not given any bacteria.

They found that gut bacteria seemed necessary to trigger Parkinson's-like symptoms. There was greater decrease in motor function in mice infected with gut bacteria compared with those who remained germ-free, with the greatest decline seen in mice given bacteria from people with Parkinson's.

The researchers suggest that the presence of gut bacteria may cause the build-up of proteins called alpha-synuclein, which is found in patients with Parkinson's disease.

The study does not prove that Parkinson's is essentially a gut disorder and could potentially be treated or prevented with antibiotics or probiotics. And, humans aren't identical to mice, so the study findings may not apply to people.

The study arguably raises more questions than answers. But it could pave the way for further studies in people, with the hope of finding potential new treatments for Parkinson's.

The study was carried out by researchers from a variety of institutions, mainly from the US and Sweden, including the California Institute of Technology, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

It was funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish Research Council.

The study was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Cell. It's available on an open-access basis and is free to read online.


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