A genetic mutation in a protein required to protect neurons is linked to Parkinson’s disease, and new research has shown the precise molecular function of the protein. Understanding the function of the protein, called DJ-1, is an essential first step in potentially altering its function with drugs to prevent neurodegeneration. Purdue University researchers revealed how… [Continue Reading]
Mutated Protein in Parkinson’s Disease Leaves Neurons Unprotected
February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Model of Parkinson’s Disease Suggests New Approaches to Treatment
February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Parkinson’s disease is complex and difficult to study, given the complicated interactions between brain cells. A new model, however, is giving major new insights into what goes wrong in neurons in Parkinson’s patients. Scientists took skin cells from patients, and by changing their environmental signals in the laboratory, coaxed them into becoming neurons. Study of… [Continue Reading]
Mechanism Behind Hereditary Parkinson’s Disease Discovered
November 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Researchers have discovered the mechanism that underlies Parkinson’s disease in an inherited form of the condition. The key defect is abnormal mitochondria, the structures within cells that produce energy. When the structures stop functioning properly, the cell receives a signal to destroy them, and prevent them from damaging the rest of the cell. This process… [Continue Reading]
Mechanism Behind Neural Degeneration Discovered: Implications for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease
October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Scientists have made a key advance in understanding how neurodegenerative diseases damage the brain. In a new study, researchers have found that when under physiological stress, like in neurodegenerative diseases, harmful forms of oxygen cause the connections between brain cells grow too much. Research by biologists at the University of York and Hull York Medical… [Continue Reading]
Gene Linked to Protection Against Parkinson’s Disease Discovered
September 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Researchers have discovered a genetic variation that is linked to a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The variant is associated with up to a 20% decrease in the likelihood of developing the condition. Further study of the gene’s function may yield important insights into how the disease develops. An international team of researchers led… [Continue Reading]
Survival Signal for Nerve Cells Discovered
September 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Understanding how nerve cells, or neurons, work and survive in the body is essential to regenerative medicine and understanding neurodegenerative diseases. New research in a high-profile scientific journal now shows there is a key signal that is sent from a neuron’s target that is necessary for cell survival. Nerve cells that regulate everything from heart… [Continue Reading]
Class of Sleep Disorders May Be Linked to Future Neurodegenerative Diseases
August 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The symptoms of a REM sleep disorder, where patients move and shout during dreams, may predict neurodegenerative diseases in the future, researchers suggest. A decrease in dopamine signaling in the brain might link the two classes of disease, and could help doctors determine who is most at risk from Parkinson’s and other degenerative diseases. Patients… [Continue Reading]
Modifying Calcium Signaling Could Help Control Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms
July 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by trembling. New research in an animal model of the disease suggests that trembling could be controlled by blocking the movement of calcium between cells, which plays a role in muscle movement and control. Parkinson disease (PD) affects 1-2% of the population over the… [Continue Reading]
Pesticide Exposure Causes Parkinson’s Disease Protein to Malfunction and Cause Disease
June 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Environmental toxins have been linked to Parkinson’s disease, and new research is helping scientists to understand why. Researchers have shown that oxidative stress, such as that caused by pesticide exposure, causes parkin proteins to malfunction and clump together. In a new article published in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration, researchers at the University of Missouri School… [Continue Reading]
Structure of Protein Linked to Parkinson’s Disease Probed
June 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
More information about the structure of a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease has been discovered by scientists, giving new insights into how its function and disease might be linked. The new work is helping researchers understand the dynamics of how the protein moves and folds, which may give insights into why it might malfunction in… [Continue Reading]