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Scientists close in on genes responsible for Parkinson's disease
December 20, 2005Scientists have identified 570 genes that act abnormally during the development of Parkinson's Disease, a finding which could help doctors predict the likelihood of it developing, and provide targets for new treatments.
The research published in Neurogenetics, by the team from Imperial College London and the University of Liege, Belgium, uses microarrays to analyse brains from Parkinson's patients. Microarrays are laboratory chips able to pick out which genes are active when different processes are occurring in the brain. When they analysed brains from people with Parkinson's, they found that out of all 25,000 human genes, regulation of 570 was highly abnormal in Parkinson's brains compared with non-diseased brains. This is the first study on Parkinson's disease where all human genes were studied.
The researchers analysed 23 brains from recently deceased patients, 15 affected by Parkinson's and 8 control brains. The majority of brains were provided by the UK Parkinson's Disease Society Tissue Bank at Imperial College London.
Dr Linda Moran from Imperial College London and one of the authors of the paper, said: "This research shows there are a considerable number of genes associated with the development of Parkinson's, potentially providing new clues for how to treat this disease. Now that we can identify these genes it may be possible to develop new therapies to help the increasing numbers of Parkinson's patients."
The team, led by Professor Manuel Graeber, analysed two parts of the brain which are affected by neurodegeneration in Parkinson's; the substantia nigra in the mid-brain, and the cerebral cortex. They were able to eliminate around 15,000 genes from any role in Parkinson's, as they were not found to be active in the substantia nigra, the part of the brain most affected by Parkinson's.
Dawn Duke, MS, from Imperial College London, and one of the authors of the paper said: "In addition to identifying those genes linked with the development of Parkinson's, this research has also shown that many of these genes were especially active in Parkinson's brains. By limiting the activity of these genes, we may be able to control or even stop the development of Parkinson's."
Imperial College London
Dr Linda Moran from Imperial College London and one of the authors of the paper, said: "This research shows there are a considerable number of genes associated with the development of Parkinson's, potentially providing new clues for how to treat this disease. Now that we can identify these genes it may be possible to develop new therapies to help the increasing numbers of Parkinson's patients."
The team, led by Professor Manuel Graeber, analysed two parts of the brain which are affected by neurodegeneration in Parkinson's; the substantia nigra in the mid-brain, and the cerebral cortex. They were able to eliminate around 15,000 genes from any role in Parkinson's, as they were not found to be active in the substantia nigra, the part of the brain most affected by Parkinson's.
Dawn Duke, MS, from Imperial College London, and one of the authors of the paper said: "In addition to identifying those genes linked with the development of Parkinson's, this research has also shown that many of these genes were especially active in Parkinson's brains. By limiting the activity of these genes, we may be able to control or even stop the development of Parkinson's."
Imperial College London
Parkinsons Disease Current Events and Parkinsons Disease News RSSRutgers Research: Direct Evidence of the Role of Sleep in Memory Formation is Uncovered
A Rutgers University, Newark and Collége de France, Paris research team has pinpointed for the first time the mechanism that takes place during sleep that causes learning and memory formation to occur.
Higher occurrence of Parkinson's linked to low LDL cholesterol
People with low levels of LDL cholesterol are more likely to have Parkinson's disease than people with high LDL levels, according to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers.
Synchronous neuronal firing may underlie Parkinson's disease
In a finding that contradicts current theories behind Parkinson's disease, neuroscientists at Duke University Medical Center have discovered in mice that critical nerve cells fire all at the same time and thus overwhelm the brain's ability to control the body's movements.
Dopamine imbalances cause sleep disorders in animal models of Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia
Neuroscientists at Duke University Medical Center working with genetically engineered mice have found that the brain chemical dopamine plays a critical role in regulating sleep and brain activity associated with dreaming.
Researchers announce results of study on genetic variation in Parkinson's disease
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have completed one of the first large-scale studies of the role of common genetic variation in Parkinson's disease (PD).
Laser probe of a brain pigment's anatomy may offer insight into Parkinson's disease
In a finding that may offer clues about Parkinson's disease, a team led by Duke University researchers used a sophisticated laser system to gain evidence that a dark brown pigment that accumulates in people's brains consists of layers of two other pigments commonly found in hair.
Two copies of G2019S Parkinson's gene mutation doesn't lead to more severe disease
A group of Parkinson's disease researchers concluded there are no observable differences between those who have two copies of the most common mutation of the recently discovered LRRK2 gene and those who have only one copy.
Government cash injection for University spin-out company's stem cell research
A spin-out company from the University of Nottingham has been awarded around £250,000 of Government funding to develop innovative stem cell therapies that could one day provide new treatments for patients suffering from illnesses including Parkinson's disease and stroke.
Two minutes of magnetic stimulation can change your brain for an hour
A couple of minutes is all it takes to 'knock out' bits of your brain for an hour, according to a new study by a University College London (UCL) team. The team have been working on ways to improve a method known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and are now using their adapted version of TMS to investigate possible treatments for stroke patients or those with Parkinson's disease.
Gene therapy shows promise in model of Parkinson's disease
Scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, have conducted novel experiments that might one day lead to gene therapy treatment options for patients with Parkinson's disease. In research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research team, led by EPFL President Patrick Aebischer, found that viral delivery of a gene associated with Parkinson's disease protected neurons from degeneration. Parkinson's disease is a progressive, degenerative neurological disorder in which dopamine-producing neurons in the part of the brain responsible for coordinating muscle movement die or become so damaged that they are no
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