Recent study reveals a possible cause of Parkinson’s disease

 In a study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers from the Danish University of Copenhagen have discovered a new potential cause of Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease that affects movement and the nervous system.

While the cause of Parkinson’s disease remains uncertain, recent theories suggest genetics and environmental factors could play a part in its development.

The researchers concentrated on mitochondria in the nerve cells of the brain that produce useful energy.

They noted that damage to the mitochondria could be linked to the onset and development of Parkinson’s. This damage can subsequently affect mitochondrial DNA, causing the disease to spread faster throughout the brain.

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Clinicians who viewed the Danish study noted the significance of exercise as an early form of diagnosis, with a recommendation that physical therapists implement the most effective forms of exercise available to maximize therapeutic benefits.

The study has provided an insight into how mitochondrial DNA damage spreads in a mouse model similar to Parkinson’s, but further research is important to understand fully the role of mitochondrial damage in cases of neurodegeneration.

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Parkinson’s impacts an estimated 6.1 million people globally, according to Parkinson’s Foundation, with a cost to the American society alone of nearly $52bn p.a.

In 2019, Lobsor Pharmaceuticals received an investment of €4m to drive forward clinical testing of a drug for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease which uses a functional antibody fragment to deliver an innovative therapeutic strategy directly targeting alpha-synuclein, the protein that plays a major role in the onset of Parkinson’s disease.