When Was the Link Between Blood Cells & Parkinson's Disease Discovered?

Research on the link between blood cells and Parkinson's Disease was officially published in the January 16, 2007 volume of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Scientists scanned the genes of patients in early stage Parkinson's Disease to find irregularities in the molecular processes of their blood cells. The results suggested that gene expression of blood is linked to the molecular markers indicating early-stage Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's Disease

• Parkinson's Disease is a neurological disorder that primarily affects body movement. About five million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson's Disease. Symptoms include tremor, slow motion, rigid muscles, impaired posture/balance, loss of automatic movement (such as blinking), speech problems and dementia. Higher risk of developing Parkinson's Disease is associated with older age, relation to people with Parkinson's Disease and exposure to toxins. Also, men seem to develop Parkinson's Disease more than women do. Currently there is no cure for Parkinson's Disease, but there are treatments to help relieve its symptoms.

History

• Dr. James Parkinson first documented the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease in 1817. In the early 1900s, scientists found that Parkinson's Disease was related to abnormalities in the substantia nigra, a brain structure associated with movement. In the 1950s, neuroscientists discovered that patients with Parkinson's disease had less dopamine, a neurotransmitter dealing with movement and rewards. Then in the 1960s, neuroscientists treated Parkinson's Disease with levodopa, a drug that increases dopamine levels. Today, Parkinson's Disease is treated with medicine, physical therapy or surgical brain stimulation.

Significance

• The link between blood cells and Parkinson's Disease can help doctors to detect Parkinson's Disease more quickly in patients. Currently there is no laboratory blood test for Parkinson's Disease. Also, it can take years to detect the degeneration of dopamine neurons because symptoms don't develop until many neurons have degenerated. Scanning gene expression in blood (gene information used to produce blood) is a test that can identify Parkinson's Disease risk biomarkers (molecules indicating the risk of developing Parkinson's Disease) before the disease seriously affects the patient.

Potential

• Information regarding this link might lead to a cure for Parkinson's Disease. Detecting risk of Parkinson's Disease early on could slow down the development of Parkinson's Disease and even prevent it from developing in the first place. Prevention would be the best way to definitively cure Parkinson's Disease.

Limitations

• The link between blood cells and Parkinson's Disease is an important discovery, but it is not yet a solution. Research presents an idea of how to prevent Parkinson's Disease, but that idea must apply to the real world. Scientists still need to determine how to develop a drug in relation to their findings. Also, they must conduct further research on patients of different genetic backgrounds so that they can treat Parkinson's Disease universally.