A new discovery linking the blockage of a critical brain pathway to
Parkinson's disease may lead to improved treatments that cou

June 22, 2006(Fox News.com) - A new study shows that certain
proteins associated with Parkinson's disease symptoms actually block
a critical transport system within the cell.
Researchers say that in people with Parkinson's and other
neurological disorders, these proteins become misfolded and block
this biological pathway, producing symptoms such as uncontrollable
tremors.

Repairing this pathway may stop or reverse the progression of
Parkinson's disease.

"This gives a whole new direction for understanding what's been
going wrong in these patients, and for considering much better
strategies for treating people," says researcher Antony Cooper of
the University of Missouri, in a news release.

What Causes Parkinson's Disease?

New Target for Treating Parkinson's Disease

In the study, published in the journal Science, researchers used
cell biology and genetic screening in yeast to isolate and identify
the biological pathway blocked by accumulations of misfolded
proteins.

The pathway is responsible for preparing and sorting out cellular
proteins for secretion and other processes.

Researchers say the findings may also help explain why dopamine-
producing brain cells (also known as neurons) are especially
susceptible to these abnormal protein accumulations because dopamine
is more toxic than other chemical messengers in the brain when not
properly transported within cells.

The death of dopamine-producing brain cells lowers dopamine levels
in the brain and leads to tremors and other symptoms associated with
Parkinson's disease.

In experiments with laboratory animals, researchers were able to use
this discovery to rescue the dying cells, repair the affected
pathway, and improve neurological function, which could lead to
better treatments for humans with Parkinson's disease.

"For the first time we've been able to repair dopaminergic neurons,
the specific cells that are damaged in Parkinson's disease," says
researcher Susan Lindquist of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, in a
news release. "These findings are exciting because they tell us we
have a platform for discovering new therapeutic strategies and for
speeding the process of discovering treatments for these disorders."