Parkinson’s: New treatment targets two nerve systems at once
Scientists have found that a technique for targeting a specific group of brain cells associated with Parkinson’s disease is also effective at treating a separate group of brain cells.
These findings now appear in the journal Neurotherapeutics.
The initial technique is a type of gene therapy that researchers first used to target cholinergic neurons in the brains of rats in 2015. Cholinergic neurons are a type of nerve cell that Parkinson’s affects.
Now, by using brain imaging techniques, the scientists have discovered that their method also positively affected a group of cells near the cholinergic neurons, called dopaminergic neurons.
About Parkinson’s disease
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Parkinson’s disease is a type of neurological condition that typically affects people over the age of 60.
Symptoms include tremors or tremblings, rigidity or stiffness in the trunk or limbs, slowness of movement, and impaired balance.
These symptoms occur because the condition causes a reduction in a person’s dopamine-producing brain cells, or the dopaminergic neurons.
Cell-to-cell interaction
The original method, which the researchers showcased in 2015, worked by using a virus to deliver a genetic modification to the cholinergic neurons of rats genetically modified to develop Parkinson’s disease. The scientists then used a drug that could stimulate the targeted neurons.
In the new study, the scientists showed how they used brain imaging technology to reveal a clear channel of communication between the cholinergic neurons, which they targeted in the 2015 study, and the nearby dopaminergic neurons.
Through cell-to-cell interaction, stimulating the rats’ cholinergic neurons also stimulated their dopaminergic neurons. This seemed to restore the dopamine-producing function in the dopaminergic neurons.
As a result of this, the rats made a complete recovery, including movement restoration and a reversal of postural impairment.
According to senior study author Dr. Ilse Pienaar, “When we used brain imaging, we found that as we activated cholinergic neurons, they then interacted directly with dopaminergic neurons.”
“This seems to be a knock-on effect, so by targeting this one set of neurons, we now know that we are able to also stimulate dopaminergic neurons, effectively restarting the production of dopamine and reducing symptoms,” she adds.
“This is really important, as it reveals more about how nerve systems in the brain interact, but also that we can successfully target two major systems […] affected by Parkinson’s disease, in a more precise manner.”
– Dr. Ilse Pienaar
Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com
