Scientists at NTU Singapore and KAIST uncover a new mechanism that causes Parkinson’s disease

[stepan13]

The lead author, Dr Jeongjin Kim said, “The therapeutic implications of this study for the treatment of Parkinsonian symptoms are profound. It may soon become possible to remedy movement disorders without using L-DOPA, a pre-cursor to dopamine.”

bit.ly/2xdI7qV

[MBAnderson]

pachikov, don't get your hopes up. This article refers to the study as a "breakthrough" and describes the therapy no more specifically than to call it "rebound firing." If there were truly something here, they would describe it in elaborate and fine detail. I read about a "breakthrough" every month.

[stepan13 in reply to MBAnderson]

Thank you for the advice. I'll try

[GymBag in reply to stepan13]

Keep your hopes up , just realize that we have seen these breakthroughs every week and we have become old and jaded, Leary, pessimistic, doubting etc. Keep investigating and posting , nice to have you here .

[park_bear in reply to MBAnderson]

The actual study does so - see link below. Of course any clinical applications a long way off.

[park_bear]

I hate it when news stories can't be bothered to link to the actual published study, and something calling itself '"MDlinx" failing to do so is even worse. Anyway here is the link: cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0...

Looks like entire study is published, runs 52 pages in pdf form. Will be an education digging in.

[MBAnderson in reply to park_bear]

Clearly, it is another important data point. Here is a somewhat more articulate article in Medical News Today about the same study.

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

I guess I was quibbling over the word “breakthrough.” I’ve become jaded to the word. Recent, important studies that indicate Parkinson’s may begin in the gut, that show the significant effect of type II diabetes drugs, that show the potential of stem cells, etc. are all characterized as breakthroughs - and depending upon how you want to define the word, perhaps they are. I view a lot of these studies as the building blocks of basic science. Essentially, I’ve come to feel the word “breakthrough” is too often a gimmick used by the reporter to attract attention.

[AmyLindy in reply to MBAnderson]

... and perhaps akin to “fake news”

[rjpinette in reply to MBAnderson]

I have watched the Awakening to Alzheimers 14 hr programs of 1 hr each and different doctors talking about Alzheimers and PD together (talking about the dementia side of PD). They were also talking about what you eat affects what's going on in the brain. They talked mostly about foods, supplements etc. that would help more than prescription meds. Lots of studies that had phenomenal results with reversing Alzheimers and dementia. BIG STUFF!! Very renowned doctors participated in this program. It was on the computer and just finished a few days ago.

[Astra7 in reply to rjpinette]

Can you give us a quick summary?!!

Are you taking any supplements as a result of this info?

[rjpinette in reply to Astra7]

Well there were 14 different doctors who were the best in each field and there were some overlaps in all this. Basically they were saying that coconut oil (2 T a day to start with) and in your foods too, cut out all white stuff - rice, sugar, flour etc; don't use added sugars to items you eat. Only eat natural sugars: maple syrup and honey. Stay away from processed foods. Eat only from the outside aisles of the grocery store - we have heard all of this before and know it's right but don't do it, right? Lots of supplements too many to list. Check out "Awakening from Alzheimers" on the web for yourself. This weekend they will have an encore presentation of all the different days. Reversing dementia and Alzheimers too!! Parkinson's patients get a type of dementia also so good info for all.

[Astra7 in reply to rjpinette]

Thanks. I'll follow up. I am trying that diet but keep slipping and eating sugar. Can't get coconut oil down without gagging!

[rjpinette in reply to Astra7]

Are you melting the coconut oil first before you drink it? Two Tablespoons in a small container for 25 seconds in micro does it. It doesn't have a taste at all. They have put sugar in everything and we are so used to everything being sweet now. It's as bad as cocaine in so many ways

[BUZZ1397]

Very interesting

[Farooqji]

Although different newspapers decorate themselves with big headlines like this one, but the fact is that we are standing at the same point where we were 200 years before. At the same time I feel and I guess that discovery of the cure for PD will one be a reality one day, and it will be all of sudden when all the hopes will have vanished

[bassofspades]

Rebound firing. That is absolutely fascinating. I think this turns a lot of previous scientific research upside down. I camt wait to see where this winds up. Will read the research paper this weekend!

-----------------------------

A low level of dopamine causes the basal ganglia to more severely suppress the instructions. Scientists have long assumed that this suppression leads to the motor problems in Parkinson’s disease.

However, when the research team tested this assumption using a new light-based experimental technique in mice, they found that if suppression instructions from the basal ganglia were more strongly triggered, the motor controlling part of the brain actually became hyperactive. This hyperactivity led to abnormal muscular stiffness and tremor very similar to the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The key is a neural phenomenon that kicks in after such strong suppression, known as ‘rebound firing’.

Conversely, when rebound firing was itself blocked in mice that were genetically engineered to be dopamine deficient, they showed normal movement without Parkinson’s disease symptoms, proving the key role of ‘rebound firing’.

[bassofspades in reply to bassofspades]

But how to repress the rebound firing? Guess ill read and find out how they did it

[bassofspades]

OK, I read the study and the short answer is they repurposed Norvasc, a t-type Calcium channel blocker, as it provides neuroprotection. I have already been taking Isradipine (Dynacirc) for almost a year. There are studies that show this Callcium channel blocker slows the progression of Parkinsons Disease. Currently, Isradpine for PD prevention is in phase III clinical trials ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[MJKittyLover]

I have very strong indications that Norvasc is actually what caused my Parkinson's.