TDP-43, a common cause of neurological di... - Cure Parkinson's

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TDP-43, a common cause of neurological diseases

SilentEchoes profile image
18 Replies

This crucial discovery points to a common cause of both neurological diseases such as dementia and motor neuron diseases such as ALS and Parkinson disease.

Currently, most scientists do not see a link between ALS and Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), or other dementias. The medical community has for decades attributed symptoms of some of these disorders to the accumulation of amyloid plaque in the brain.

New research confirms the relevance of a certain neurotoxic pathway, TDP-43. The article also confirms TDP-43 inhibition as a viable therapeutic option for the treatment of neurologic disorders, including Alzheimer disease.

Xinglong Wang, PhD, assistant professor of pathology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, may be a pioneer who forces scientists to discard years of medical dogma and leads clinicians to significantly improved treatments.

Wang received a call from a desperate father of a middle-aged son with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) "Can you help save my son's life?" the parent asked.

On that day, Wang, felt the weight of human suffering on his shoulders. But this is a weight that Wang can bear. He may be in the process of entirely upending the current scientific view of ALS and other neuronal diseases.

Wang published a paper in Nature Medicine (2016) in which he and his colleagues had shown that the symptoms of ALS in mice could be completely reversed by the infusion of a small-molecule peptide, PM1.

PM1, an inhibitor of a mutated, dysfunctional protein, TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), could alleviate mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal loss, and could significantly improve motor and cognitive function in previously impaired mice.

Wang is troubled by the fact that PM1 is not a viable drug in humans and that he cannot yet lend a hand to the troubled father.

Wang's team published a study in the January 2017 issue of Molecular Therapy that is seen as confirming the relevance of this neurotoxic pathway, according to an editorial by Eloise Hudry, PhD, of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit at Harvard Medical School.

In the Nature Medicine paper, Wang and his colleagues described the accumulation of TDP-43 in the neuronal mitochondria of mice with ALS and FTD. Mutations associated with both diseases were found to be linked to TDP-43 localization within the mitochondria.

This crucial discovery points to a common cause of both neurological diseases such as dementia and motor neuron diseases such as ALS and Parkinson disease. Wang's studies link TDP-43 toxicity directly to mitochondrial bioenergetics and suggest that the targeting of TDP-43 may provide a promising therapeutic approach in the treatment of these apparently disparate diseases.

Wang and his colleagues had shown that the symptoms of ALS in mice could be completely reversed by the infusion of a small-molecule peptide, PM1. "The result astonished everyone in my lab," said Wang. "Even mice with severe motor and cognitive impairment showed a rapid improvement in disease symptoms following the infusion of the peptide, PM1. Previously demented mice were able to learn mazes again and those with severe motor impairment were soon able to walk normally. It seemed to be miraculous. We were stunned."

Wang is searching the FDA library of 700 approved orphan drugs in order to quickly find a drug that can safely reproduce the effects of PM1, which is not viable in humans.

Wang has begun to develop small proteins that prevent TDP-43 from reaching mitochondria in human nerve cells, and has a patent pending for the therapeutic molecule used in the study.

[This researcher, Wang knows how to reverse ALS, and has PATENTED the CURE - and is withholding it.

PM1 is a small-molecule peptide. This article appeared in my search for galantamine and motor neuron disease.]

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

There is a recognized syndrome called ALS/Parkinson/Dementia Complex, that is alleged to be specific to the Western Pacific.

Following World War II, extremely high rates of a neurodegenerative disease with features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, dementia, and Parkinson disease were described in the Western Pacific islands of Guam, the Kii peninsula of Japan, and West Papua, Indonesia.

The prevailing explanation was the cycad hypothesis; that suggests ALS-PDC is caused by eating friut bats, who have a toxin BMAA in their bodies from eating cycad seeds. BMAA is not very neurotoxic, as determined by primate studies, where BMAA was administered in huge doses for 12 weeks, but there was no evidence of delayed or progressive neuro- degeneration.

"The scientific community has been very receptive to the BMAA hypothesis; more than ever, the onus is now on its proponents to provide compelling and credible data." MW Duncan and AM Marini sciencemag.org

Although the definitive etiology is still unknown, the cause of ALS-PDC is most likely a combination of environmental agents coupled with genetic susceptibility.

ALS/PDC has revealed multiple proteinopathies including tauopathy, α-synucleinopathy and TDP-43 proteinopathy (Mimuro et al., 2017)

Oxidative stress (OS) and nitrative stress (NS) are involved in many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and ALS (Jesberger and Richardson, 1991; de la Monte et al., 2000; Giasson et al., 2002; Kikuchi et al., 2002; Nunomura et al., 2004; Imaizumi et al., 2012).

The view that ‘degenerative’ neurological conditions such as amyotrophic sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's dementia may be caused by environmental toxins has been strengthened by a recent report by Spencer et al. in Science

Cycads contain neurotoxic and genotoxic principles, notably cycasin and methylazoxymethanol (MAM), the latter sharing chemical relations with nitrosamines, which are derived from nitrates and nitrites in preserved meats and fertilizers, and also used in the rubber and leather industries. This review includes new data that influence understanding of the neurobiological actions of cycad and related genotoxins and the putative mechanisms by which they might trigger neurodegenerative disease.

Like all plant materials, the cycad seed is a complex mixture of chemicals, one of which (cycasin) is the principal subject of this paper. We hypothesize that the aglycone of cycasin, the potent genotoxin methylazoxymethanol (MAM), persistently perturbs cell signaling in the young adult brain because post-mitotic nerve cells are unable to repair MAM-induced DNA damage. We have solid evidence to support this conclusion for the developing rodent brain, which MAM readily disrupts, and the fingerprints of a comparable mode of action in the central nervous system of the young adult. If we are correct, MAM represents the first recognized agent with neurotoxic properties that produces a long latency, progressive, neurodegenerative disease, where the interval between agent exposure and onset of neurological decline spans years or decades. We also present evidence that MAM perturbs cell-signaling pathways in the brain that are similar to those activated in mitotically-competent (cycling) epithelial cells that mutate and proliferate to form malignant tumors.

This leads us to propose the possibility that cellular malignancy and progressive neurodegeneration are two sides of the same coin, the outcome depending on whether the genotoxin acts on a cycling or non-cycling cell, respectively.

Since this idea deviates markedly from current understanding and has significant consequences for disease prevention and treatment, we hope our work will stimulate research on this question to prove or disprove our assertion.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Cycasin is a cyanogen compound, a toxic glucoside. Plant chemicals with toxic potential can be divided into those containing nitrogen and those lacking this element.

Non-protein amino acids are synthesized in many plant families. Several disrupt the nervous system, others damage the liver, kidney and other organs. Some mimic the action of glutamate, the principle excitatory neurotransmitter in the human central nervous system. Some of these amino acids chealate metals.

Glyphosate

cell.com/trends/neuroscienc...

medlink.com/article/als-lik...

frontiersin.org/articles/10...

[My mom had PD and I have ALS. I theorise these neurological disorders are related and share biological causes for injury and degeneration.]

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SilentEchoes
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18 Replies
bepo profile image
bepo

Toxins probably play a big part in these neurodegenerative diseases. Glyphosate, GMO's, etc.

park_bear profile image
park_bear

Best wishes for overcoming the ALS challenge.

SilentEchoes profile image
SilentEchoes in reply topark_bear

Some of what I write might be interesting academically, or maybe it's just bread crumbs for me to find later.

I need people to recognize that NDDs are related conditions. We're not separate groups as defined by doctors- we're one group. We are poisoned people.

Thanks for the well wishes.

Despe profile image
Despe in reply toSilentEchoes

Neurodegenerative diseases symptoms do overlap, however, some progress a lot faster than PD. MSA, ALS, and PSP progress a lot faster, according to what I have read. Also, husband's MDS at Vanderbilt described each disease's symptoms and confirmed my husband's PD diagnosis which was also confirmed by Mayo.

SilentEchoes profile image
SilentEchoes in reply toDespe

It's estimated that 25% of people who are diagnosed with PD get a changed diagnosis. I don't know how many get diagnosed with a second NDD, like Alzheimers or Lewy Body dementia.

Despe profile image
Despe in reply toSilentEchoes

You are right, however, "pill-rolling" resting tremor is characteristic of PD. No other NDD presents this kind of tremor. Early falls, delusions and hallucinations are symptoms of Lew Body Disease, just an example. Parkisonian symptoms appear later.

SilentEchoes profile image
SilentEchoes in reply toDespe

I'm not questioning your husband's PD diagnosis, for some people it's not clear cut, for others it's a complex of diagnosis.

My point is that NDD can be a syndrome. And the belief that this syndrome only exists in the western Pacific is naive.

MarionP profile image
MarionP

If I read correct, this substance does not work in human body. So...?

SilentEchoes profile image
SilentEchoes in reply toMarionP

"PM1 is not a viable drug in humans." Yet. Wang patented it.

It will have to go through drug trials, you can do a lot of experiments on mice that can't be done on people.

There are other small molecule peptides in the IGF and insulin family that show efficacy.

MarionP profile image
MarionP in reply toSilentEchoes

Yes, I read it.

Let's not throw away our levodopa and B-1 just yet.

SilentEchoes profile image
SilentEchoes in reply toMarionP

Adjunctive therapy.

MarionP profile image
MarionP

If you say so.

SilentEchoes profile image
SilentEchoes in reply toMarionP

You do you. I'll do me.

parkie13 profile image
parkie13

Once again, sounds like not in my lifetime. I wish it was. Absolutely astounding finding.

SilentEchoes profile image
SilentEchoes

I love this quote from Dr. Lonsdale:

"Thiamine derivatives represent a new basic principle of therapy.

It recognizes that healing is a function of the body, not the activity of a so-called “healer”.

All it requires is the foundation substances needed for repair and sufficient energy to use them.

It demands a dramatic change in thinking about health and disease.

If you understand the principles involved, it forces the conclusion that the word “cure” is a pipe dream.

The only form of pharmaceutical drug that matters is one that safely kills an attacking microbe. Almost all the rest of them merely relieve symptoms and have no effect on the ultimate outcome."

SE

mannp profile image
mannp

A lot of this article I didn’t understand. I do believe these neurodegenerative diseases are somehow related. In my dad’s family of ten children, two sisters had ALS and one sister has Alzheimer’s. Four of the brothers including my dad had Alzheimer’s. My oldest brother had Alzheimer’s and a cousin, whose dad had Alzheimer’s, had ALS. Myself, I have Parkinsonism. I had an uncle die of suicide, a brain illness of depression. I also have major depression. There has to be some connection to all these brain diseases, ALS, Alzheimer’s, parkinsonism and major depression. I don’t know the link but wish I did. When my dad and the majority of his siblings have had Alzheimer’s or ALS there must be a common denominator. I think and I hope Wang is on to something.

SilentEchoes profile image
SilentEchoes in reply tomannp

It wasn't until I got sick that I started asking questions. I had a brain scan and was asked about family history, that's when the lightbulb came on. The neurologist never asked me before.

A lot of us (40%) are very vulnerable to environmental toxins because we haven't got the ability to metabolize these chemicals quickly and remove them from our bodies.

Now that you know it you can do something about it. Recovery is possible - even from Alzheimers.

JCRO profile image
JCRO

I’m posting this into an older thread that mentions TDP-43 rather than starting afresh. This newer news being in connection with an interesting case.

apple.news/AjMqSInmGSNak60K...

Just an FYI if the OP and other contributors were interested in the brief update.

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