Interesting article questioning the toxic protein theory

[Parkinsonjisung]

ccbpstudy.com/2021/01/20/ar...

[park_bear]

This article questions whether amyloid is the cause of Alzheimer's, and sets forth some important objections to this hypothesis. Parkinson's and alpha-synuclein is not mentioned.

[Parkinsonjisung in reply to park_bear]

Is the theory not the same?Parkinson patients have been found without lewy bodies in postmortems

[park_bear in reply to Parkinsonjisung]

I believe there is a difference. As far as I know, no one is claiming the amyloid of Alzheimer's is defective at the molecular level.

[Parkinsonjisung in reply to park_bear]

Can you explain your understanding a bit more? Just trying to learn 😁

[park_bear in reply to Parkinsonjisung]

I believe these researchers are correct-

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

- that amyloid is a response to pathogens

[felixned in reply to park_bear]

I am afraid there is a common thread: in Parkinson studies that yielded significant reduction of misfolded ASNs nobody to the best of my knowledge observed any symptomatic improvements. There were some studies that indicate higher levels of ASNs as the result of immune response to viruses. I often think (and this is just a guess) that LB might be the way brain immune system (which is quite different from the general immune system) handles production of ASN generated in response to the active pathogen (eg virus). After all there is BBB that could prevent alternative disposal of this protein. So instead it is neatly packaged in LB and left alone. Feel free to call me an idiot :). There are some additional thoughts but I'll keep them for another day.

[park_bear in reply to felixned]

Here is a study that actually used a good mouse model - genetically modified mice that get PD - and demonstrated a treatment that "markedly reduced the level of insoluble α-syn in nigra, hippocampus and brain stem ... Functionally Alleviates Motor Deficits and Improves Cognitive Functions"

link.springer.com/article/1...

[felixned in reply to park_bear]

Thanks. It is interesting. I recall reading about cinnamon benefit. I actually meant asn antibodies ( Prothena). I will add cinnamon bun to my morning coffee however.

[rescuema]

Relevant recent discussions -

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

More interesting articles -

nature.com/articles/d41586-...

beingpatient.com/gut-bacter...

[Parkinsonjisung in reply to rescuema]

Interesting articles, especially the virus one. I'm not convinced on the gut theory though as there's proof that people have got parkinson who have had their vagus nerve cut.

[rescuema in reply to Parkinsonjisung]

I don't think the answer is so black and white. The causes can be manifold, and for some, the gut issue could indeed be the initial driver that sets up the chain reaction.

"In these mice, as in the younger mice, injecting alpha-synuclein into the gut lining led to gut dysfunction. But, unlike in the young mice, older mice also developed motor deficits resembling Parkinson’s disease. Furthermore, the older mice did have alpha-synuclein aggregates in their brainstems, supporting the idea that the aggregates “spread up.”

Additionally, the older mice had significantly reduced levels of dopamine in their brains, which was not observed in the younger mice following alpha-synuclein injection.

The reason for this age-related difference may come down to how protein-regulating systems in the body change with age."

parkinsonsnewstoday.com/202...

"But as we age, myeloid cells begin neglecting their normal, health-protecting functions and adopting an agenda of endless warfare with a nonexistent enemy, inflicting collateral damage to innocent tissues in the process."

eurekalert.org/pub_releases...

[rescuema]

You along with a few people convinced me to stay around, albeit not as active as before to balance my time. 😉

[Rhyothemis]

People with Down syndrome have much higher risk of AD; they have an extra copy of chromosome 21, which is where the APP gene is located - so they make more APP.

nia.nih.gov/health/alzheime...

[Parkinsonjisung in reply to Rhyothemis]

The article i posted argues against this exact theory

[Rhyothemis in reply to Parkinsonjisung]

The article did not address the most basic observation in support of the amyloid hypothesis - that having more APP (as in Down syndrome or APP gene duplication) increases risk for AD. Unless an alternative explanation for the increased APP-AD connection (with empirical support) is offered, I will stick with the amyloid hypothesis. Same thing for a-syn and PD.