Scientists have discovered a new cause of Parkinsons disease

[NextStage]

scitechdaily.com/scientists...

A major discovery sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease, opening the door for novel therapeutic approaches down the line.

Until recently, our understanding of Parkinson’s disease has been quite limited, manifesting in the restricted treatment options and management strategies for this debilitating condition.

Our knowledge has mostly focused on the genetic factors associated with familial cases, with the causative factors in the majority of patients remaining elusive.

However, in a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have unveiled new insights into the workings of the brain in Parkinson’s patients. Leading the groundbreaking discovery is Professor Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas.

“For the first time, we can show that mitochondria, the vital energy producers within brain cells, particularly neurons, undergo damage, leading to disruptions in mitochondrial DNA. This initiates and spreads the disease like a wildfire through the brain,” says Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas and adds:

“Our findings establish that the spread of the damaged genetic material, the mitochondrial DNA, causes the symptoms reminiscent of Parkinson’s disease and its progression to dementia.”

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic condition that affects the central nervous system, leading to symptoms such as difficulty walking, tremors, cognitive challenges, and, eventually, dementia.

The disease afflicts over 10 million people worldwide. While there is currently no cure, certain medical treatments can offer relief from its symptoms.

Small fragments of mitochondrial DNA spreads the disease

By examining both human and mouse brains, researchers discovered that the damage to mitochondria in brain cells occurs and spreads when these cells have defects in anti-viral response genes. They sought to understand why this damage occurred and how it contributed to the disease.

Their search led to a remarkable revelation.

“Small fragments of – actually DNA – from the mitochondria are released into the cell. When these fragments of damaged DNA are misplaced, they become toxic to the cell, prompting nerve cells to expel this toxic mitochondrial DNA,” Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas explains.

“Given the interconnected nature of brain cells, these toxic DNA fragments spread to neighboring and distant cells, similar to an uncontrolled forest fire sparked by a casual bonfire” she adds.

[park_bear]

Yet another cause of PD. Study here: nature.com/articles/s41380-...

[NextStage in reply to park_bear]

Dr. Wahls gave this TED Talk "Minding Your Mitochondria" several years ago.

youtube.com/watch?v=eVW3U08...(Not working as expected?)

Do you think following her advice could help heal our Mitochondria to slow progression? I started her diet several months before I was officially diagnosed. I followed it pretty strictly for two years and then I started sometimes having carbohydrates. I don't have any hard data, but I don't think at the time that I was getting much worse. This was before I had started on medicine. About a week before the "PD cause" report came out I had decided to get back to the stricter diet. (Recently I had gotten to the point that I was having oatmeal for breakfast every weekday, so getting a regular carb hit.) I guess I'll see what effect it has on me.

[park_bear in reply to NextStage]

The diet she is recommending is a good diet and will not do any harm. With that said it is specific for MS recovery. In Parkinson's, mitochondria get snagged and degraded by aggregates of misfolded alpha synuclein. See here for details: healthunlocked.com/cure-par....

So personally I prefer to go with interventions that have some evidence of efficacy for Parkinson's.

[crewmanwhite]

This is all fascinating stuff but what causes the mitochondrial damage? Yep, trauma, toxins and infections.

When will anyone research the real causes?

[gomelgo in reply to crewmanwhite]

Thank you for saying it plainly.

[DeanGreen]

I understand that mitochondria in animal cells originated from bacteria and have there own DNA. While the human brain has evolved quickly, relative to other animals, it seems the mitochondria have not been able to keep up with the energy demands of a growing brain as well as efficiently dealing with elimination of toxins. Maybe we can develop an efficient mito DNA vaccine which would tell our body to make more mitochondria to our brain cells without burning up our brains.

[Rufous2 in reply to DeanGreen]

PQQ is supposed to increase mitochondrial genesis. lifeextension.com/magazine/....