NEUROPATHY IS COMMON IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

November 5,2011

Neuropathy has been found to be nearly seven times more prevalent in Parkinson's Disease. Neuropathy is the malfunction of nerves throughout the body. Neuropathy can cause a pins-and-needles sensation, numbness, burning pain, loss of vibration sense, and a loss of position sense, which is not knowing where the arms and legs are. Walking and even standing can become unsteady. The effects of neuropathy can progress to far more widespread and serious symptoms. For more information go to Polyneuropathy. The researchers found that Vitamin B12 deficiency was a more common cause of neuropathy. Vitamin B12 levels were found to be significantly lower in people with Parkinson's Disease. They believed that the Vitamin B12 deficiency in Parkinson's Disease could be related to the effect of long term use of L-dopa. They consequently suggested that both Vitamin B and Vitamin B12 monitoring and supplementation, as well as serial clinical assessment for neuropathy, may be advisable in people with Parkinson's Disease..

Structure of Parkinson's disease protein identified

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

A team of researchers from the Petsko-Ringe and Pochapskylaboratories at Brandeis have produced and determined the structureof alpha-synuclein, a key protein associated with Parkinson’s disease.

Their findings, recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(PNAS), provide information that may someday be used to produce a newkind of treatment for the incurable degenerative brain disorder.

Alpha-synuclein is found in large quantities in the brain. Its association with Parkinson’s disease has stirred curiosity since it was discovered in 1997.

“Nobody knows what it does, but there’s a lot of it,” says Pochapsky.“The question is whether the unfolded or coagulated Lewy body proteinjust represents the pathological form of something that’s normally doingsomething.”

To explore that question, the scientists wanted to find out what theform alpha-synuclein is in before it turns into Lewy body clumps,figuring that if it is possible to stabilize, the progression ofParkinson’s disease could be either slowed or reversed.

“Even if we don’t know what it is, we at least want to know in whatform alpha-synuclein protein should be under normal conditions,” saysPochapsky.

By Susan Chaityn Lebovits
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-parkinson-disease-protein.html

Abnormal oscillation in the brain causes motor deficits in Parkinson's disease

                                          
The research group headed by Professor Atsushi Nambu (The National Institute for Physiological Sciences) and Professor Masahiko Takada (Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University) has shown that the 'oscillatory' nature of electrical signals in subcortical nuclei, the basal ganglia, causes severe motor deficits in Parkinson's disease, by disturbing the information flow of motor commands. The group also found that chemical inactivation of the subthalamic nucleus (a structure of the basal ganglia) in parkinsonian monkeys improved the motor impairments by reducing the 'oscillations.' The results of this study were reported in European Journal of Neuroscience, November 2011 issue.