American researchers have recently discovered that Parkinson’s disease (PD) is caused by decreased energy to the brain. They identified 10 groups of genes that affect the proper functioning of mitochondria, the small power plants located in the heart of the cell.
Science Translational Medicine reported that scientists at Harvard University analyzed over 300 samples of brain tissue from PD patients, patients without symptoms but the brain showed the first signs of Parkinson’s, and people whose brain was normal.
This work has identified 10 groups of genes whose expression is reduced in patients with the disease. Researchers are hopeful that early stimulation of cellular power plants might be able to prevent or delay the onset of the disease.
On average, PD patients have lost 70% of their dopaminergic neurons at the time of diagnosis, so this new discovery should also enable much earlier detection of Parkinson’s.