Parkinson’s disease and Lewy Body Dementia are two serious illnesses that affect the brain. They cause problems with movement, such as shaking, stiffness, and slowness.
As time goes on, these diseases can also affect memory, thinking, and emotions.
Millions of people in the United States are living with these conditions, and scientists have been working for years to understand them better and find new ways to treat them.
Now, scientists at Scripps Research have made an exciting new discovery. It could help slow down the progress of both diseases and improve people’s lives.
The main problem in both Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia is a protein called alpha-synuclein. In healthy brains, the body has a system that removes old or damaged proteins, including alpha-synuclein.
But in these diseases, this protein starts to build up in the brain. It forms clumps, and these clumps can damage brain cells. Over time, the clumps spread to other cells, making the condition worse.
Our bodies have special helpers that clean up these unwanted proteins. One of these helpers is a protein called p62. It acts like a tiny garbage collector, helping to get rid of the bad proteins before they can do harm. But in people with Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia, something goes wrong. The p62 protein doesn’t work properly.
The scientists found that a chemical change called S-nitrosylation affects how p62 works. This change happens when the brain has too many nitrogen-based molecules, especially nitric oxide. When p62 gets changed in this way, it can no longer remove the harmful alpha-synuclein. As a result, the clumps grow and spread, making the brain problems worse.
This finding is important because it shows a new way to fight these diseases. If doctors can stop the p62 protein from being changed by nitric oxide, they might be able to keep it working. That means it could continue cleaning up the harmful proteins, stopping the damage, and possibly slowing down the disease.
The researchers are also looking into how vitamins might help. Vitamins E and D are already known to be good for brain health. Now, scientists are wondering if they could also help p62 do its job better. If so, these simple vitamins could one day be part of a treatment plan for Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia.
Although a cure is not yet available, this research gives hope. Understanding how these diseases work is the first step toward better treatments.
The more we learn, the closer we get to stopping or slowing down these brain conditions. One day, this knowledge may lead to new medicines or therapies that protect the brain and help people live better, longer lives.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and Mediterranean diet could help lower risk of Parkinson’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing Plant-based diets could protect cognitive health from air pollution.
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