A new study from the University of Copenhagen has uncovered a key piece of the puzzle behind Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that affects movement and can lead to memory loss over time. This research, led by Professor Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas, helps explain what may go wrong inside brain cells as the disease progresses.
Parkinson’s disease affects millions of people around the world, especially older adults. People with the condition often have tremors, stiffness, and trouble moving.
In many cases, Parkinson’s also causes changes in memory and thinking, eventually leading to dementia. Even though scientists have known the symptoms of the disease for a long time, they haven’t fully understood what causes it or how to stop it.
The new study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, focuses on the role of mitochondria—tiny structures inside cells that act like power plants, producing the energy cells need to survive.
Normally, when mitochondria become damaged, the cell has a way to clean them up and get rid of the waste. But in people with Parkinson’s, this clean-up system doesn’t work properly.
The researchers discovered that a certain pathway inside cells, which helps manage and recycle broken mitochondria, becomes blocked. When this happens, the damaged mitochondria pile up, and the cell can’t produce enough energy.
As a result, the brain’s nerve cells start to weaken and die. This may explain why people with Parkinson’s disease lose motor control and later develop memory problems.
Interestingly, the blocked pathway is also connected to genes that are part of the immune system. These immune genes usually help the body fight off infections, but they also play a role in managing energy inside brain cells.
The study even found a link between these same genes and how the body responds to viruses like COVID-19. In fact, one gene mutation involved in this pathway has been linked to worse outcomes in people who became severely ill from COVID-19.
To understand these patterns, the research team examined brain samples from people who had Parkinson’s disease. They analyzed which genes were turned on or off in these cells and compared them to samples from healthy individuals.
They also looked at people who had both Parkinson’s and dementia. They noticed that when mitochondria couldn’t be cleared away, other harmful proteins started building up too, making the situation even worse for brain cells.
One of the most important discoveries was the high level of a protein called PIAS2 in the brain cells of Parkinson’s patients. This protein was found at much higher levels compared to healthy individuals of the same age. The researchers believe PIAS2 may be a key player in the disease and could also be involved in inherited forms of Parkinson’s.
The scientists hope that this discovery will lead to new ways to treat Parkinson’s. If doctors can find a way to unblock the pathway and restart the clean-up process inside cells, they may be able to slow down or even stop the damage that leads to Parkinson’s and dementia.
This could lead to new medications that protect brain cells by helping them produce energy and clear away waste properly.
While more research is still needed, this study provides valuable insight into how Parkinson’s disease starts and progresses. It also offers hope that better treatments, and possibly even prevention, could be on the horizon.
For now, it’s a reminder of how much we can learn from studying the basic processes inside our cells—and how this knowledge might one day lead to better brain health for all.
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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