What does the genetics of blood cells have to do with brain
cells related to Parkinson’s disease? From an unusual
collaboration of neurologists and a pharmacologist comes the
surprising answer: Genetic mechanisms at play in blood cells
also control a gene and protein that cause Parkinson’s disease.
The finding, by scientists from the University of Wisconsin
School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH), Harvard University-
affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of
Ottawa, may lead to new treatments for the neurological disorder
that affects as many as 1.5 million Americans. The study is
published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Online Early Edition the week of July 21-25, 2008. Patients with
Parkinson’s disease (PD) have elevated levels of the protein
called alpha-synuclein in their brains. As the protein clumps,
or aggregates, the resulting toxicity causes the death of
neurons that produce the brain chemical dopamine. Consequently,
nerves and muscles that control movem