Rockefeller University scientists have found marked changes in RNA molecules both in the blood of living Parkinson’s patients and in the brains of deceased Parkinson’s patients. Published in a magazine Nature Communication The results of the study will help diagnose Parkinson’s disease in its early stages and prevent many of its symptoms from occurring.
In the first part of the study, the scientists took brain samples from 35 people who died and had Parkinson’s disease. They were compared with samples from 40 neurologically healthy individuals. Scientists have discovered that the activity of many brain genes is altered in Parkinson’s disease, and for the first time, they were able to clearly relate various molecular changes to patients’ symptoms.
Scientists have found violations in the integrity of blood vessels in the brain structure, called the shell, in patients suffering from involuntary contraction movements, and also found that the cells in this area age faster than normal. In another area, there were noticeable changes in the growth of cells in the caudate body that form a protective sheath around brain nerves. Drugs that slow the aging of brain cells in patients with Alzheimer’s disease are currently undergoing clinical trials. If the drugs prove to be effective in Alzheimer’s disease, perhaps a similar therapeutic approach could be used in Parkinson’s disease, the scientists said.
In the second part of the study, the researchers examined blood samples from 479 people with Parkinson’s disease and 195 healthy people. They found that expression levels of hundreds of RNA molecules were significantly increased or decreased in the blood of people with Parkinson’s disease, and the researchers observed similar changes in the patients’ brains from the first part of the study.
Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world after Alzheimer’s disease, results from the death of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain. While dopamine is often associated with feelings of pleasure, it also helps regulate motivation, memory, cognition and movement.
Hand tremors and stiffness are two of the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. However, these symptoms occur when 50-80% of the dopamine neurons in the brain are already dead in patients. Early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (up to an average of age 50) can help prevent the most severe symptoms.
ancient scientists to create A new symptom of the early stage of Parkinson’s disease.