American neuroscientists from the University of Alabama have discovered a promising method for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. It is associated with interference in the processes of memory formation. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine Journal of Neuroscience (JNeuroSci).
The team found cells in a critical area of the brain that respond specifically to the drug L-DOPA to chemically restore dopamine in Parkinson’s disease. Over time, this drug leads to motor disorders – dyskinesias – in patients.
In tests on mice, scientists tried to determine why L-DOPA causes dyskinesia. They found evidence of activity in a part of the brain called the striatum that controls movement. After further analysis, they found that these mechanisms appeared to be similar to the process of memory formation.
It turned out that neurons known as D1-MSNs were responsible for most of the activity, expressing genes predicted to be activated by L-DOPA and making connections with other neurons (a key process in the formation of memories).
One of the genes expressed by D1-MSNs produces a protein called activin A. When the researchers blocked activin A in further experiments in mice, the development of dyskinesia was also prevented.
“The brain appeared to form a motor memory, and each time the patient received L-DOPA treatment, this memory was recalled with each subsequent L-DOPA exposure. Essentially, by canceling the effect of activin A, we were able to stop the development of dyskinesia symptoms in the mice, essentially erasing the brain’s memory of the motor response,” the researchers explained.
Earlier scientists named A new factor in the development of Parkinson’s disease.