Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder in which neurons and dopamine-producing cells in your brain begin to die. Symptoms progress over time and include tremors, slow movements, rigid limbs, shuffling gait, stooped posture and an inability to move. Several years ago, scientists found that a form of gene therapy was able to target cholinergic neurons — nerve cells that degenerate as Parkinson’s progresses. More recently, researchers discovered that this method may also be able to stimulate another type of neuron, suggesting it may work as a possible treatment for the disease.
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In a study published in Neurotherapeutics, researchers identified a communication pathway between two major neurotransmitters systems in the brain — cholinergic neurons and dopaminergic neurons. In a patient with Parkinson’s disease, dopaminergic neurons produce much lower levels of dopamine, which can lead to impaired movement and other symptoms.
In the study, researchers were using a rat model to target cholinergic neurons, when they found that the dopaminergic neurons were also affected. The cell that was originally stimulated had a positive impact in the receptive cell type, which restored dopaminergic functions.
Lead study author Dr. Ilse Pienaar explained, “When we used brain imaging, we found that as we activated cholinergic neurons, they then interacted directly with dopaminergic neurons. This seems to be a knock-on effect so by targeting this one set of neurons, we now know that we are able to also stimulate dopaminergic neurons, effectively restarting the production of dopamine and reducing symptoms.”
She continued, “This is really important as it reveals more about how nerve systems in the brain interact, but also that we can successfully target two major systems which are affected by Parkinson's disease, in a more precise manner."
The researchers noted that the therapy has yet to be tested on humans, but the discovery is a big step forward in treating and reversing Parkinson’s disease symptoms.