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By Anna Shvets<\/p>\n By Anna Shvets<\/p>\n
Groundbreaking research by the University of Sydney has identified a new brain protein involved in the development of Parkinson\u2019s disease and a way to modify it, paving the way for future treatments for the disease.<\/p>\n
With the aim of finding new treatments to slow or stop its progression, the research team has spent more than a decade studying the biological mechanisms underpinning the condition\u2014which is the second most common neurological condition after dementia.<\/p>\n
In 2017, they identified for the first time the presence of an abnormal form of a protein\u2014called SOD1\u2014in the brains of patients diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
Normally, the SOD1 protein provides protective benefits to the brain, but in Parkinson\u2019s patients it becomes faulty, causing the protein to clump and damage brain cells.<\/p>\n
The newest study by the same team, led by Professor Kay Double from the Brain and Mind Centre, was just published<\/a> in Acta Neuropathologica Communications. It found that targeting the faulty SOD1 protein with a drug treatment using copper improved the motor function in mice.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hoped that by treating this malfunctioning protein, we might be able to improve the Parkinson-like symptoms in the mice we were treating \u2013 but even we were astonished by the success of the intervention,\u201d said Professor Double in a media release<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the mice we treated saw a dramatic improvement in their motor skills, which is a really promising sign that it could be effective in treating people who have Parkinson disease too.<\/p>\n ALSO CHECK OUT:<\/strong> First Advanced Parkinson\u2019s Patient to Walk Again with New Spinal Implant, \u2018It\u2019s Incredible\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n The study involved two groups of mice with Parkinson-like symptoms. One group was treated with a special copper supplement for three months, while the other received a placebo.<\/p>\n Throughout the study (which was partly funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation), the mice receiving only the placebo saw a decline in their motor symptoms. The mice receiving the special copper supplement, however, did not develop movement problems.<\/p>\n \u201cThe results were beyond our expectations,\u201d said Prof. Double. \u201cThey suggest, once further studies are carried out, this treatment approach could slow the progression of Parkinson\u2019s disease in humans.\u201d<\/p>\n At present there is no known cure and only limited treatments for Parkinson\u2019s disease, which is a degenerative disorder in which dopamine-producing cells in the brain die, leading to a range of symptoms including tremors, muscle stiffness, slow movement and impaired balance.<\/p>\n But researchers hope understanding the causes of the disease will lead to improved treatments.<\/p>\n MORE GOOD NEWS FOR PATIENTS:<\/strong> \u201cAs our understanding of Parkinson\u2019s disease grows, we are finding that there are many factors contributing to its development and progression in humans \u2013 and faulty forms of the SOD1 protein is likely one of them.<\/p>\n \u201cJust as researchers found with HIV, Parkinson\u2019s disease is a complex condition that likely requires multiple interventions. A single treatment may have a small effect when used alone but, when combined with other interventions, contributes to a significant overall improvement in health.\u201d<\/p>\n The researchers\u2019 next step is to identify the best approach to targeting the faulty SOD1 protein in a clinical trial, which could be the start of a new therapy to slow the development of Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n CELEBRATE THE BREAKTHROUGH By Sharing on Social Media\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Anna Shvets Groundbreaking research by the University of Sydney has identified a new brain protein involved in…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":44976,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[4465,4850,19635,210,26645,1183,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-44975","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-brain","9":"tag-breakthroughs","10":"tag-disease","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-parkinsons","13":"tag-research","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114809820011851997","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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