The Gut Microbiome is Distinct in Parkinson ' s Disease

Parkinson's disease is characterized by aggregation of α-synuclein, one of a number of harmful protein aggregates that form and spread in the aging brain. At present, it is thought that in many patients this process of aggregation starts in the intestines rather than in the brain. So it is perhaps not that surprising to find that alterations in the balance of microbial populations in the gut microbiome are characteristic of Parkinson's disease. Researchers have been looking into correlations between the microbiome and various age-related diseases with increasing energy for some years now. Exactly how the gut microbiome contributes to Parkinson's is yet to be established. It may be as simple as the consequence of increased inflammatory signaling as populations of harmful microbes grow in number. That is an attractive argument, given the disruptive nature of chronic inflammation, but wagering on a biological process turning out to be simple is rarely a winning proposition. Regardless of underlying mechanisms, given that the state of the microbiome can be both measured via 16S rRNA sequencing and radically adjusted via fecal microbiota transplantation, there is the possibility of (a) effective screening for risk of Parkinson's, and perhaps (b) effective prevention via restoration of a healthy balance of microbial populations. New study puts gut microbiome at the center of Parkinson's disease pathogenesis Investigators employed metagenomics, the study of g...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs