UCLA researchers find that drug used for another disease slows progression of Parkinson’s

A new study from UCLA found that a drug being evaluated to treat an entirely different disorder helped slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease in mice. The study, published in the October edition of the journal Neurotherapeutics, found that the drug, AT2101, which has also been studied for Gaucher disease, improved motor function, stopped inflammation in the brain and reduced levels of alpha-synuclein, a protein critically involved in Parkinson’s. Although the exact cause of Parkinson’s is unknown, evidence points to an accumulation of alpha-synuclein, which has been found to be common to all people with the disorder. The protein is thought to destroy the neurons in the brain that make dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate a number of functions, including movement and coordination. Dopamine deficiency is associated with Parkinson’s disease. Gaucher disease is a rare genetic disorder in which the body cannot produce enough of an enzyme called β-glucocerebrosidase, or GCase. Researchers seeking genetic factors that increase people’s risk for developing Parkinson’s have determined that there may be a close relationship between Gaucher and Parkinson’s due to a GCase gene. Mutation of this gene, which leads to decreased GCase activity in the brain, has been found to be a genetic risk factor for Parkinson’s, although the majority of patients with Parkinson’s do not carry mutations in the Gaucher gene. “This is the first time a compound targeting ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news