Dr. Dimitri Krainc, the Aaron Montgomery Ward Professor and chair of neurology at Northwestern University and Dr. Lena Burbulla, a postdoctoral fellow in his laboratory, have shown that administration of antioxidants early in the disease process may break the degenerative cycle and improve neuronal function in Parkinson's disease. These authors identified a time-dependent pathological cascade in human neurons that begins with an increase in mitochondrial oxidative stress leading to accumulation of oxidized dopamine followed by lysosomal dysfunction and α-synuclein accumulation. This neuropathological toxic cascade was not observed in mouse model PD neurons. These results are consistent with my own research suggesting that compounds that increase oxidative stress have the potential to hasten disease progression resulting in a younger age at onset of disease. Most importantly, these observations point to an opportunity to slow subclinical disease onset through early changes in lifestyle such as avoiding exposure to toxic chemicals that increase oxidative stress.
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Link to Original Story in Science Daily
Link to Article in Science
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