Researchers Investigate Neuroprotective Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

Years before movement problems such as shaking hands, rigid limbs and a loss of balance set in, many Parkinson’s patients struggle with fainting, incontinence, sexual dysfunction, anxiety and depression. To date, these patients often are treated with a 42-year-old drug called L-DOPA, which temporarily delays symptoms, but can also cause heart arrhythmias, stomach bleeding and hallucinations.

Now, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have identified a set of experimental drugs called LRRK2 inhibitors that may go beyond symptom relief to directly counter the inflammation and nerve cell death that is at the root of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), based on mouse and cell culture studies meant to approximate human disease. UAB researchers reported on these findings at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans. For more information, click here to read the full release.