The Molecular Origins of Parkinson’s Disease

Researchers from The Rockefeller University and Columbia University recently used a new strategy to help identify the molecular changes that drive the loss of neurons in Parkinson’s disease. Published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the research identified two proteins that appear to have an effect in the set of neurons most affected by the disease. “Within a dying nerve cell, the levels of hundreds of proteins change,” said the study’s lead author. “Some of these shifts are consequences, others are causes. We set out to find which cause cell death among neurons.” Using a new combination of techniques, researchers were able to identify two “master regulatory molecules.” This discovery offers an unexpected explanation as to why one population of neurons degenerates in Parkinson’s disease, while those similar do not suffer from the same degree of degeneration. To read more about this study, click here.