Metabolic Changes & New PD Treatments

Photo: Zoesque / flickr / cc by-nc-nd

• PD stands for 'Parkinson's Disease'
  • A chronic and progressive movement disorder
• Study examined PD  cases of premature neuron aging
• Researchers established that insufficient DJ-1 (PARK7) gene, causes:
  • Limited glutamine absorption,
  • Affects serine production
• These cellular metabolism changes, further cause:
  • Oxidative stress on neurons
  • Increased brain immune response
• Defective DJ-1 caused Microglial cells to-become 'hyperactive', this:
  • Impaired the underlying neurons
• Next Step: how PD drugs influence affected metabolic pathways
• Published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease