Cellular mechanism found to help treat Parkinson's disease
Researchers have studied the specific cellular mechanisms that are responsible for the progression of Parkinson's disease.Parkinson's disease is a neurological pathology that affects the production of dopamine. The fact is that it ensures smooth and coordinated movements. When about 60-80% of the cells producing dopamine die and its production is not sufficient, the first motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease begin to appear. There is no cure yet, but all the drugs that scientists are developing are usually aimed at increasing its levels.
Recently, researchers have focused on studying the specific cellular mechanisms that are responsible for the progression of the disease. For example - genetic mutations that prevent the clearance of cellular "junk" in the brain.
Now scientists have discovered that one of the causes of the genetic variant of Parkinson's disease is an intracellular communication gap between lysosomes and mitochondria. It turns out that the way lysosomes "feed" amino acids to mitochondria is disrupted in this form of the pathology.
Scientists have likened this dysfunction to a snowball effect. It cuts off the supply of energy to neurons, leading to their degeneration. The researchers hope that further work on this crucial function of the conductive pathways will lead to targeted treatments to restore communication between organelles. Ultimately, their discovery will lead to a new way to slow the progression of the disease and symptoms.