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ScienceDaily: Parkinson's Research News

1. Yeast, human stem cells drive discovery of new Parkinson's disease drug targets
   Using a discovery platform whose components range from yeast cells to human stem cells, scientists have identified a novel Parkinson’s disease drug target and a compound capable of repairing neurons derived from Parkinson’s patients.
2. Researchers apply brainpower to understanding neural stem cell differentiation
   How do humans and other mammals get so brainy? In a new paper, researchers explain how neural stem and progenitor cells differentiate into neurons and related cells called glia. Neural stem and progenitor cells offer tremendous promise as a future treatment for neurodegenerative disorders, and understanding their differentiation is the first step towards harnessing this therapeutic potential.
3. Putting together the pieces of the Parkinson's puzzle
   Parkinson's disease continues to puzzle physicians and biologists alike - even though it is well-established that symptoms like muscle tremors, rigidity, and immobility can all be traced back to the death of a certain type of brain cell called a dopaminergic neuron. The underlying cause of this cellular death is a complex web of interrelated genetic molecular processes as well as external factors. Now for the first time ever, researchers have published an interactive picture containing the current knowledge about the underlying genetic and molecular causes of Parkinson's disease.
4. The pig, the fish and the jellyfish: Tracing nervous disorders in humans
   The pig, the jellyfish and the zebrafish have been used to gain a greater understanding of hereditary forms of diseases affecting the nervous system. In this project, the focus was on a specific gene in pigs, SYN1, which encodes the protein synapsin, which is involved in communication between nerve cells. Synapsin almost exclusively occurs in nerve cells in the brain. Parts of the gene can thus be used to control an expression of genes connected to hereditary versions of the nerve disorders.
5. Two forms of Parkinson's disease identified
   Why can the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease vary so greatly from one patient to another? A consortium of researchers is well on the way to providing an explanation. Parkinson’s disease is caused by a protein known as alpha-synuclein, which forms aggregates within neurons, killing them eventually. The researchers have succeeded in characterizing and producing two different types of alpha-synuclein aggregates. Better still, they have shown that one of these two forms is much more toxic than the other and has a greater capacity to invade neurons.
6. Depression in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease patients linked to reduced striatal dopamine synthesis
   Up to 60% of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) exhibit mild to moderate depression, which is often underdiagnosed. It is unclear whether depression results from having a debilitating disease or reflects a parallel abnormal change in the brain caused by PD pathophysiology.
7. Single gene mutation linked to diverse neurological disorders
   A research team says a gene mutation that causes a rare but devastating neurological disorder known as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome appears to offer clues to the developmental and neuronal defects found in other, diverse neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases.
8. Excessive nerve cell pruning leads to disease
   Scientists have made important discoveries about a cellular process that occurs during normal brain development and may play an important role in neurodegenerative diseases. The study's findings point to new pathways and targets for novel therapies for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases that affect millions of people world-wide.
9. Possible biomarker for Parkinson's disease
   A study finds that elevated levels of the alpha-synuclein protein can be detected in the skin of Parkinson's disease patients at an early stage.
10. Depression may increase your risk of Parkinson’s disease
    People who are depressed may have triple the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study.