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Researches Parkinson's Disease in the stomach?
Parkinson's disease is a relatively widespread neurodegenerative disease whose causes are still largely unclear and in which there are only very limited treatment options. If a particular nerve is severed, connecting the brain to the abdomen, the risk of developing Parkinson's disease is reduced, according to the latest release from the German Neurological Society (DGN). This suggests a connection between the brain and the digestive tract, which plays a role in the pathogenesis.
According to the DGN, a new study from Scandinavia supports the hypothesis that there is a connection between the abdomen and the brain, which is of crucial importance in the development of Parkinson's disease. The emergence of the disease is therefore at least partially from the digestive tract. This finding could also open up new therapeutic approaches in the future. Their results have been published by the Scandinavian researchers in the journal "Neurology".
According to recent findings, the development of Parkinson's is linked to the digestive tract and the brain. (Image: rob3000 / fotolia.com) More than 4 million Parkinson's patients worldwide
Parkinson's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases after Alzheimer's disease. Around 4.1 million people worldwide are affected, and more than 280,000 people with Parkinson's live in Germany alone, according to the DGN. The disease is caused by the cells in the brain, which are important for the control of body movements. Massive motor impairments are the result in the long run. However, patients often suffer from indeterminate symptoms for years prior to motor symptoms, the experts explain. For example, later Parkinson's patients would be about twice as likely to constipation and sleep disorders as the general population.
Spread of Parkinson's over the nerve tracts
"The new study supports the hypothesis that Parkinson's disease develops in the stomach and spreads via the nerve tracts into the brain," explains DGN expert Professor Daniela Berg, Director of the Department of Neurology, Campus Kiel, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein. Although the study has no immediate consequences for the therapy, it makes clear that the physicians "have taken the right path in researching new treatment options."
Connection between the digestive tract and the brain
For some time, the possible connection between the intestine and brain in Parkinson's has moved into the focus of research. The corresponding disease model is referred to as the ascetic hypothesis. It is believed that Parkinson's disease begins at least partially in the digestive tract. The hypothesis was decisively developed by the Frankfurt neuroanatom professor Heiko Braak, who has been working at the Center for Biomedical Research of the University Hospital in Ulm since 2009, reports the DGN. The research group led by the director of the Department of Neurology at TU Dresden, Professor Heinz Reichmann, confirmed her in the animal model.
Misfolded protein molecules enter the brain via the vagus nerve
A key role in the relatively new disease model is played by the misfolded protein alpha-synuclein, which typically accumulates in diseased brain cells in Parkinson's disease. According to the DGN, the deposits of alpha-synuclein are also produced in the nervous system of the stomach and intestine (possibly due to the influence of environmental toxins). Via the vagus nerve and its ramifications, the deposits reach the brain according to the ascension hypothesis. From previous studies on mice, it is already known that a transection of the nerve (vagotomy) at least a delay in disease progression causes the DGN on.
Data from patients with vagotomy evaluated
In the current study, data from all patients who had undergone vagotomy were analyzed from the National Swedish Health Database. This procedure was previously used more often for the treatment of gastric ulcers, as gastric acid production is also controlled by the vagus nerve. Scientists looked for possible links between the complete or partial severance of the vagus nerve and the incidence of Parkinson's disease. They found that out of 9,430 patients with a vagotomy a total of 101 had Parkinson's disease, which corresponds to a share of 1.07 percent. In the general population, however, the incidence rate was 1.28 percent. Focusing on patients with complete transection of the vagus nerve, this trend has become even clearer, reports the DGN. "Compared to the control group, the risk of developing Parkinson's was 22 percent lower after a complete vagotomy, and even 41 percent after surgery at least five years ago," according to the DGN.
Hope for new therapeutic approaches
Although no new therapy can be derived from the new study results at the present time, the better understanding of the course of cell death in the long term will, of course, also benefit the patients because Parkinson's can be treated earlier, explains the DGN expert Prof. Daniela Berg. In addition, new therapeutic approaches to prevent the spread of misfolded protein could now be tested in clinical trials. "Of course, the success of these therapeutic approaches has to be awaited," adds the expert. (Fp)