Trojan horse inspires novel treatment for Parkinson’s disease
In this study, a drug to treat Parkinson s disease is linked to a molecule that enables it to better penetrate the brain.
Parkinson’s disease, characterized by symptoms that include shakiness and difficulty moving, is among the most common neurodegenerative disorders, affecting up to 3% of the world population over 65. A main cause of this disorder is a lack of dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in motor control, in the substantia nigra pars compacta, a region of the brain that regulates movement. This could be partly attributed to α-synuclein, a protein whose accumulation in dopamine neurons is a hallmark of Parkinson’s and can have toxic effects, causing dopamine neurons to die.