Source: University of California - San Diego
Date: July 27, 2009
Summary:
Accumulation of the synaptic protein α-synuclein, resulting in the formation of aggregates called Lewy bodies in the brain, is a hallmark of Parkinson’s and other related neurodegenerative diseases. This pathology appears to spread throughout the brain as the disease progresses. Now, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea, have described how this mechanism works. Their findings – the first to show neuron-to-neuron transmission of α-synuclein – will appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on July 29. This insight will impact research into stem cell therapy for Parkinson's disease
