Latest news with #Parkinson's-related
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Researchers uncover startling new clue in the hunt for Parkinson's cause
Parkinson's disease affects more than 10 million people around the world. It's a progressive brain disorder that causes symptoms like shaking, slow movement, stiff muscles, and balance problems. Doctors still don't know the exact cause of Parkinson's. They believe it happens due to a mix of genetic and environmental factors. Scientists from Northwestern University have now found a possible new clue. They discovered a virus called Human Pegivirus (HPgV) in the brains of people who had Parkinson's. HPgV is a common virus that usually causes no symptoms. But researchers think it might have a hidden role in triggering Parkinson's, as per the National Geographic report. What the study found The study tested brain samples from 10 people who had Parkinson's after death, and also from 14 people without Parkinson's, matched by age and gender. HPgV was found in 5 of the Parkinson's brains — but in none of the control brains. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 Most Beautiful Female Athletes in the World Click Here Undo ALSO READ: 9 guilt-free midnight snacks that will satisfy your cravings and still let you sleep To support their findings, scientists also tested blood from people in different stages of Parkinson's. They found that those who had both Parkinson's and HPgV had lower levels of an inflammatory protein called IL-4. IL-4 can either increase or decrease inflammation depending on the situation, as stated by the National Geographic report. Live Events Patients with a Parkinson's-related gene mutation reacted differently to HPgV. Their immune systems responded in a unique way compared to patients without that mutation. This shows a possible link between genes and the environment, says Dr. Margaret Ferris, a neurologist from Stanford University who wasn't involved in the study. Viruses may play a bigger role than we thought Parkinson's is very hard to study because it develops slowly over many years. It's tough to detect in early stages or predict who will get it. There doesn't seem to be a single cause for Parkinson's disease. 'It is likely multifactorial,' says Dr. William Ondo, a neurologist from Houston Methodist Hospital. He explains that different people might have different triggers, as per the National Geographic report. Every patient may follow a different path to developing Parkinson's. 'Everyone is on their own path,' says Dr. Erin Furr-Stimming from UTHealth Houston. Viruses and brain disorders might be more connected than we thought. Past studies show that viral infections may trigger diseases like Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's. How viruses might harm the brain For example, Epstein-Barr virus was recently linked to multiple sclerosis. Other viruses like West Nile virus and Japanese Encephalitis virus have also caused Parkinson-like symptoms. Inflammation in the brain can lead to brain disorders, according to the National Geographic report. ALSO READ: Macron sues Candace Owens over shocking allegations that France's first lady was born male 'Any amount of inflammation in the brain can trigger a number of cascades that lead to the loss of normal brain function,' says Dr. Barbara Hanson, co-author of the study. Viral infections might cause neurodegeneration in multiple ways — They could directly damage brain cells or cause misfolded proteins to build up, which harms the brain. But the study doesn't prove that HPgV causes Parkinson's. It just shows a possible connection that needs to be researched further. 'This is not a cause-and-effect discovery,' says Dr. Joseph Jankovic from Baylor College of Medicine. He says the study should be repeated with more patients to confirm the results, as stated by National Geographic. FAQs Q1. Can a virus cause Parkinson's disease? Scientists found a virus (HPgV) in Parkinson's patients' brains, but it's not proven that the virus causes the disease. Q2. What virus was found in Parkinson's patients' brains? Researchers found Human Pegivirus (HPgV) in the brains of some people with Parkinson's, suggesting a possible link.
National Geographic
6 days ago
- Health
- National Geographic
What causes Parkinson's disease? Scientists uncover an unexpected new clue.
A computer illustration of human pegivirus, an RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus scientists believe may be linked to Parkinson's disease. Illustration by Kateryna Kon, Science Photo Library A recent study linking human pegivirus to Parkinson's is leading scientists to examine the connection between other viral infections and neurodegenerative diseases. More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to symptoms such as tremors, slow movement, limb stiffness, and balance issues. Scientists still don't know what causes the disease, but it's thought to develop due to a complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors, and treatment is still quite limited. But new research is putting scientists one step closer to some possible answers. In a recent study published in JCI Insight, researchers found a common virus, called human pegivirus (HPgV), in the brains of patients who had Parkinson's disease when they died. Although HPgV infections don't usually cause symptoms, researchers believe the virus may be playing a role in the development of Parkinson's. 'The hypothesis is that a long-term, low-burning infection might lead to these sorts of diseases,' such as Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, says Barbara Hanson, a researcher at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and one of the authors of the paper. Here's what we know so far. Colored Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan showing the brain of a 65-year-old patient with Parkinson's. New research suggests that viral infections can be at play in the development of the disease. Photograph by Zephyr/Science Photo Library Over 500 viruses screened In this study, researchers screened for over 500 viruses in the autopsied brains of 10 patients who had Parkinson's disease and compared them to the autopsied brains of 14 control patients, who were matched for age and gender. In five of the patients with Parkinson's, they found the presence of HPgV, while none of the control patients had the virus. In order to bolster their findings, researchers conducted follow-up experiments that looked at the blood samples of patients who were in different stages of Parkinson's disease. What they found was that patients who had Parkinson's and were positive for HPgV had similar immune system responses, including a lower level of an inflammatory protein called IL-4, which can either promote or suppress inflammation depending on the situation. They also found that patients who had a specific Parkinson's-related gene mutation had a different immune system response to HPgV, compared to patients with Parkinson's who didn't have the mutation. 'It was a very thorough study,' says Margaret Ferris, a neurologist and researcher at Stanford University who was not part of the study. She adds that this offers a possible mechanism for the interaction between genetics and environment. Although the presence of HPgV in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease is suggestive of a link, the full answer of what causes the neurodegenerative disease is more complex. Parkinson's disease has always been hard to study, due to the fact that it develops slowly, over many years, and is difficult to diagnose in the earlier stages. 'One of the hard things about investigating neurodegenerative disorders is that it is very hard to identify people who will get neurodegenerative disorders, but don't yet have them, and to study and watch them,' Ferris says. Further complicating this matter is the fact that there doesn't seem to be one single trigger for Parkinson's disease. 'It is difficult to determine the causes of Parkinson's, because they are likely multifactorial,' says William Ondo, a neurologist at Houston Methodist Hospital, who specializes in treating patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Ondo was not part of the study. Currently, Parkinson's disease is believed to develop from a complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors, with individual triggers varying from one person to another. This makes studying the potential causes of the disease quite challenging, and means that there still aren't definitive answers to what can trigger the condition. It's likely that some people may develop Parkinson's disease as a result of multiple triggers. 'Everyone is on their own path,' to developing Parkinson's disease, says Erin Furr-Stimming, a neurologist at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, who was not part of the study. In recent years, there has been a growing body of evidence to suggest a link between viral infections and the development of neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. This includes the recent discovery that Epstein-Barr virus is a major trigger for multiple sclerosis, as well as a number of associations between viral infections and neurodegenerative conditions. Parkinson-like symptoms have also been triggered by a number of viral infections, such as West Nile virus, St. Louis Encephalitis virus, and Japanese Encephalitis B Virus. As Hanson notes, inflammation in the brain has been linked to the development of neurodegenerative disorders, with viral infections being a potential trigger for this inflammation. 'Any amount of inflammation in the brain can trigger a number of cascades that lead to the loss of normal homeostatic brain function,' Hanson says. 'It's possible that viral infections are one of those triggers that lead to inflammation in the brain.' Other potential reasons that viral infections may lead to neurodegeneration include direct damage to neurons from the virus, or the accumulation of misfolded proteins. However, while this recent study offers evidence of a suggested link between HPgV and the development of Parkinson's disease, there's still more research needed before a clear link between the two can be established. 'This study doesn't show a cause-and-effect relationship—it just suggests there may be a relationship between pegivirus and Parkinson's,' says Joseph Jankovic, a neurologist and director of the Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine. In order to understand the connection further, Jankovic says, 'this study needs to be replicated in a different cohort of patients.'
