What role do mitochondria play in Parkinson’s?
Impaired mitochondrial dynamics can affect a cell’s cleaning and waste recycling processes, leading to a pileup of toxic proteins linked to the disease.
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
In 1817, a British physician named James Parkinson published An Essay on the Shaking Palsy, describing for the first time cases of a neurodegenerative disorder now known as Parkinson’s disease. Today, Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the US. It affects about 1 million Americans and more than 10 million people worldwide.
The signature shaking in patients with the disease is the result of dying brain cells that control movement. To date, there are no treatments available that can stop or slow down the death of those cells.
We are researchers who study Parkinson’s disease. For over a decade, our lab has been investigating the role that mitochondria – the powerhouses that fuel cells – play in Parkinson’s.
Our research has identified a key protein that could lead to new treatments for Parkinson’s disease and other brain conditions.
Cell malfunction?
Unlike actual power plants, which are set in size and location, mitochondria are rather dynamic. They constantly shift in size, number and location, traveling between many different parts of the cells to meet different demands. These mitochondrial dynamics are vital to not only the function of mitochondria but also the health of cells overall.
A cell is like a factory. Multiple departments must seamlessly work together for smooth operations. Because many major processes interconnect, impaired mitochondrial dynamics could cause a domino effect across departments...
