Posted on 11/22/2021 7:38:11 PM PST by ConservativeMind
In an unexpected discovery, researchers have identified what appears to be a significant vascular defect in patients with moderately severe Parkinson's disease. The finding could help explain an earlier outcome of the same study, in which the drug nilotinib was able to halt motor and non-motor (cognition and quality of life) decline in the long term.
The researchers say their finding suggests that blood vessel walls called the blood brain barrier, which normally act as a crucial filter to protect the brain against toxins as well as allow passage of nutrients to nourish it, doesn't work correctly in some Parkinson's patients: It prohibits toxins from leaving the brain and inhibits nutrients such as glucose from entering. Perhaps even more damaging, the dysfunctional barrier allows inflammatory cells and molecules from the body to enter and damage the brain.
"It appeared nilotinib halted motor and non-motor decline in the patients taking the 300mgs higher dose," says Moussa. The clinical outcomes of this study were published in Movement Disorders in March 2021.
The current part of the study, just published, examined the cerebrospinal fluid of patients via epigenomics, which is a systematic analysis of the global state of gene expression, in correlation with continuing clinical outcomes. The new analysis helps explain the clinical findings.
"Not only does nilotinib flip on the brain's garbage disposal system to eliminate bad toxic proteins, but it appears to also repair the blood brain barrier to allow this toxic waste to leave the brain and to allow nutrients in," Moussa explains. "Parkinson's disease is generally believed to involve mitochondrial or energy deficits that can be caused by environmental toxins or by toxic protein accumulation; it has never been identified as a vascular disease."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
I have a personal interest in this. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 5 years ago.
I’m sorry to hear this—my dad is now in his 15th year of Parkinson’s. My advice: when you take your LevaDopa, watch very carefully how it seems to work based on your sleep cycles and when you eat. My dad found eating less was best—he keeps a log tracking his symptoms with the meds because the doctors don’t really individualize the medication. They just prescribe it but there’s a real art to it—trial and error on the part of the patient.
I visited him today—his best hours are now between 10 am and noon. He says he “turns into a pumpkin” after 4 pm these days. So we are mindful of the rhythms of his day.
I was DX’ed 8 weeks ago. I read everything I can find on Parkinson’s. This sounds like the best yet.
Fifteen years ago, a neurologist told me I had four of the five primary symptoms of Parkinsons.
Still trucking except for walking more slowly, sleeping poorly, and turning into a sleepy pumpkin about noon. Nap for an hour, repeat...
I’ve hot my Sinemet dosages down pretty good. The trick is to find the balance between just enough to control the tremors and not enough to cause the dyskinesia.
Sorry to hear that. If you need any advice, send me a PM. I’ll be glad to discuss what I found that works.
And the best thing is to keep a positive attitude and do things that keep your hands busy (besides typing on the keyboard.) Parkinson’s is something you die with and not of. Check your Freepmail, I’m sending you my name and phone number so we can converse in private.
Thank you so much.
I have really stepped up my exercise. Just trying to stay busy. I am buying a pay of walking poles.
I will send you my number and real name too. I probably won’t have time to talk until Monday. Thanksgiving is keeping me busy.
I only know one person with Parkinson’s. We talk a little but he is pretty private.
Bump for later reference
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