Posted on 10/08/2024 5:49:54 AM PDT by Red Badger
Researchers have developed a method to recreate the formation of Lewy bodies in human neurons, shedding light on the essential roles of alpha-synuclein and immune responses in their development.
This breakthrough offers new insights into Parkinson’s disease, showing that Lewy bodies form only under specific conditions and highlighting the potential for new treatment avenues.
Lewy bodies are a key feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other related neurological disorders. Unraveling their development is essential for improving treatments. Researchers at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University, in collaboration with its Early Drug Discovery Unit, have successfully replicated the formation of Lewy bodies in human neurons.
This study offers vital insights into their development, highlighting the crucial role of immune responses and establishing a previously unidentified connection between the immune system and neurological diseases.
Advancements in Lewy Body Simulation
Lewy bodies are thought to result from the buildup of misfolded proteins in neurons. Previously, the only way to study them in human neurons was through brain autopsy, which is not ideal because cells break down quickly after death. In this study, neuroscientists used human stem cells to create Lewy bodies in living dopaminergic neurons, the kind of cells especially at risk in PD.
Development of Lewy Bodies
Slide showing the development of Lewy bodies. Credit: Armin Bayati from Peter McPherson Lab, The Neuro
Key Findings on Immune Response and Lewy Body Formation
The scientists did this by incubating the neurons with a protein called alpha-synuclein, which is found in Lewy bodies, and coupling it to an immune reaction.
The results reveal that Lewy bodies develop only when dopaminergic neurons are exposed to both a rise in alpha-synuclein and an immune stimulation. Without the immune challenge, no Lewy bodies developed. Moreover, performing the same procedure on other cells, such as cortical neurons does not produce Lewy bodies, suggesting this effect is specific to dopaminergic neurons.
Implications for Parkinson’s Disease Treatment
By following the development of Lewy bodies in real-time, the scientists discovered that in dopaminergic neurons, the immune response impairs autophagy—the removal of damaged cellular materials. They also found that in these cells, Lewy bodies are membrane-bound, and contain other organelles and membrane fragments, contradicting previous dogma that Lewy bodies were composed exclusively of misfolded proteins.
Conclusion and Future Directions
This study is the first to show that both alpha-synuclein and an immune response are needed for Lewy body formation and that this effect is specific to dopaminergic neurons. It also provides important insight into Lewy body formation and structure, information that could be important to future drug development.
“Replicating Lewy body formation in living neurons is a significant step forward to understanding key aspects of Parkinson’s and other neurological disease,” says Peter McPherson, a researcher at The Neuro and the study’s senior author. “These neurons came from stem cells of healthy patients, suggesting anyone can develop Parkinson’s if exposed to the right environment, and so a genetic predisposition to disease may not be necessary.”
“The results support previous research showing that an immune response plays an important role in Parkinson’s development,” says Armin Bayati, a PhD candidate in McPherson’s lab and the study’s first author. “Future studies should focus on understanding how inflammation caused by an overexcited immune system causes Lewy body formation when coupled with α-synuclein.”
The scientists published their results today (October 8) in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Reference:
“Modeling Parkinson’s disease pathology in human dopaminergic neurons by sequential exposure to α-synuclein fibrils and proinflammatory cytokines” 8 October 2024, Nature Neuroscience.
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01775-4
The study was made possible by support from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, Healthy Brain, Healthy Lives, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, and Fonds de recherche du Québec- Santé.
Lots of respect for the biologists and doctors who figure things like this out.
Which links it to a certain “vaccine.”
Thank you for the article - have a family member with Parkinson’s.
Wondering if they implement intermittent fasting if that might even have some reversal benefits in addition to keeping progression at bay?
I think blood flow and physically washing out the brain is part of the key.
Cialis and like drugs open up the blood vessels in the brain and have show to help with Alzheimer’s.
Walking and weightlifting to do an Italian tune up of the pipes.
Keeping blood pressure down to keep vessels healthy.
Good fats and aminos to crowd out the damaged ones.
There’s probably an existing cheap drug that prevents the situation for Lewy body production... but they will ignore that for the one that will cost 100K per month.
Thank you. Not sure how the significant other of the family member might take to their loved one getting regular doses of Cialis. ;)
Likely wouldn’t blink an eye at the other three recommendations.
Worth a try, and then go full keto......................
Just says it’s for prostate health or reynaund (sp?) syndrome (the deal with cold feet and hands).
I would like to suggest heavy duty Elderberry additions to their diet.
A big glass of elderberry juice every day,... can’t hurt- might help
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s over six years ago and I have been doing intermittent fasting since then. I only eat during an eight hour window which allows for a sixteen hour fast each day. I noticed if I fast for longer periods (eating only one meal a day when traveling) that my tremor is reduced. I use intermittent fasting, exercise, and laser light therapy (see Symbyx Biome) to address my Parkinson’s. My neurologist is pleased and noted that I have gotten better. I believe the laser light therapy is responsible for my improvement.
That’s great news! Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
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