Cause of Parkinson’s Disease Unraveled by Researchers

A team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark have discovered the hidden reason behind the occurrence of Parkinson’s disease.

This will enable other researchers to come out with innovative treatments for this still-incurable disease in future. Parkinson’s disease is a chronic condition that affects the central nervous system, leading to symptoms such as difficulty walking, tremors, cognitive challenges, and, eventually, dementia.

It affects over 10 million people worldwide.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found that small fragments of mitochondrial DNA spread the disease. For the first time, they discovered that mitochondria, the vital energy producers within brain cells, particularly neurons, undergo damage, leading to disruptions in mitochondrial DNA(LP1). This initiates and spreads the disease like wildfire through the brain. The findings establish that the spread of the damaged genetic material, the mitochondrial DNA, causes symptoms reminiscent of Parkinson’s disease and its progression to dementia.

Their finding is published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. , they sought to understand why this damage occurred and how it contributed to the disease.

It is hoped that detecting the damaged mitochondrial DNA could serve as an early biomarker for disease development.