New Study: Bringing Dying Cells Back to Life
- Stephanie Soto
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
A new study from Stanford has researched the effects of lowering the activity of the enzyme LRRK2. They found interesting results with the change in brain cells. Let's dive in.
When there is too much activity of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2, or LRRK2, there can be a change in the structure of brain cells leading to connectivity issues between the areas of the brain that produce dopamine and the areas of the brain that uses dopamine. This is thought to be a result of cell death that occurs with hyperactive LRRK2. Researches hypothesized that if there could be less activity from LRRK2, there could be more dopamine in the brain.
About a quarter of people with PD are suspected to be a result of genetic mutations. It is also theorized that the mutation that makes LRRK2 more active is the most common genetic mutation.
The study conducted was done in mice, so we cannot necessarily extrapolate those results and apply them to humans. The study was conducted for 3 months and it involved feeding the mice a medication that reduced the activity of LRRK2. Researches found that the amount of cells that are typically affected by LRRK2 in mice with the genetic mutation was the same as mice without the genetic mutation. "These findings suggest that it might be possible to improve, not just stabilize, the condition of patients with Parkinson's disease." The results from the study showed that "inhibiting LRRK2 could stabilize the progression of symptoms if patients can be identifies early enough."
"We are so excited about these findings. They suggest this approach has great promise to help patients in terms of restoring neuronal activity in this brain circuit. There are multiple LRRK2 inhibitor clinical trials underway, and our hope is that these findings in mice will hold true for patients in the future."
There is still a lot more that needs to be done before this is tested in humans, but it is very interesting and very promising! Studies need to be conducted to see if the change in brain cells will lead to improved symptoms. Studies need to be conducted to see if there are any adverse events when taking the medication. Then, we need to determine if the same effects are possible in humans. Even with that, a medication that can restore brain cells is very exciting!
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