Scientists at Aberdeen University in Scotland collected information about more than 900 people with Parkinson's or similar conditions. They compared this group to almost two thousand people without the disorder. All the people were asked about their use of pesticides, chemical fluids and metals like iron. The researchers also collected information about family history of the disease and head injuries.
Farm workers and people who said they often used pesticides had a 41 percent greater risk of Parkinson's than others. The disease was also two and one-half times more common among people who had been knocked unconscious more than once in their lives. These people temporarily lost consciousness after suffering a blow to the head.
Another area of study is family genetics. There are examples of members of a family having Parkinson’s disease. The National Institutes of Health says about 15 percent of Parkinson’s patients are related to others with the disease.
About 10 percent of Parkinson’s cases are said to result from genetic mutations, changes within specific genes. One such mutation is called parkin. Recently, German scientists reported finding what they call a signal transduction pathway that activates the parkin gene. They said it also prevents stress-induced death of dopamine-producing neuron cells.
American scientists reported finding how the most common genetic mutations in familial Parkinson’s damage brain cells. They said these mutations prevent an intracellular system from operating normally. This system prevents a protein called alpha-synuclein from reaching harmful levels in dopamine-producing neurons.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25