Crowded Organelles and Lipid Membranes are Key Features in Parkinson's Disease Pathology

BrainPost, 2 July 2019

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic progressive neurological disorder and the most common age-related movement disorder characterised by a wide spectrum of motor and non-motor features. Classic motor symptoms include shaking, rigidity, and difficulty with walking. Moreover, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and dementia are also common among PD patients. The motor symptoms arise through the death of dopamine neurons in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra. The key neuropathological feature of PD are Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, which contain a protein called alpha-synuclein (αSyn). Lewy bodies accumulate in various regions of the brain in PD, including the substantia nigra. However, the process by which the Lewy bodies accumulate, and the details of their structure is unknown. Read more.