Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodenegerative disorder, affects roughly 1% of people over 60 years old. It is characterized by a loss of dopamine-producing neurons in a region of the brain that regulates movement and coordination. For most cases of Parkinson’s disease, the underlying cause is unknown but is thought to comprise both genetic and environmental factors. Inflammatory processes in the brain have been implicated, but deciphering how they are involved has so far remained a challenge. A team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA) led by Bruno Conti took on this challenge by looking for molecules or pathways that could link neuroinflammation with neurodegeneration.
Lab Anim. (NY) 43, 7 (2013).
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