Parkinson’s: researchers discover point at which protein harms brain cells – Medical News Today

Parkinson's: researchers discover point at which protein harms brain cells - Medical News Today - Health Council

Researchers may be closer to unraveling the underlying causes of Parkinson’s disease, after identifying the point at which alpha-synuclein – a protein believed to play a key role in the condition – becomes toxic to the brain. Exactly what causes the death of neurons in Parkinson’s is unclear, but researchers speculate that one cause is abnormal aggregates of alpha-synuclein protein that form inside nerve cells, also known as Lewy bodies. The researchers explain that Lewy bodies arise as a result of alpha-synuclein folding into the wrong shape, causing them to stick to other proteins.

Read full article: Medical News Today