tryptaminic alkaloids – The Science of Parkinson's

It is often said that only humans develop Parkinson’s. It is a distinctly human condiiton, and this is true (at the time of publishing this post).

But there are interesting Parkinson’s-related observations in the animal world that could tell us something about this ‘very human’ condition. We have previously highlighted reports of this nature (Click here for an example).

Recently Australian researchers have reported the accumulation of the Parkinson’s-associated protein alpha synuclein in the brains of kangaroos, after they ate a particular type of grass (phalaris pastures plants) which is toxic for them.

In today’s (short) post, we will discuss what the report found, look at what the plants contains, and consider what this could mean for our understanding of Parkinson’s.

Source: SanDiegoZoo

The first interesting fact about kangaroos in today’s post: They are predominantly left handed

What?!?!?

Researchers published a study in 2015 reporting that while most four legged marsupials show no preference between their limbs, kangaroos are very left handedness (Click here to read the report)

Source: Cell

This finding is interesting as it could tell use much about our own handedness preference (Click here to read more about this).

Ok, interesting. But what on Earth does this have to do with Parkinson’s?

Ah, well that’s where we come to the second interesting fact about kangaroos in today’s post:

Continue reading “Distinctly human: Kangaroos” →

Punch

In the 1990, scientists identified some fruits that they suspected could give people Parkinson’s.

These fruit are bad, they reported.

More recently, researchers have identified chemicals in that exist in those same fruits that could potential be used to treat Parkinson’s.

These fruit are good, they announce.

In today’s post, we will explain why you should avoid eating certain members of the Annonaceae plant family and we will also look at the stream of research those plants have given rise to which could provide a novel therapy for Parkinson’s.

les_saintes_guadeloupe-1

Guadeloupe. Source: Bluefoottravel

In the late 1990s, researchers noticed something really odd in the French West Indies.

It had a very strange distribution of Parkinsonisms.

What are Parkinsonisms?

‘Parkinsonisms’ refer to a group of neurological conditions that cause movement features similar to those observed in Parkinson’s disease, such as tremors, slow movement and stiffness. The name ‘Parkinsonisms’ is often used as an umbrella term that covers Parkinson’s disease and all of the other ‘Parkinsonisms’.

Parkinsonisms are generally divided into three groups:

Classical idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (the spontaneous form of the condition)
Atypical Parkinson’s (such as multiple system atrophy (MSA) and Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP))
Secondary Parkinson’s (which can be brought on by mini strokes (aka Vascular Parkinson’s), drugs, head trauma, etc)

Source: Parkinsonspt

Some forms of Parkinsonisms that at associated with genetic risk factors, such as juvenile onset Parkinson’s, are considered atypical. But as our understanding of the genetics risk factors increases, we may find that an increasing number of idiopathic Parkinson’s cases have an underlying genetic component (especially where there is a long family history of the condition) which could alter the structure of our list of Parkinsonisms.

So what was happening in the French West Indies?

Continue reading “PAQ-ing more punch for Parkinson’s” →