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A brain
cell protein has been identified that when combined with dopamine
could be linked to the development of Parkinson's disease,
according to researchers at Harvard Medical School.
The finding
could lead the way to new treatments for Parkinson's disease.
When the
brain protein alpha-synuclein teams up with dopamine in nerve
cells, it can set off the production of toxic reactive oxygen
molecules that kill the nerves, according to the study appearing
in the journal Nature. However, the study does not answer
why alpha-synuclein builds up in the nerve cells.
The discovery
has led researchers to question whether the use of dopamine
in the treatment of Parkinson's disease actually makes the
condition worse over the long term.
Source:
Medical Week staff,
week of June 9, 2002
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