Hitting Cell Hot Spot Could Help Thwart Parkinson's Disease

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SOURCE: Science Daily

The latest work to 'turn off the taps' in the brain and stop a chemical being released in excess amounts – which can lead to Parkinson's Disease – will be presented at The British Pharmacological Society's Summer Meeting in Edinburgh.

Dr Susan Duty from King's College London will present her latest work, aimed at stimulating 'trigger points' to stop the release of a chemical that can kill brain cells, at a special symposium that focuses on research into new types of drugs for treating disorders of the central nervous system.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain disorder that is triggered by death or degeneration of nerve cells in a part of the brain called substantia nigra. This brain region is essential in maintaining normal movement so when the cells start to die off, patients lose ability to properly execute and control movements.

Dr Duty is aiming to find a way to slow down, stop or, even better, reverse the cell death process.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707201222.htm

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1. This is good news. Thank you for posting.

[midnight]

2. I recommended this. This would be so wonderful if the process

could be reveresed.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. We had a patient that had some sort of brain stimulation treatment

he was getting done in another city....I'll have to find out if it was related to this research.