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Viruses have been harmless for a long time, and may actually be Parkinson’s disease, Diseases that affect more than one million Americans.
Northwestern medical scientists have discovered human grape disease (HPGV) in brain and spinal fluids in patients with Parkinson’s disease, but not in patients without the disease. The results challenge decades of assumptions about the virus.
“HPGV is a common and previously uncommon asymptomatic infection,” said Dr. Igor Koralnik, head of neuroinfectious diseases at Northwestern, in a press release.
“We were surprised to find it at such a high frequency in the brains of Parkinson’s patients rather than in the control group.”
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The researchers examined 10 Parkinson’s disease patients and 14 people who died of other causes. (iStock)
The findings were published in the journal JCI Insight.
The researchers examined 10 Parkinson’s disease patients and 14 people who died of other causes. The virus appeared in five of Parkinson’s 10 brains, while none of them in 14 controls.
It also appears in spinal fluid samples, indicating that the virus can Nervous system. Patients carrying HPGV showed more advanced brain changes associated with Parkinson’s disease, including protein accumulation and brain chemical changes.
The team did not stop at the brain tissue. The researchers used blood samples from more than 1,000 participants in the project led by the Michael J. Fox Foundation to see the same immune system changes as the virus.
The researchers also examined blood samples from 1,000 Parkinson’s patients to track the virus. (iStock)
What is even more surprising is that patients with Parkinson’s disease-related mutations in the LRRK2 gene respond differently to HPGV than those without mutations.
“This suggests that this may be an environmental factor that interacts with the body in a way we have never realized before,” Koralnik said.
“This could affect how Parkinson develops, especially among people who have certain Genetic background. ”
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According to the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, Parkinson’s disease is the second most common brain disease after Alzheimer’s disease. Although a few cases are inherited, most patients have no family history and the reasons are unclear.
“It’s too early to say that the virus causes the disease,” said behavioral neurologist Dr. Joel Salinas. (iStock)
If HPGV really works, it can help explain why some people develop Parkinson’s disease while others don’t. It can also open the door to new therapies targeting the virus or the immune system.
“This study detected traces of HPGV more frequently than those in Parkinson’s disease patients. This increases the likelihood of a link between viral exposure and Parkinson’s disease, but it’s too early. Virus Dr. Joel Salinas, a behavioral neurologist and associate professor at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, told Fox News that digits, and Dr. Joel Salinas told the disease.
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Salinas, who was not involved in the study, also said larger and long-term studies will be needed to determine whether this association has real clinical significance.
“For now, one should know that this is an early study, not a reason for fear – there is no substantial evidence that the virus causes Parkinson’s disease, similar to the work on herpes virus in Alzheimer’s, but still proposes a possible link, but remains to be fully determined.”
The Northwest team plans to expand their research to understand HPGV frequency in Parkinson’s patients. (iStock)
According to the Parkinson Foundation, nearly 90,000 Americans are diagnosed each year. By 2030, this number is expected to reach 1.2 million.
The Northwest team plans to expand their research to understand the frequency of HPGV found in patients with Parkinson’s disease versus healthy controls, and whether other viruses may be involved.
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“For viruses considered harmless, these findings suggest that it may have an important role in the context of Parkinson’s disease,” Koralnik said.
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“We also aim to understand how viruses and genes interact; insights on how Parkinson’s disease begins and help guide future therapies.”
