Research Shows Link between Gut Infection and Parkinson’s

Researchers have been working on the connection between Parkinson’s disease and the resistance power of human. They have recently explored the likely role of bacterial gut infection, by using a mouse model.

It has been found that Parkinson’s disease develops as a result of the gradual lessening of neurons that produce dopamine in the substantia nigra of the human brain. This part of the human brain plays a pivotal role in commanding movements. Naturally, common symptoms of Parkinson’s include tremors and shaking, rigidity and occasional passing out. The principal risk in Parkinson’s is age, and as the elder population in the United States is on a steady rise, the number of Parkinson’s in the US is increasing as well.

One school of thought says that the entire world is reaching Parkinson’s pandemic, and the number of such cases has doubled to over 6 million between the years 1990 and 2015, and it’s still on the rise. Some have predicted that by the year 2040, the number of cases will stand to the tune of 12 million.

Though a lot is yet to be answered in regards to Parkinson’s researches are gathering evidence that is slowly showing that the disease might consist of an autoimmune constituent. Autoimmune diseases are medical conditions, where the immune system of an individual mistakes the body cells for pathogens and wipes them out.

A study that was published in the Nature by some researchers of the McGill University and the Neurological Institute of Montreal, Canada has further cemented this theory. 10 % of Parkinson’s is triggered off by gene mutations for Parkin and PINK1 proteins that clear out the damaged mitochondria. Those with these mutations are at higher risk of showing Parkinson’s symptoms at a much younger age, well before attaining 50.

However, once these genes are knocked out, the probability of developing the disease will drastically reduce.