Until recently, our understanding of Parkinson's disease has been limited, which made it challenging to treat this condition.
We knew some genetic factors caused it in some families, but for most people, we didn't know the main reasons.
However, researchers have made an important discovery about Parkinson's.
How it was discovered
They found that a part of our cells called mitochondria, which helps produce energy, gets damaged in the brains of people with Parkinson's.
This damage leads to problems with the genetic material inside mitochondria, and this is what causes Parkinson's symptoms and its progression to dementia.
The researchers found that the damage to mitochondria in brain cells happens when these cells have problems with certain genes that fight off viruses.
This damaged genetic material from mitochondria gets released into the cells and becomes toxic.
This toxicity forces nerve cells to get rid of this damaged mitochondrial DNA.
Since brain cells are connected, this toxic DNA can spread to nearby and even far-off cells, much like a forest fire that gets out of control.
Why it's important
This study is a crucial first step in understanding Parkinson's better and developing treatments, tests, and ways to measure treatment progress.
Specialists hope that by spotting the damaged mitochondrial DNA early, we can predict and diagnose Parkinson's disease.
It might be possible to find this damaged DNA in a simple blood test. This would be a huge advancement in detecting and managing the disease.
The researchers' next goal is to see how damaged mitochondrial DNA can be used as a sign of different disease stages and how we can fix the mitochondrial problems linked to Parkinson's.
