You've definitely heard of Parkinson's disease and its effects, and you probably understand why it's important to learn more about it.
While Parkinson's disease affects the brain, some scientists believe it might actually start in the gut and show up there years before brain problems begin.
New research from Columbia University suggests that the immune system, which helps our bodies fight off sickness, might be involved in this.
More about the new research
In Parkinson's, a protein called alpha-synuclein misbehaves and causes problems in the brain.
The researchers found that parts of this protein can also appear outside of brain cells, which makes them targets for the immune system.
This immune attack could harm the gut and the brain.
The gut is interesting because it has the same kind of nerve cells as the brain, and many Parkinson's patients have gut issues, like constipation, years before their brain gets affected.
To test this idea, scientists used special mice that could display this misbehaving protein on their cells and found that when the immune system attacked the gut, it caused gut problems similar to what Parkinson's patients experience early on.
This research suggests that an immune reaction in the gut might be the early stage of Parkinson's and that the disease could partly be an autoimmune problem, where the immune system attacks the body's own cells.
Why it's helpful
Detecting and stopping this immune response in the gut early on might prevent the disease from reaching the brain.
However, there's still more to learn about how the immune system affects the brain in Parkinson's.
The researchers are working on creating a better mouse model to help answer these questions and develop better treatments.
