Hosted a protein in the brain could regenerate lost neurons and eliminate motor disorders caused by Parkinson's disease, a chronic-degenerative condition that affects about 500,000 people in Mexico.
It is the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, for its acronym in English) that studies in animal models affected by the disease aims to generate new neurons that release dopamine.
Dr. Jorge Aceves Ruiz, professor emeritus of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV), explained that dopamine plays a critical role in brain function. This transmitter is closely related to fear, anxiety and pleasure; however, its excess leads to shortage develops schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.
The Mexican Association of Parkinson points out that this is the second neurodegenerative disease behind Alzheimer only. In 2009, according to data from the health sector, the rate of undiagnosed patients was 30 percent, with an upward trend due to the aging population.
Although it may appear before, the condition usually manifests around age 60 and is more common in men, as in the case of women is attributed to certain estrogen brake on its development.
Motor symptoms begin with a slight hand tremor, and around the body when the disorders progress, even lead to the collapse of all movements by the minimum 80 percent loss of dopaminergic neurons, according to researcher Cinvestav , Zacatenco Unit.
Those who suffer from this disease have different symptoms: slowness of movement (bradykinesia), muscular rigidity, gait disturbance and postural instability, the complicated disease, sleep problems also arise neuropsychiatric, fatigue, weight loss and seborrhea.
Aceves Ruiz, who has led several studies on dopamine for over 30 years, said NOTIMEX who have developed a disease model to understand how the loss of this transmitter produces motor disorders symptoms and how to retrieve deleted.
'The study, which will soon be published in scientific journals, it also helps to know what makes dopamine in an individual without disease and stop doing what someone with this neurodegenerative disorder' said.
As explained, employing five different dopamine receptors (macromolecules) located in different nuclei of the brain stem, which, when activated results in the stimulation or inhibition of neurons which contain them.
The first results revealed three ways to control the disease. The first is to avoid dyskinesias (involuntary movements) generated by L-Dopa, effective and available drug to replace dopamine, but involved in the formation of these symptoms after four or five years of taking it.
A second alternative is to prevent the loss of therapeutic effect of pramipexole, another drug that helps control disturbances in Parkinson's disease, in a similar time also tends to behave as 'agonist'.
Aceves Ruiz stressed that the latter committed neurogenesis, a process involving the generation of new neurons from stem or stem cells to increase the activity related to dopamine in the brain.
With this proposal, Aceves Ruiz, along with Dr. Daniel Martinez Fong, designed a not promising method viral-without the risk of tumor-insertion (transfection) of the gene for BDNF to neurons, to multiply and make a differentiation stem cells towards the dopaminergic phenotype and therefore lost neurons recover.
'We found that transfection of the gene for BDNF, in association with the chronic activation of the dopamine D3 receptor type achieves regenerate lost neurons and eliminate motor disorders caused by the disease, "said the researcher.
To test this, scientists conducted various experimental models in early and advanced stages of Parkinson rat, in each, the preliminary results showed effectiveness to restore dopaminergic neurons, and eliminate motor rigidity and postural disorders and running.
Even said, the same thing happened in models for six months exposed to vapors of manganese, a mineral that produces Parkinson's disease in those who work in the manufacture of batteries for cars.
Aceves Ruiz stressed that the aim now is to scale research in a monkey model and then log in humans, and the results have been very encouraging at this stage. The scientists hope to partner with Mexican or foreign specialists working with these animals and try the treatment.
'If we can avoid dyskinesias caused by L-Dopa or prevent the gradual loss of efficacy of pramipexole will have solved the problem of Parkinson's, although the recovery of lost neurons by neurogenesis is the best choice, "concluded the member of the Permanent Seminar Sciences Technology in Mexico and in the XXI Century.
The project, which is funded by the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), also intends to study the treatment to reduce anxiety and depression caused by Parkinson's disease.
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