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TAMPA, USA (AFP) – Parkinson's disease has long been considered a brain disease, but a study last Wednesday showed that it could start in the intestines – especially in the appendix, a tiny organ located near the large intestine.
With the help of health registries in Sweden and the United States, researchers found that those whose appendix had been removed early in adulthood generally saw their risk of developing a disease. Incurable neurodegenerative disorder reduced by 19%, says study published in the newspaper. Translational medicine science.
In rural areas of Sweden, where people may be more exposed to pesticides – which has been proven to play a role in Parkinson's disease – the effect was even more important: a risk reduced by 25%.
"Among the people who developed Parkinson's disease, we found that the age of onset was delayed by 3.6 years on average by an appendectomy," said the author of the 39, study, Viviane Labrie, assistant professor at the Michigan Van Andel Research Institute, during a conference call with reporters. .
"Our studies suggest that the appendix could be a tissue site that plays a role in early events or the onset of Parkinson's disease."
Parkinson's disease affects millions of people around the world. Affected celebrities include actors Michael J Fox and Alan Alda, singer Neil Diamond and the late boxer Muhammad Ali.
Useless organ?
The appendix is often considered a useless organ.
But researchers say it's a storage site for intestinal bacteria, linked to the immune response and appears to be a gathering place for a key protein involved in Parkinson's disease, called alpha-synuclein.
Knowing that people with Parkinson's also suffer from gastrointestinal disorders such as constipation at least 10 years before the better-known symptoms of the disease, such as tremors, stiffness and poor balance surface, the researchers have decided to take a closer look at the appendix and its potential role.
They found that almost everyone had signs of clustered alpha-synuclein present in their appendix.
But not everyone develops Parkinson's for reasons that are still poorly understood.
"We think that in rare cases, if she (alpha-synuclein) had to escape the appendix and enter the brain, this could lead to Parkinson's disease," Labrie told reporters.
In fact, "alpha-synuclein is a protein that does not like to stay in place," she added.
"He is able to go from neuron to neuron."
Experiments have shown that the protein "can move up the nerve" connecting the gastrointestinal tract to the brain, "she explained.
"If it were to enter the brain, it would then germinate and spread, causing neurotoxic effects that could eventually lead to Parkinson's disease."
The researchers say that it is possible that one day, drugs will be developed to reduce the accumulation of protein in the appendix, thus reducing the risk of Parkinson's disease.
In the meantime, the experts pointed out that they do not recommend anyone to get an appendectomy to reduce the risk of Parkinson's, because more research was needed.
Intestinal-brain connection
According to Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics at the Open University, the study "contributes in part to establishing the reason why the relationship between the elimination of the appendix and the disease of Parkinson's could be a cause and effect. "
McConway, who did not participate in the research, added that "several previous studies have been researching relationships between withdrawal from the appendix and various other diseases, including heart disease and various diseases of the body." 39; intestine ".
"For some of these diseases, affixing your appendix was associated with a reduced risk of illness, but in others, including heart disease, it was associated with increased risk," he declared.
In fact, a smaller study, published in 2016 using Danish health registers, found that appendicectomies were associated with a slight increase in the risk of Parkinson's disease 10 years or more after surgery.
According to Labrie, the main difference is that his study lasted 52 years, "which allowed us to see a reduced risk of appendectomy on the risk of Parkinson's disease" compared to the Danish study, which lasted about three decades.
The present study covers about 1.7 million people in Sweden, as well as a second US dataset comprising 849 people.
Although new research is not the last word in this area, it reinforces scientists' knowledge of the close connection between the brain and the intestines.
The intestinal tract actually contains many neurons that are connected to the brain by the vagus nerve.
"Some scientists have termed the second brain bowel because of the number of neurons present in it," said co-author Patrik Brundin, director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Science at the Van Andel Research Institute.
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