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Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological disease that damages brain cells and causes movement problems, could originate in the appendix, according to a new study. According to the researchers, this vestigial organ could be the source of proteins that can reach the brain and, once there, extend the lethal effect on nerve cells.
According to the study published yesterday (October 31) in the journal Science Translational Medicine, people whose appendix had been removed when they were young had between 19 and 25% less risk of developing Parkinson's disease more late in life.
The new study – although not the first to suggest that Parkinson's disease can begin in the gut or even in the appendix – was one of the most important to date. The research "further supports the notion that [Parkinson’s] starts in the gut, "Dr. Ted Dawson, professor of neurodegenerative diseases at Johns Hopkins University, told Live Science, not participating in the study.
In the first part of the study, researchers looked at two large databases – one containing information on more than 1.6 million people in Sweden and the other, on 849 patients. international patients with Parkinson's disease. Both databases indicated which people had their appendices removed. [10 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp]
They found that people whose appendixes had been removed were 19% less likely to develop Parkinson's disease later in life, but only if the procedure had been performed in the early decades preceding the typical onset of disease. In addition, study subjects who contracted Parkinson's disease were on average 3.6 years later, if their appendices were removed, compared to those who still possessed them.
The findings suggest that the "appendix" might be important in early events or possibly in the onset of this disease, "said Viviane Labrie, senior author, assistant professor of neuroscience at the Van Andel Research Institute of Michigan.
Labrie and her team also found that people who had undergone an appendectomy (surgery to remove the appendix) and lived in rural areas were 25% less likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those who had suffered the disease. 39 and operation lived in urban area. Parkinson's disease is often more common in rural areas, which may be due to exposure to pesticides that would be linked to the disease, said Labrie. The researchers noted that this association was not present in those who were genetically predisposed to Parkinson's disease. (Only about 10% of people with Parkinson's are genetically predisposed.)
What's going on there?
"Lewy bodies" are a telltale sign of Parkinson's disease in the brain. They consist of important protein deposits that form around neurons and prevent their release of chemicals or neurotransmitters that inform our movements and thoughts. These Lewy bodies consist mainly of abnormally shaped or "grouped" proteins called alpha-synuclein.
In the second part of the study, Labrie and her team began researching these protein clusters in the appendix. They photographed 48 appendages from people without Parkinson's disease. The appendages were taken from young and old patients. Some were inflamed and others not (intestinal inflammation is considered a potential risk factor for Parkinson's disease).
They found that all the appendices contained the protein clumps. In other words, the same proteins that wreak havoc in the brain seem to be normal in the appendix. This suggests that "what is present in the appendix" could actually be a "seed" that could travel from the gastrointestinal tract to the brain and cause Parkinson's disease, Labrie told Live Science. (However, the study could not ultimately prove that this is the cause of the disease.)
However, it is not known why the appendix contains these clumps in the first place. The appendix, although widely and erroneously considered unnecessary in the body, contains a number of immune cells and can identify and monitor pathogens and trigger warning signals (immune responses) when they are detects, Labrie said.
So maybe these masses "could also be involved in immune function," said Labrie.
Preventive appendectomies? No
Nevertheless, the results do not mean that people should exhaust and schedule appendectomies. Parkinson's disease itself is a relatively rare disease that affects less than 1% of the population.
"One of the things we do not want people to understand is that [they] should have preventative appendectomies or simply because you have one, you will get Parkinson's disease, "said Labrie.On the contrary, future preventive treatments might be aimed at targeting protein levels agglutinated in the intestine, or prevent their brain drain.
In addition, researchers have only looked at the appendix of this study, but there could be other places in the gastrointestinal tract that also contain these masses "that we have not examined yet. "said Labrie.
Now, Labrie hopes to understand the molecular basis of what is happening: if these clumps of proteins can not distinguish a healthy appendix from an appendage that might promote the cause of Parkinson's disease, are there any other biological markers that can do it?
It is clear that the intestines whisper to the brain, that they whisper together and that they turn together the cranks and wheels of our body – a conversation that remains for us largely mysterious.
Originally posted on Live Science.
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