Parkinson’s Disease Research

There is still no way to halt the progression of Parkinson’s disease, but research on this movement disorder is exploring several avenues. Here's what you should know.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement. While the cause of PD hasn’t been pinpointed, the more scientists learn about PD, the closer they are to finding better treatments to relieve symptoms and even potentially halt its progress.

Parkinson’s disease research is also focused on finding a way to prevent Parkinson’s from occurring in the first place.

Swedish neurophysiologist Arvid Carlsson, PhD, is credited with first figuring out that a lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine plays an important role in Parkinson's disease symptoms, for which he won a Nobel Prize in Physiology. Carlsson’s discovery about dopamine, a chemical messenger needed to send signals between areas of the brain that control body movements, has been crucially important to understanding PD.

Dopamine-producing brain cells (neurons) die in Parkinson’s disease. Without enough dopamine in their brains, patients develop tremors and rigid muscles and can end up in wheelchairs. 

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Early diagnosis and tailored Parkinson’s disease treatments

A variety of medications have been developed through Parkinson’s disease research to help relieve symptoms, primarily to replace or enhance dopamine. Those medications, along with some surgical treatments, don’t halt progression of the disease, however.

So, scientists are exploring ways to identify PD at the very earliest stages — possibly even before symptoms develop — when tailored treatments may be able to slow or stop the disease process.

For example, scientists are searching to see if people with Parkinson’s disease share one or more biological abnormalities. If they discover potential biomarkers, screening tests could identify people who are at risk of Parkinson’s or who have the disease even before they display any symptoms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

So far, studies have found synuclein — a protein abundant in human brains — accumulates in nerve cells of people with Parkinson’s disease years before they develop symptoms of PD. Another area of important Parkinson’s disease research underway at the National Institutes of Health and elsewhere involves imaging with special MRIs or nuclear imaging techniques that may be able to spot signs of PD at very early stages.

Although it’s rare, scientists have learned some people have an inherited form of PD, and Parkinson’s disease research is also pursuing tests for known gene mutations to determine whether individuals are likely to develop Parkinson’s.

For example, there is evidence that Parkinson’s involves T-cells, part of the immune system, attacking the brain. The vulnerable T-cells can appear years before an official diagnosis. Other research has found a genetic signature for the disease in a type of T-cell.

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