Hope of Parkinson's patients

1995/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza

Research on Parkinson's disease has taken an important step forward. A group of Californian researchers say that the nerve cell integrated in the brain has found a form of survival. The introduction of fetal nerve cells can reduce Parkinson's symptoms, but most inserted cells die.

A group of researchers, led by Fred Gage of the California University of San Diego, has removed nerve cells from rat fetuses and incorporated them into the rat brain. At the same time, skin cells treated by genetic engineering were introduced, as the chemical components produced allow nerve cells to overcome them.

The number of neurons that survive with this method is between eight and ten times greater. However, before starting to experiment with the public, they should be done with more animals.

Parkinson’s is caused by the death of nerve cells in the part of the brain called “nigra substance.” These cells are related to other nervous system cells by a substance called dopamine. As cells die, dopamine levels decrease, so muscles are recommended and governed. The most successful treatment so far is the drug L-dopa.

In recent years, doctors to treat Parkinson's have introduced the nerve cells that produce dopamine in the patient's brain. Nerve cells have come out of aborted fetuses, but this technique has been very unsuccessful, as 98% of injected cells die. To date more than 200 patients have been treated, of which only 10% have had some bonus. For each graft 7 fetuses are needed.