Diesel exhaust fumes may increase the risk of Parkinson’s, study suggests

News

Author: Sophie BatesPublished: 28 May 2020

Prep: Cook: Serves:

A new study by researchers in the US has found evidence that chemicals in diesel exhaust fumes can damage brain cells – and potentially increase the risk of Parkinson’s.

As part of the study – published in ‘Toxicological Sciences’ – researchers tested the effects of diesel exhaust fumes on zebrafish, as their neurons interact in a similar way to those of humans.

The researchers found that after being exposed to the chemicals, the zebrafish had fewer cells that dispose of toxic build-up of the protein alpha-synuclein, which occurs in Parkinson’s. The researchers replicated the experiment with cultured human cells and found similar results.

Dr Jeff Bronstein, a professor of neurology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), US, said: “Overall, this report shows a plausible mechanism of why air pollution may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease.”

To read more on this topic click here.

To find out more about the causes of Parkinson’s, visit the EPDA website.

New Parkinson’s trial platform could “dramatically speed up the search for a cure”

Last Month

Next Month

Go Back

Share this story

Comments

Resources & Tools

How Parkinson’s wearables can deliver accurate data from patient to neurologist

VIDEO: Discover the powerful possibilities of wearable tech

‘My Dad: his Parkinson’s through my 9-year-old eyes’

We talk to the man who sketches his Parkinson’s symptoms

Parkinson’s campaigners cycle across Germany

The bike tour raising awareness of Parkinson’s disease

Loneliness may increase severity of Parkinson’s disease symptoms

Researchers in the US have found that people with Parkinson’s disease who experience loneliness may be at an increased risk for severe symptoms related to the condition. As part of the study – published in the medical journal NPJ Parkinson’s Disease – researchers collected information from 1,500 people with the condition between 2014 to 2019. Those who reported being very lonely were also less likely to exercise regularly and follow a healthy diet – and more likely to experience a lower quality of life. Dr Indu Subramanian, neurologist and author of the study, said that the team were “surprised” by some of the results and that “one of the most detrimental things is actually being lonely”. The negative impact of loneliness on the severity of Parkinson’s disease symptoms, she added, was as large as the positive impact of exercise. In light of Covid-19 and the resulting social isolation, the research…

Can tremor predict the effect of Parkinson’s disease medication?

Researchers from the Netherlands have found a link between tremor symptoms and how dopaminergic medication impacts learning abilities in Parkinson’s disease. Many people with Parkinson’s become sensitive to learning through rewards due to a decrease in dopamine in the brain. As part of a new study – published in the scientific journal Brain –researchers assessed 43 tremor-dominant and 20 non-tremor dominant people with Parkinson’s while they were on and off dopaminergic medication. The results showed that in people with Parkinson’s who do not experience tremor, dopaminergic medication improves the ability to learn from rewards – and in those with tremor, the medication has no impact on reward learning. Rick Helmich, co-author of the study and a neurologist at Radboud University Medical Centre, the Netherlands, said: “Whether someone experiences tremor or not might therefore potentially have a significant predictive value regarding the effectiveness of medication in the cognitive domain. However, more…

Could a ‘Mediterranean diet’ lower the risk of Parkinson’s for women?

A study by scientists in Sweden has suggested that women who eat a ‘Mediterranean diet’ at middle age could have a lower risk of Parkinson’s later in life. The report, published in the Movement Disorders journal, used dietary information from more than 47,000 women aged 29 to 49, recorded between the early 1990s and 2012. They looked at how closely the women adhered to a Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP), which is high in foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, unsaturated fats and legumes. They then compared the information with data from the Swedish National Patient Register to find out whether participants had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The researchers found that those with a high adherence to the diet had a 46% lower risk of being diagnosed with the condition compared to those with a low adherence, concluding that “higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet at middle age was associated with…

All fields required

First name*
Last name*
Email address*
Enter Email Confirm Email
Country of residence*
About me*
- I have Parkinson's disease
- I am a partner / carer / family / friend of someone who has Parkinson's
- I am a healthcare professional with an interest in Parkinson's
- I work for a Parkinson's disease organisation
- Other
CAPTCHA
*
- By proceeding you agree to our
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Diesel exhaust fumes may increase the risk of Parkinson’s, study suggests

News

Author: Sophie BatesPublished: 28 May 2020

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

sponsored article

Resources & Tools

How Parkinson’s wearables can deliver accurate data from patient to neurologist

Interviews

‘My Dad: his Parkinson’s through my 9-year-old eyes’

Global update

Parkinson’s campaigners cycle across Germany

Loneliness may increase severity of Parkinson’s disease symptoms

Can tremor predict the effect of Parkinson’s disease medication?

Could a ‘Mediterranean diet’ lower the risk of Parkinson’s for women?

{title}

Subscribe

Diesel exhaust fumes may increase the risk of Parkinson’s, study suggests

News

Author: Sophie BatesPublished: 28 May 2020

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Related articles

sponsored article

Resources & Tools

How Parkinson’s wearables can deliver accurate data from patient to neurologist

Interviews

‘My Dad: his Parkinson’s through my 9-year-old eyes’

Global update

Parkinson’s campaigners cycle across Germany

Loneliness may increase severity of Parkinson’s disease symptoms

Can tremor predict the effect of Parkinson’s disease medication?

Could a ‘Mediterranean diet’ lower the risk of Parkinson’s for women?

{title}

Subscribe

Sign in