New study identifies possible markers of inflammation linked to Parkinson’s disease

Researchers based in Germany and the US may have identified a way to detect overactivity of microglia cells – a type of brain cell known to cause inflammation in the brain that is a key sign of neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s.

As part of the study, published in the journal ‘PNAS’, the researchers used mouse models of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

They measured neuroinflammation in the animals by comparing protein concentrations in a control group of healthy mice versus mice models of the condition – and found that 25 proteins were altered in those affected with Parkinson’s pathology.

In a press release, one of the study’s co-authors, Professor Mathias Jucker, said the findings could eventually lead to a “major advance”: being able to monitor inflammation in patients’ nervous systems over time. He said: “This would allow us to better understand different disease stages and also to test anti-inflammatory substances in clinical trials.”

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