Using a robust model for Parkinson's disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have discovered an interaction in neurons that contributes to Parkinson's disease, and they have shown that drugs now under development, LRRK2 kinase inhibitors, may slow progression.

The interaction between mutant LRRK2 kinase and alpha-synuclein may uncover new mechanisms and targets for neuroprotection,the researchers write in a recent Journal of Neuroscience paper. These results demonstrate that alpha-synuclein inclusion formation in neurons can be blocked and that novel therapeutic compounds targeting this process by inhibiting LRRK2 kinase activity may slow progression of Parkinson's disease-associated pathology.


Discovery May Lead to a Treatment to Slow Parkinson’s – Neuroscience News