The following clinical trial, "Increased Gut Permeability to Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in Parkinson's Disease", NCT01155492, due to report in June 2011, is of interest.

"Clinical and pathological data suggest Parkinson's disease (PD) may result from an inflammatory process beginning in the intestinal wall that initiates alpha-synuclein aggregation, which then spreads from neuron to neuron, reaching the central nervous system. Bacteria living within the intestinal tract produce lipopolysaccharide endotoxin, a toxin known to induce parkinsonism in animal models. We hypothesize that exposure to LPS, either from excessive production or excessive absorption may be the cause of this inflammation."

John