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Originally Posted by reverett123
The explanation that this group offers is dependent on geography. By that I mean that it assumes that a geographically limited variable (i.e. use of this pesticide in that valley) explains everything. Unfortunately, this would produce clusters downwind of agriculture that would have JohnT's maps lit up like Christmas trees and that just is not the case. I suspect that this study is another of those "more study is needed until I get tenure" types.
As for the Amish, the inflammation hypothesis handles that easily. Theirs is a horse powered existence and they use a lot of hay. Dusty hay that goes deep into the lungs when inhaled and ups the inflammatory ante.
And there is also the fact that the Amish rely on kerosine lamps. The hydrocarbon soot is extremely small nanoparticles and, again, penetration is deep. -Rick
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As a coauthor of the paper in question, I can tell you that absolutely everything you wrote here, including the completely gratuitous tenure snark, is completely wrong.
The explanation that we offer is that inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase, (or one of the other enzymes involved in detoxifying dopamine metabolites, but we really focused on ALDH here) can be a contributor to the pathogenesis of PD. Importantly, it sheds light on one of the greatest mysteries of PD, which is the semiselective vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons-- an issue which is extremely poorly understood. Moreover, it suggests an entirely new avenue of attack in developing disease modifying therapies that was previously unexplored.
We were able to identify this because of the pesticide exposure, but that does not mean that ONLY this pesticide could cause this type of inhibition-- there are several potential mechanisms including genetics and various other exposures. In no way is our explanation restricted by geography, nor do we claim it explains "everything".
Nevertheless, you ought to rethink your "maps" comment since there certainly are PD clusters in agricultural areas.
I hope this clears up some of your misconceptions.