http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0429175904.htm

...The precise cause or causes of PD is unknown, but there is a consensus that an inflammatory event or episode is involved in the initiation of neurodegeneration, and that chronic neuroinflammation is a sustaining and exacerbating reason for the loss of the dopaminergic neurons. A new study conducted by a team of Texas researchers brings the understanding of inflammation's role a step further. They have found that a single, high-dose exposure of an experimental inflammatory agent in an animal model causes changes in brain tissue that are similar to those associated with the development of the disease...

...In general, the researchers found that a single injection of LPS elicited a systemic inflammatory response in the rats, as indicated by an elevation in certain circulatory cytokines. Tissue taken from the olfactory bulb showed the presence of immune associated cells. Individual cytokines within the olfactory bulb showed an increase in certain types of cytokines. Taken together, the complete analysis indicated that the single dose of LPS stimulated an inflammatory response that closely resembled the hallmarks of the development of the disease.
The results suggest an involvement of both the peripheral and the central nervous system immune components in response to inflammation and inflammatory episodes...