Hormone Slows Parkinson’s

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 30, 2009

Entire Item at: http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/11...sons/9824.html

A hormone produced in the stomach may be used to provide resistance to, or slow, the development of Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is caused by a degeneration of dopamine neurons in an area of the midbrain known as the substantia nigra, which is responsible for dopamine production.

Yale researcher Tamas Horvath and colleagues found that the hormone ghrelin is protective of the dopamine neurons.

When the dopamine cells get sick and die, Parkinson’s can develop. “We also found that, in addition to its influence on appetite, ghrelin is responsible for direct activation of the brain’s dopamine cells,” said Horvath.

“Because this hormone originates from the stomach, it is circulating normally in the body, so it could easily be used to boost resistance to Parkinson’s or it could be used to slow the development of the disease.”



Stomach Hormone Can Boost Resistance To Or Slow Down Parkinson's, Study

Medical News Today, Article Date: 30 Nov 2009 - 2:00 PST

US researchers report finding that ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach that regulates appetite and how the body deposits fat, may be used to boost resistance to or slow the development of Parkinson's disease.

The study is the work of Dr Tamas Horvath, chair and professor of comparative medicine and professor of neurobiology and obstetrics and gynecology at the Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues and was published earlier this month in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder where dopamine neurons in an area of the midbrain known as the substantia nigra, which is responsible for dopamine production, start to die off.

caroolyn if you don't get much response it's because this is the third posting about this development. see debi brooks post in the second thread..lurking for a cure thread.

paula

This is potentially exciting:

I am referring the discovery at Yale University Medical School that high presence of Ghrelin the “hunger hormone” in the body is an indication that the body is fighting PD:

Apart from Parkinson’s link to Grehlin, a search using the term “role of Grehlin in voracious hunger” brings up a lot of results from Neurophysiologists and even a full blown conference of neurologists on the subject of hyperphagia.

I have been suffering from voracious hunger pangs hour before lunch or dinner almost to pathological levels. However unlike typical patients with hyperphagia, I have also lost serious amount of body weight from over 11 stone to a laughable 8 stone and still falling. Too much Ghrelin or too little? Should I eat indiscriminately as the signals from my hunger seems to indicate or do the opposite – not feed my severe hunger? Is there a test for measuring the amount of Ghrelin in circulation?

Any one knows?

I recall wondering if I had not gone on a “heart diet” (low fat and little alcohol) after my bypass which also put a stop to my recurrent gout, I would not have developed PD. As you know there are MJF funded trials on a drug Inosine that increases body URIC acid levels to see if it stops progression of PD.

A similar quandary has arisen with respect to Ghrelin & PD metabolism.

Kenki

Hi kenki,

You're suggesting that we should limit our ice cream binges to just two bowls aren't you? lol

I don't know the answer but there are many drugs that seem to cause increased appetite.

I have similar things going on to those you describe. I'm hungry when I'm off and have trouble swallowing. ldopa takes away your appetite so I weigh less now than in high school... for all the wrong reasons. Another strike against the ldopa that allows me to breath, move and swallow.

I do try to increase my appetite and nortriptyline has propelled me to a whopping 117 lb...up from a frightening 113. So does nortriptyline increase grehlin? A google search is called for here.

I'll post if I find anything. Thanks for posting.
paula