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11-13-2010, 10:11 PM | #1 | |||
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(the calcium channel blocker discussed in this abstract is Isradipine.)
Parkinson's disease... is caused by the death of a specific population of dopamine-producing neurons in a specific brain area called the substantia nigra. The specificity of the problem has always been a bit bewildering... A paper published earlier this week in Nature provides a possible answer: the neurons burn a lot of energy in order to produce a rhythmic activity, and end up under severe metabolic stress. The involvement of basic metabolism isn't unexpected. A number of studies have suggested a major feature of Parkinson's is oxidative stress caused by problems with mitochondria, which oxidize glucose to produce energy.. ...To do the monitoring.. the researchers could spy on the oxidation state of the neurons simply by using a microscope to see whether they were fluorescing. What they saw was both a generally elevated level of oxidative stress... This reinforces the link between Parkinson's and mitochondrial function. The authors also provide a potential explanation for the enhanced oxidative stress. These neurons produce a regular rhythm...firing an electrical pulse every 400 milliseconds or so. These pulses involve an ATP-powered change in calcium levels (ATP is produced by the mitochondria), which may be what stresses the mitochondria out. So, the authors added a drug that blocks the calcium changes, and found that it reduced oxidative stress, even in the Parkinson's mice. The best news here is that the drug is already known to be well tolerated in humans... http://arstechnica.com/science/news/...1#comments-bar
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"Thanks for this!" says: | tulip girl (11-14-2010) |
11-13-2010, 10:26 PM | #2 | |||
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Jean B This isn't the life I wished for, but it is the life I have. So I'm doing my best. |
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"Thanks for this!" says: | tulip girl (11-14-2010) |
11-14-2010, 05:38 PM | #3 | |||
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oh geez, you mean the topic message just 7 topics prior to mine? sorry, didnot remember reading the article, thus the reposting. madelyn
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In the last analysis, we see only what we are ready to see, what we have been taught to see. We eliminate and ignore everything that is not a part of our prejudices. ~ Jean-Martin Charcot The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed. William Gibson |
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11-15-2010, 11:53 AM | #4 | |||
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