(Rick, unsure if you posted this or not--seems I read a posting of yours that addressed the issue of prenatal effects leading to PD. sorry if this is a repeat summary occurs in Science News, March 3, 2007, vol 171 p. 134. written by A. Cunningham

Mark Noble , (univ rochester med center and colleagues) looked at 3 dissimilar toxic agents and their effects upon the signaling pathway that regulates developing cells in the brain and spinal cord. This pathway might be used to predict the toxicology of many diverse chemicals, the researchers noted.

the focus was upon the pathway that controls the development of cells destined to become oligodendrocytes. Oligodendrocytes as mature cells provide the material that insulates nerve fibers.
Many toxic agents in the environment can oxidize cells, and in normal development, "subtle changes in the oxidative state of the oligodendrocyte precursors determine whether they continue to divide or proceed to their final form." progenitor cell cultures from newborn rats were exposed to 3 different chemicals:

methylmercury, lead and paraquat --to study how these oxidizing chemicals would affect this aspect of oligodendrocyte development. (chemical amounts used were the same people or animals encounter in the environment)

Each chemical told the cells to mature, shifting the oxidative state of the progenitor cells. this action resulted in stopping division in 25 % of all cells--and was carried thru many cellular generations..

The researchers also studied pregnant mice for effects from methylmercury by adding "environmentally relevant concentrations of methylmercury" to their drinking water. The brains of the pups born to these mothers had TWENTY PERCENT fewer oligodendrocyte progenitor cells than did brains from pups of the untreated mothers. the group is further studying the consequences of this decreased # of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in the offspring.

Identifying the pathway that might be vulnerable to different environmental chemicals may be useful for "predictive toxicology". This pathway could be studied and used to measure the effects of toxicants and predict the risk of disease. also, the researchers hope that finding ways to measure the pathway's activity, the relationship between exposure to the toxicant and the role of the toxicant in chemically induced disease may be elucidated.

(PS--I have no idea how those little smiley faces turn up in my postings; I suspect I must be holding a key too long, or hitting an incorrect key )

...I think that the little smilies are an attempt by your inner child to communicate with the outside world. Either that or you have big fingers.

I really believe that the whole prenatal thing is going to shake the PD world over the next few years. As I've mentioned, for the last year I have been helping Anne Frobert, MD, PwP, (whom you may recall from the banding experiments) organize four years of her own research for publication later this year. In the process I have learned a lot of amazing things. The prenatal influence on the adult is one of the more startling ones. - Rick

I like the thought it is my inner child and that she is happy-- I do not think of my fingers as big--they hold a lot of water and are a little pudgy . madelyn