Originally Posted by zanpar321 (Post 1210843)

I do believe this theory really has legs folks!

A study performed in 2015 with green monkey subjects found that animals orally administered BMAA developed hallmark histopathology features of Alzheimer's Disease including amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangle accumulation. Animal subjects in the trial fed smaller doses of BMAA were found to have correlative decreases in these pathology features. Additionally, animals that were co-administered BMAA with serine were found to have 70% less beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles than those administered BMAA alone, suggesting that serine may be protective against the neurotoxic effects of BMAA. This experiment represents the first in-vivo model of Alzheimer's Disease that features both beta-amyloid plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau protein. This study also demonstrates that BMAA, an environmental toxin, can trigger neurodegenerative disease.[16]

BMAA may also misincorporate i with numerous causesnto nascent proteins in place of L-serine, possibly causing protein misfolding and aggregation, both hallmarks of tangle diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and Lewy body disease. In vitro research has shown that protein association of BMAA can be inhibited in presence of excess L-serine.

BMAA bacteria can be found in water, lakes, seafood etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-M...mino-L-alanine

Originally Posted by GerryW (Post 1210851)

Like a lot of people, I think idiopathic PD is a set of symptoms with numerous causes, sort of like a headache. It just happens that the dopamine producing neurons are easily damaged but they are not the only ones, hence the variety of symptoms.

Some proposed causes are misfolded alpha-synuclein protein, environmental toxins such as pesticides/herbicides or industrial solvents, excess iron or manganese, vitamin B2, B6, B1 or D3 deficiency, prion disease, autoimmune condition, an imbalance of neurotransmitters, various infections and related toxins such as cyanobacteria (blue green algae), Lyme disease, Nocardia asteroides, Giardia lamblia, Candida albicans, Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and CMV, EBV, HSV-1 viruses. Oxygen deprivation from arterial compression in the spine or neck vertebrae as well as the brain's peduncle, abnormal chi flow from a foot injury, neck injury, misaligned jaw, arteries irritating the brain, dysbiosis, and aging are some other things that can bring on Parkinsonism. Many people have found relief by attending to one of these causes. So PD symptoms can be caused by a lot of things and that makes finding a cure complicated. What works for one person may not work for another.

The current focus on alpha-synuclein misfolding may not be relevant to everyone and it might not be the only mechanism of cell damage.

Originally Posted by kiwi33 (Post 1210881)

I think that GerryW has made a very good point.

A while ago I listened to a talk at a scientific conference, given by a PD expert from Cambridge with both a medical degree and a PhD (impressive!).

His view is that almost certainly PD is not "one disease" - rather, the causal factors differ from person to person, leading to some common neurological effects.