Exercise slows the progression of a harmful protein in the brain believed to contribute to the degenerative disease Parkinson's, a new study revealed.
New research has uncovered the molecular reasons behind the link between exercise and the disease that has remained a mystery until now.
Researchers discovered that running on a treadmill can stop the accumulation of a protein in brain cells called alpha-synuclein, which they believe plays a central role in brain cell death.
The findings suggest that exercising can help stop Parkinson's in its tracks, as the disease is incurable, affecting 60,000 Americans a year.
Scientists from the University of Colorado tested mice who started developing Parkinson's symptoms in mid-life, as humans do. Running wheels were then put into their cages at 12 months old.
After three months, the mice that ran showed improved movement and cognitive function compared to the group of mice that did not run.
The results found that exercise increased brain and muscle expression of a key protective gene called DJ-1.
Parkinson's is a disease caused by the death of brain cells that make a critical neurotransmitter called dopamine. The loss of dopanine in the brain makes voluntary movement impossible.
The disease causes muscle stiffness, slowness of movement, tremors, sleep disturbance, chronic fatigue, an impaired quality of life and can lead to severe disability.
Most people with Parkinson's disease take a drug called L-DOPA to treat their symptoms. That drug is converted into dopamine, allowing patients to move.
In 1988, Freed and his colleague Dr Robert Breeze performed the first transplant of human fetal dopamine cells into a Parkinson's patient in the United States. His lab is currently working to convert human embryonic stem cells to dopamine neurons.
