Is Parkinson’s Disease Truly a Prion-Like Disorder? An Appraisal of Current Evidence
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the world’s second most common neurodegenerative disease and most common movement disorder. Characterised by a loss of dopaminergic neurons and the development of intraneuronal inclusions known as Lewy bodies, it has classically been thought of as a cell-autonomous diseas...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Neurology Research International |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/345285 |
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| author | Aneesha Chauhan Alexander F. Jeans |
| author_facet | Aneesha Chauhan Alexander F. Jeans |
| author_sort | Aneesha Chauhan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the world’s second most common neurodegenerative disease and most common movement disorder. Characterised by a loss of dopaminergic neurons and the development of intraneuronal inclusions known as Lewy bodies, it has classically been thought of as a cell-autonomous disease. However, in 2008, two groups reported the startling observation of Lewy bodies within embryonic neuronal grafts transplanted into PD patients little more than a decade previously, suggesting that PD pathology can be propagated to neighbouring cells and calling basic assumptions of our understanding of the disease into question. Subsequent research has largely served to confirm this interpretation, pointing towards a prion-like intercellular transfer of misfolded α-synuclein, the main component of Lewy bodies, as central to PD. This shift in thinking offers a revolutionary approach to PD treatment, potentially enabling a transition from purely symptomatic therapy to direct targeting of the pathology that drives disease progression. In this short review, we appraise current experimental support for PD as a prion-like disease, whilst highlighting areas of controversy or inconsistency which must be resolved. We also offer a brief discussion of the therapeutic implications of these discoveries. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0e02fa59bc5e4fc3b962a080820e0aea |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-1852 2090-1860 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Neurology Research International |
| spelling | doaj-art-0e02fa59bc5e4fc3b962a080820e0aea2025-02-03T01:10:23ZengWileyNeurology Research International2090-18522090-18602015-01-01201510.1155/2015/345285345285Is Parkinson’s Disease Truly a Prion-Like Disorder? An Appraisal of Current EvidenceAneesha Chauhan0Alexander F. Jeans1Hertford College, University of Oxford, Catte Street, Oxford OX1 3BW, UKDepartment of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UKParkinson’s disease (PD) is the world’s second most common neurodegenerative disease and most common movement disorder. Characterised by a loss of dopaminergic neurons and the development of intraneuronal inclusions known as Lewy bodies, it has classically been thought of as a cell-autonomous disease. However, in 2008, two groups reported the startling observation of Lewy bodies within embryonic neuronal grafts transplanted into PD patients little more than a decade previously, suggesting that PD pathology can be propagated to neighbouring cells and calling basic assumptions of our understanding of the disease into question. Subsequent research has largely served to confirm this interpretation, pointing towards a prion-like intercellular transfer of misfolded α-synuclein, the main component of Lewy bodies, as central to PD. This shift in thinking offers a revolutionary approach to PD treatment, potentially enabling a transition from purely symptomatic therapy to direct targeting of the pathology that drives disease progression. In this short review, we appraise current experimental support for PD as a prion-like disease, whilst highlighting areas of controversy or inconsistency which must be resolved. We also offer a brief discussion of the therapeutic implications of these discoveries.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/345285 |
| spellingShingle | Aneesha Chauhan Alexander F. Jeans Is Parkinson’s Disease Truly a Prion-Like Disorder? An Appraisal of Current Evidence Neurology Research International |
| title | Is Parkinson’s Disease Truly a Prion-Like Disorder? An Appraisal of Current Evidence |
| title_full | Is Parkinson’s Disease Truly a Prion-Like Disorder? An Appraisal of Current Evidence |
| title_fullStr | Is Parkinson’s Disease Truly a Prion-Like Disorder? An Appraisal of Current Evidence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is Parkinson’s Disease Truly a Prion-Like Disorder? An Appraisal of Current Evidence |
| title_short | Is Parkinson’s Disease Truly a Prion-Like Disorder? An Appraisal of Current Evidence |
| title_sort | is parkinson s disease truly a prion like disorder an appraisal of current evidence |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/345285 |
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