Parkinson’s disease is traditionally associated with neurological damage in the brain, brought on by a drastic drop in dopamine production, but a new study suggests it could get started in an unexpected part of the body: the kidneys.
Led by a team from Wuhan University in China, the study is primarily concerned with the alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) protein, which is closely associated with Parkinson’s. When production goes awry and creates clumps of misfolded proteins, it interferes with brain function.
The key discovery here is that α-Syn clumps can build up in the kidneys, as well as the brain. The researchers think these abnormal proteins might actually travel from the kidneys to the brain, possibly playing a part in triggering the disease.
“We demonstrate that the kidney is a peripheral organ that serves as an origin of pathological α-Syn,” write the researchers in their published paper.
Parkinson’s Disease Might Not Start in The Brain
α-Synuclein deposition in the kidney may contribute to Parkinson’s disease