Biotin (vitamin B7) supplementation may offer protection against manganese-induced brain cell damage, according to a recent study. Manganese is a naturally occurring metal that can cause manganism, a condition characterized by parkinsonism-like symptoms, such as tremors and cognitive issues. In the study led by Souvarish Sarkar, PhD, an assistant…

A process known as SUMOylation plays an important role in the so-called waking up of neural stem cells, a type of cell in the brain that can self-renew and mature into nerve cells, according to a new study in fruit flies by an international team of researchers led by Duke-NUS…

A protein “traffic jam” inside nerve cells promotes the buildup of shorter and toxic tau — a protein that forms toxic aggregates in Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders — according to a new study using fruit flies and mammalian cell lines. The accumulation of toxic tau resulted in fewer connections…

The activity of a molecular signaling pathway called Delta/Notch in cells of the blood-brain barrier is important for regulating the electrical function of nerve cells, according to a new study using fruit flies. The research, scientists say, could have implications for understanding neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, which are often…

A gene called Fer2 in fruit flies is essential for maintaining the health of dopamine-producing nerve cells and does so by supporting the cells’ mitochondria, which provide them with energy, a study reports. The human equivalent of this gene — a mammalian equivalent, called Nato3, was identified in mice — may…

Structural changes — caused by a rare genetic mutation — to a protein called a dopamine transporter, which conveys dopamine into cells, may contribute to Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms, a study in fruit flies has found. Increasing the number of functional, or properly working, dopamine transporters in fruit flies…

By deleting a section of alpha-synuclein, a protein that forms damaging clumps in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, researchers were able to prevent Parkinson’s-like symptoms in fruit flies, a study reports. The study, “The Non-amyloidal Component Region of α-Synuclein Is Important for α-Synuclein Transport Within Axons,”…

A protein called scarlet can protect nerve cells from the damaging effects of toxic alpha-synuclein aggregates that occur in Parkinson’s disease, according to results of research into a fruit fly model. The study, “Neurodegeneration and locomotor dysfunction in Drosophila scarlet mutants,” was published in the Journal…

Mutations in mitochondria, which result in a shortage of energy, may be an underlying cause of movement difficulties associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a study suggests. The study, “PINK1 Phosphorylates MIC60/Mitofilin to Control Structural Plasticity of Mitochondrial Crista Junctions,” was published in the journal Molecular Cell. Parkinson’s…

Two enzymes that play an important role in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration, and whose inhibition was seen to improve disease symptoms in fruit fly models, have been identified. Moreover, inhibition of one of these enzymes with a drug-like compound was found to reverse movement defects in the flies characteristic of diseases like…