People with Parkinson’s disease have altered levels of certain fat molecules, known as lipids, in their brains, and this may play a role in disease development and progression, a new study from the U.S. reports. The researchers used postmortem brain tissue samples to analyze changes in lipids in 40…

Changes in the composition of fat molecules on the membranes of nerve cells appear to change how the alpha-synuclein protein interacts with these same cell membranes, possibly promoting the aggregation that characterizes Parkinson’s disease, new research reports. The study, “The docking of synaptic vesicles on the presynaptic membrane induced by…

In patients with Parkinson’s disease, dopamine-producing neurons and microglia cells — the “immune cells” of the brain — accumulate fatty molecules that may promote inflammation and disease progression, a new study has found. The findings, according to researchers, suggest that therapies capable of restoring the balance of…

A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique allows for the visualization of molecular changes in the brain, a study reports. This technique will allow researchers to further understand how the brain works and how it changes with ageing or during the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. Moreover,…

Insoluble alpha-synuclein protein has long been thought to be the main component of Parkinson’s hallmark Lewy bodies, but researchers have now reported these abnormal aggregates are also made of cell membrane fragments, fat-like substances, and other cellular components. This finding was reported in a study, “Lewy pathology in…

Inhibiting an enzyme that regulates the production of fatty acids may protect against brain toxicity induced by alpha-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease and may become a therapeutic target for these patients, a study reports. The study, “Lipidomic Analysis of α-Synuclein Neurotoxicity Identifies Stearoyl CoA Desaturase as a Target…