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Inflammation in Parkinson’s Disease

This project analyses the brain tissue from patients with Parkinson’s disease in order to document whether inflammation is also a consistent feature in the regions affected by the disease. Inflammation itself may play a detrimental role, exacerbating the disease. Other central nervous system disorders in which inflammation is thought to play such a role often have some genetic predisposition and there is usually evidence of some immune response in blood. Professor Halliday and her colleagues are examining these aspects in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Overall, their studies will provide the necessary evidence for or against a primary role for inflammation in the disease process causing the ongoing degeneration in Parkinson’s disease. If significant indications for a primary role for inflammation are found, treatments specifically targeting inflammation (already available) can be trialled to slow or stop the neurodegeneration.

The brain contains specialised inflammatory cells called microglia

Normal dopamine neurons in the human brain contain a unique brown pigment. We have found that in Parkinson’s disease, the dopamine neurons are eaten by smaller microglia inflammatory cells. Stopping these cells may help prevent the neurodegeneration.