JERUSALEM, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have discovered a new method for early diagnosis of the incurable Parkinson's disease, which may lead to the development of a drug, Tel Aviv University (TAU) said Thursday.
In the study published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica, the TAU researchers found a central mechanism in the development of the disease, and a substance that neutralizes it in the early stages even before the onset of symptoms.
In the brains of Parkinson's patients, large protein accumulations are formed as part of a gradual process in which cells in the substantia nigra (black substance) area die in the midbrain.
The new method allows the disease to be identified by an innovative microscopic technique called super-resolution through identifying the protein precipitation even when they are very small.
In experiments on model mice, the researchers found that during an early stage of the disease, the black substance cells had small accumulations of the alpha-synuclein protein.
The model mice were treated with the substance, and their condition improved significantly which may could lead to the development of a drug for humans.
