Israeli Study Sees Link Between Parkinson’s & Brain Tissue Changes

Researchers at the University of Haifa have discovered a connection between Parkinson’s disease and the brain’s extracellular matrix (ECM) – tissue that is a blend of proteins and carbohydrates that surrounds cells, providing a scaffolding for them and controlling communication between them. 

Parkinson’s is a progressive, neurological disorder that affects some 10 million people around the world. It hits both the nervous system and the areas of the body that are controlled by it and its symptoms include tremors and motion difficulties.

The study was led by Prof. Shani Stern of the university’s Sagol Department of Neurobiology, working in collaboration with the Salk Institute in San Diego; Erlangen University in Bavaria, Germany; and University College London in the UK. 

Stern’s team found evidence of changes within the genes in the ECM of Parkinson’s sufferers, both with and without a genetic tendency to the disease. 

They also saw signs that people with the illness have less mRNA (molecules that carry instructions to make proteins) and less of the proteins themselves within their ECM. 

“In order to gain a deeper understanding of Parkinson’s disease and make progress in efforts to find a cure for the disease, we need to examine the changes that occur in the extracellular matrix,” said Stern. 

“Until now, most of the studies concerning Parkinson’s have focused on the cells and on synaptic connections. The results of our study found changes in the extracellular matrix, which has not been a focus of Parkinson’s research.” 

The findings of the research were recently published in the prestigious NPJ Parkinson’s Disease journal.