Parkinson’s Disease (PD) involves more than just neurons, scientists have now seen monocytic changes in the blood, or changes to cells that are called “monocytes.” As a result, these cells have reduced viability and are unresponsive to specific stimuli. This could have relevant consequences for the progression of PD. Immune modulation drugs may be a new treatment option to inhibit neurodegeneration associated with PD.
New Types of Treatment
The way immune cells behave in the blood is so different in patients with PD that it advocates for a new type of supplementary medication. Treatment can potentially regulate the immune system and thus inhibit the deterioration of the brain.
According to a research article published in the journal Movement Disorders, PD is a more complicated disorder than previously thought.
“The research project confirms a growing theory that PD is not only a brain disease, but is also connected with the immune system. Both in the brain and the rest of the body,” says Marina Romero-Ramos, the associate professor of neuroscience, who is leading the team behind the research.
Long Term Treatment
“This knowledge may in the long term lead to the development of supplementary immune-regulating treatment being combined with the current medical treatment with the drug L-dopa, which only has an effect on the brain and the symptoms. We believe such an additional drug might help to slow down the progression of the disease,” says Sara Konstantin Nissen Ph.D.
PD is characterized by a slow degeneration of neurons in the brain due to abnormal accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein. This leads to shaking and the slow, stiff movements which many people associate with Parkinson’s Disease.
In the new study, researchers subjected blood samples from 29 PD patients and 20 control subjects to the protein alpha-synuclein. They determined that the immune cells in the blood from Parkinson’s patients are significantly worse at correctly regulating immune markers on the cell surface. These blood cells are also less efficient in secreting anti-inflammatory molecules than the controls’ cells.
The Delicate Balance Of Our Immune System
“Our immune system functions in a delicate balance. On the one hand, it cleans up the invasive micro-organisms and accumulations of unwanted proteins, such as alpha-synuclein. It does so by creating an inflammatory condition. Alternatively, the immune system must also avoid damaging the body’s own cells with too much inflammation. It is apparent that this balance goes awry in the case of PD disease,” says Nissen.
They believe that immune cells in the blood, which contain a certain receptor called CD163 on their surface, migrate into the brains of PD patients. It’s thought that the cells help to clean up the accumulations of the alpha-synuclein which damages the brain. However, with the present study, it is now suggested that the cells in question are already incorrectly regulated in the bloodstream before they reach the brain.
“This leads us to believe that it might be possible to, at the very least, slow down the degeneration of the neurons in the brain of Parkinson’s patients by regulating the immune system with medicine,” says Nissen.
Parkinson’s Disease Is Present In The Blood
In addition to leading the way for the treatment of patients who have already been diagnosed with PD, Nissen also points out that the study suggests new ways of preventing or delaying the development of PD. Keeping a watchful eye on people with an increased risk to develop PD could lead to preventative care. For example, patients diagnosed with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD).
“Screening everybody for changes in blood immune cells would be pointless. However, we know that more than half of those who suffer from this sleep disorder RBD. They develop Parkinson’s disease years later, so this is an obvious place to start. Other studies show that inflammation in the body can reduce with exercise as a form of treatment. It can, therefore, reduce the risk of becoming ill at all. However, this requires a change of views among medical doctors and neurologists. They will have to treat Parkinson’s disease as more than just a brain disorder,” says Nissen.
This discovery enriches not only our understanding of Parkinson’s disease but also gives us new options and paths to confront other neurodegenerative diseases. The effect on the blood cells was unexpected and begs the question of whether other neurological disorders may also have a blood component.
