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Research in motion: the enigma of Parkinson's disease pathology spread

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 9, pages 741–745 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Neuropathological changes in Parkinson's disease progress slowly and spread according to a characteristic pattern. Recent papers have shed light on this progression of pathology by examining the fate of neurons grafted into the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease. Two of these studies demonstrate that grafted healthy neurons can gradually develop the same pathology as host neurons in the diseased brains. According to these studies, implanted neurons developed α-synuclein- and ubiquitin-positive Lewy bodies more than a decade after transplantation. We discuss the possible underlying mechanisms and their implications for how pathology spreads in Parkinson's disease.

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Figure 1: Lewy bodies develop in grafted neurons in Parkinson's disease.
Figure 2: Mechanisms that might explain why Lewy bodies form in grafted neurons.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council, Swedish Parkinson Foundation, the Nordic Center of Excellence on Neurodegeneration and The Strong Research Environment of the Swedish Research Council (NeuroFortis). The Queen Square Brain Bank is supported by the Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies, the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (Europe) Association and BrainNet Europe. T.R. and J.L.H. are supported by grants from the Alzheimer's Research Trust and the Sarah Matheson Trust.

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  1. Patrik.Brundin@med.lu.se

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Medical Science,Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Patrik Brundin and Jia-Yi Li are at the Neuronal Survival Unit, Lund University, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden.,

    Patrik Brundin & Jia-Yi Li

  2. Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Janice L. Holton and Tamas Revesz are at the Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,

    Janice L. Holton & Tamas Revesz

  3. and at the Division of Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Olle Lindvall is at the Section of Restorative Neurology, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Lund University, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden.,

    Olle Lindvall

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Brundin, P., Li, JY., Holton, J. et al. Research in motion: the enigma of Parkinson's disease pathology spread. Nat Rev Neurosci 9, 741–745 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2477

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