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Researcher discloses Parkinson's insights Neurological disease linked to mother's bacterial infection January 27, 2003 By ELAINE HOPKINS of the Journal Star PEORIA - Fetal exposure to a mother's bacterial infection during pregnancy may set the stage for Parkinson's disease, a Chicago researcher said Friday at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. Professor Paul Carvey, chairman of the Department of Pharmacology at Rush Medical College, described his soon-to-be-published research with rats. "One injection in the mom, and 16 months later you're still seeing the effect of that injection." he said. "I have never seen (a previous) response like that." The same chemical processes likely are occurring in humans with vaginal bacterial infections, he said. He injected pregnant rats with a toxin like that produced at the molecular level by common bacteria in the environment, he said. The rats were born, then killed at various stages of their life cycles and the dopamine neurons in their brains were studied. The offspring of the injected mothers had lower levels of dopamine neurons. When they were later exposed to toxins from common pesticides, the levels dropped even lower, like those in humans with Parkinson's disease, he said. His research demonstrates "a whole new area for looking at prenatal exposure to toxins," which also may be affecting the genes of the developing fetus, he said. Parkinson's disease is known to occur in humans when too many dopamine neurons in the brain die. These neurons die naturally as a person ages, Carvey said, but fetal exposure to toxins that kill dopamine neurons, followed by environmental exposure may hasten the process, causing Parkinson's. About 14 percent of pregnant women are known to develop vaginal infections, which occur naturally from chemical changes that make the body susceptible to bacteria found everywhere, he said. Half have no symptoms. But killing the bacteria might require toxins that could also harm the fetus, he said. If toxins can kill dopamine neurons in a fetus at a certain stage during pregnancy, other toxins may affect other parts of the developing brain, he said. His research could lead to new insights into the causes of Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and other brain disorders, he said. Carvey's lecture combined complex scientific concepts and terminology with a few jokes. Doing long-term studies on rats is expensive, Carvey said. The creatures live up to two years, at a cost of $1.25 per day. "That's like sending them to the Drake (Hotel)," he joked. The lecture attracted physicians, researchers and Parkinson's Disease activists. "This is the most amazing revelations that I have heard, and it could revolutionize the way we think about Parkinson's," said Joan Snyder of Chillicothe, a Parkinson's sufferer and activist. The Parkinson's Alliance co-sponsored the lecture. "This is fantastic, the best sensible new clue" into Parkinson's, said Richard Weber, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria who has studied Parkinson's disease. "This could open up a wide variety of possibilities. By understanding what causes the disease you can find ways to attack it through research," he said. Weber holds a patent on a possible treatment for Parkinson's which has worked in test tubes but must be tested on animals, including primates. He said he hopes to collaborate with Carvey's lab. -- Joan E. Blessington Snyder 50/11 http://www.pwnkle.com/jes/jes_web/index.htm <[log in to unmask]> "Hang tough...........no way through it but to do it." Chris-in-the-Morning (Northern Exposure) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn