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STUDY: Key Protein Found In Dystonia Disorder St. Louis, MO, May. 17 (UPI) -- Washington University School of Medicine researchers in St. Louis say they are one step closer to understanding the movement disorder called dystonia. The protein, torsinA, is defective in patients with DYT1 dystonia, an inherited condition that causes uncontrollable movements in the limbs and torso. Learning what torsinA does could be an important step toward developing a treatment for the disorder. "The hope is that understanding as many forms of dystonia as we can will give us some insight into how we might treat movement disorders generally," said Dr. Phyllis Hanson, assistant professor of cell biology and physiology and senior investigator for the study. She added:"Any new insights might also be helpful for understanding secondary dystonias. These are conditions in which dystonia is a complication of another disorder, such as Parkinson's disease." The study is published on the online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and also appears in the May 18 print edition of the journal. SOURCE: United Press International / Washington Times, DC http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040517-105133-7711r.htm * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn