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LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A U.S.-Swedish researcher says a green-glowing protein is being used to help find a cure for Parkinson's disease. First author Dwain Morris-Irvin of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Lund University in Sweden said scientists are using green fluorescent protein and other new approaches in their effort to find cures for Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative brain disorders. A virus is used to deliver the protein, which glows green when exposed to blue light, to newborn cells in rats with Parkinson's. When cells in the brain are lost through disease or injury, neighboring cells begin to divide and multiply, but only a few areas in the brain are able to produce new neurons, Morris-Irvin explained. Patients with Parkinson's disease suffer degeneration of certain neurons in certain parts of the brain. To determine if the newborn cells could be manipulated to generate neurons, the researchers delivered into the cells two genes -- neurogenin2 and noggin -- that are involved in the genesis of neurons. The study, published in the Neurobiology of Disease, neither gene had any effect on the ability of newborn cells to form new neurons, but the insertion of noggin greatly increased the number of oligodendrocytes -- cells that support neurons that could help develop new ways to help treat Parkinson's disease. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn