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Science News Immune Cells Contribute To Development Of Parkinson's Disease ScienceDaily (Dec. 26, 2008) - Parkinson disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that impairs movement, balance, speech, and other functions. It is characterized by the loss of nerves in the brain that produce a substance known as dopamine. Although the loss of dopamine-containing nerves is accompanied by accumulation of immune cells known as T cells, these accumulating T cells were not thought to have a role in the development of disease. However, Stéphane Hunot, Etienne C. Hirsch, and colleagues, at INSERM UMR 679, France, have now shown that CD4+ T cells make a significant contribution to the development of disease in a mouse model of Parkinson disease. In the study, a substantial number of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells were observed to have accumulated in postmortem brain tissue from individuals with Parkinson disease and mice with a Parkinson-like disease. Importantly, mice lacking all T cells developed substantially less severe disease in the mouse model of Parkinson disease. Further analysis indicated that protection was specifically associated with a lack of CD4+ T cells expressing the protein FasL. The authors therefore suggest that targeting the immune system might provide a new therapeutic approach to treating Parkinson disease. However, in an accompanying commentary, Stanley Appel, at Methodist Neurological Institute, Houston, warns that although these data provide rationale for immune-based strategies, there are a large number of questions that need to be answered before such approaches can be considered in the clinic. Journal reference: Brochard et al. Infiltration of CD4 lymphocytes into the brain contributes to neurodegeneration in a mouse model of Parkinson disease . Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2008; DOI: 10.1172/JCI36470 Adapted from materials provided by Journal of Clinical Investigation, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. Email or share this story: Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the following formats: APA MLA Journal of Clinical Investigation (2008, December 26). Immune Cells Contribute To Development Of Parkinson's Disease. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 27, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/12/081222221451.htm Do You Have Parkinson's? See how everyone else is treating their PD. Add your regimen free! www.patientslikeme.com New Parkinson Treatment First European stem cell clinic treats your Parkinson now! www.xcell-center.com/Parkinson Parkinson's - Find a Cure Scripps Research finds Parkinson's treatments. Help us discover a cure scrippsresearch.kintera.org Stem Cell Breakthrough 1000 Patients Treated for Parkinson & Other Diseases. Taking Patients! www.Medra.com/Parkinson.html New Hope For Parkinson's How To Get Back the Life You Had Before Parkinson's Disease. www.allaboutparkinsons.com Related Stories Study Links Allergies To Parkinson's Disease (Aug. 8, 2006) - Researchers from Mayo Clinic have discovered that allergic rhinitis is associated with the development of Parkinson's disease later in ... > read more Mayo Clinic Researchers Explore New Methods To Detect Parkinson's Disease In At-Risk Individuals (July 6, 1999) - Mayo Clinic neurologists are using existing technology and an investigational drug to detect pre-symptomatic Parkinson's disease in at-risk people who have family members with Parkinson's ... > read more Investigating The Causes Of Parkinson's Disease (July 23, 2007) - A University of Nottingham researcher has been awarded more than £440,000 by the Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) to investigate the causes of the ... > read more Jefferson Scientists Show Neural Stem Cells Can Become Dopamine-Making Brain Cells In Laboratory (Nov. 6, 2002) - Biologists at Jefferson Medical College have shown for the first time in the laboratory that they can convert some human neural stem cells to brain cells that can produce dopamine, the brain chemical ... > read more Search ScienceDaily Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn