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The study results are a major finding, but I think the genetics are being given more importance than warranted. First, the researchers themselves ruled it out. Second, there is no shortage of insular communities, yet none has revealed such a connection. And third, it is an obvious possinility and has thus been thoroughly examined over the years to no avail. So what is causing such a remarkable spike in the data? We have a well-defined population that, while they do use some chemicals, rate lower than most in their exposure. They have no automobile or gasoline factors. They work out in the fresh air and have a healthy diet. They are presumably low stress. They use ground water but so do their neighbors. Does anything make them stand out? I will suggest two things that may account for it. First is their dependence on horses and the resulting need for high quality alfalfa hay. A few years ago I produced a crude map of the US with color coding of the states based on their PD rates. I based it on data from a book by Dr. Abe Lieberman, now of the Muhammad Ali center. As expected, the high rates were in the Midwest. I then used USDA crop data to compare various crops with the PD plot. One stood out - alfalfa hay. Hay and seed production generate high levels of dust as any one who has spent time playing in a barn as a child knows. The major component of that dust is a toxic cell membrane left behind by dead bacteria called lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Fetal exposure to this toxin during a critical window of development sensitizes the fetus to future exposure, decreases neuronal density in the substantia nigra, and disrupts the future stress response circuits of the endocrine system. Once born, the brain's immune cells, the microglia, are hypervigilant to future exposure to LPS hich triggers neuroinflammation that, over time, kills off neurons. The highest density of microglia in the brain is found in the substantia nigra. This has all been worked out by NIH teams led by Bin Liu, J.S. Hong and others as wel as by P.M. Carvey at Rush. The second possinle factor is their high consumption of wheat and the possible autoimmune response. Non-celiac sensitivity to gluten is now being recognized as having a neurotoxic effect of no little impact. Again, this study has taken us a great step forward and the scientists are to be commended. If you wish to examine these papers, they are compiled on my website at http://www.parkinsonsonline.org/forum1/ along with much more. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn