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Study: Testicle cells may provide Parkinson's help September 29, 1997 Web posted at: 8:49 p.m. EDT (0049 GMT) WASHINGTON (Reuter) -- Cells from testicles may help repair brain damage done by Parkinson's disease, U.S. researchers working on rats said on Monday. They said rats with symptoms of Parkinson's -- which causes uncontrollable shaking and eventually dementia and death -- were helped when cells from rat testicles were implanted into their brains. Paul Sanberg and colleagues at the University of South Florida used Sertoli cells from the testicles. These cells are involved in sperm production, helping to nurture and protect the developing sperm cells. The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Nature Medicine, said perhaps human Sertoli cells could help people with Parkinson's. Medical research done on animals does not necessarily translate to humans. In Parkinson's, the brain cells that produce dopamine gradually die off. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or message-carrying chemical, important to movement. Drugs try to mimic the effects of dopamine but do not last long, and efforts to transplant brain cells have not worked well either. Copyright 1997 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.