Transcript - research achievements: unravelling the causes
Unravelling the causes of Parkinson's - audio
interview
Although we still don't know exactly why people develop
Parkinson's, research we have funded has fundamentally changed our
thinking about the condition.
We now know that several different factors in
combination can trigger nerve cells in the brain to
die.
Consultant Neurologist, Professor Anthony Schapira,
explains how the search for causes is progressing, and how this
will help us find new and better treatments – moving us closer to a
cure.
Professor Anthony Schapira:
Parkinson's disease is a common human disorder. It can affect
individuals at any age, in any country, of either sex, and of any
employment.
It is a neurodegenerative disorder in that certain brain cells
are lost. In Parkinson's the dopamine-producing nerve cells begin
to malfunction which produce the first symptoms. Other parts of the
brain may become involved as the disease progresses.
The main early features of Parkinson's disease include things
like a tremor, stiffness and slowness of movement.
In terms of other neurological diseases, huge advances have been
made in Parkinson's disease - understanding the causes of the
condition and how these problems evolve into the symptoms that
patients' experience.
In addition we have also been able to develop numerous different
types of treatment to help patients with their symptoms. So, in
terms of other neurological conditions I think that Parkinson's in
many ways has led the way.
The discovery of where in the brain the dopamine cells are lost
was made many years ago in the early part of the last century. The
discovery that dopamine is deficient in the Parkinson's brain was
made only about 50 years ago. That was followed fairly quickly by
the idea that you could put dopamine back with the use of levodopa,
which was discovered about 40 years ago, interestingly coinciding
with the Parkinson's Disease Society's [now Parkinson's UK]
Anniversary.
We know that genetics do play some role but genetics isn’t
everything. For instance, it is estimated that about 10-15% of
Parkinson's may be associated with some genetic predisposition, but
it's possible that it may even be higher than that.
Another thought is that the environment is involved and although
there are certain things that people do that may increase or
decrease the risk of Parkinson's. We haven't yet discovered a clear
environmental influence of substantial level on Parkinson's, so for
the present we are still looking for new causes. Although we've
identified several that contribute.
Looking back, I think we've had many breakthroughs, both in
understanding the causes of the disease and in developing new
treatments. At the time of course all of these advances appear
incremental but I think looking back, certainly over the past 40
years, there have been major advances in our understanding of the
disease.
I'm very fortunate in that I am able both to see patients every
day in clinics, and to help these patients as best I can, but also
to help those patients become involved in both clinical and
scientific research. I also participate in a large group of
researchers, pursuing our interests in the science of Parkinson's.
So I feel that I'm in a particularly fortunate position in being
able to do both the clinical and the basic science.
I think we all hope that we will make a contribution towards
finding a cure for Parkinson's. It will not be a single discovery,
it will be a lot of work by a lot of people, but that incremental
pathway is the one that is most likely to lead to us finding new
drugs that will stop the progression of the disease.
The Parkinson's Disease Society funds research
that is focused on transforming people's lives. So far we've
invested around £40million in cutting edge research since the
charity was founded in 1969.
This research has led to major advances but we still
need to find a cure for Parkinson's - better treatments that mean
everyone can live a life free from the symptoms of the
condition.
The Parkinson's Disease Society is a charity which
relies on the generosity of individuals, groups and organisations
to fund its work. To find out more about how you can get involved
please visit us at:
www.parkinsons.org.uk/support
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