Van Andel Institute scientists have identified a series of processes that help the brain adapt to damage caused by breakdowns in circuits that govern movement, cognition and sensory perception.
Because such breakdowns contribute to Parkinson's disease, the findings may one day help researchers optimizeA study describing the findings published this week in the journal"Our work highlights the importance of brain circuits in Parkinson's and offers another path forward for new treatment strategies," said study senior author and VAI Assistant Professor Hong-yuan Chu, Ph.D.
Chu and colleagues found that certain broken circuits in the thalamus and cortex can be repaired using agents that suppress disease-related messages from theTheir findings also suggest circuits in the thalamus and cortex may be impacted by two current Parkinson's disease treatments: dopaminergic medications and, both of which help mitigate symptoms but do not slow disease progression. The effectiveness of both options can vary from person to person.
"The cortex has long been considered a potential target for noninvasive treatment but research to date has been stymied by a limited understanding of what goes wrong in cortical ," Chu said."This study is a first step toward remedying that problem and offers a clearer picture of both circuitry dysfunction and potential therapeutic strategies."Liqiang Chen et al, Reduced thalamic excitation to motor cortical pyramidal tract neurons in parkinsonism,
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