Researchers suggest that the interaction between genetics and environment could be related to the onset. Researchers say they have detected a new genetic risk factor for Parkinson’s disease and a relationship between illness and other factors, the metabolism and vitamin B6.
“Our study reveals the interaction of genetic and environmental factors such as dietary habits, in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease,” he said in a press release from the Center for Environmental Health Research of Germany Dr Matthias Elstner of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Germany).
Elstner is lead author of a recent study published in the January issue of the Annals of Neurology.
The researchers studied the neurons to understand how genes change their activity due to Parkinson’s disease. They found that a gene that seems important and searched in 1,200 Parkinson’s patients and 2,800 healthy people. It was discovered that a gene variant increased the risk of disease.
According to the authors of the study, the genetic variant may affect the activity of a brain enzyme known as pyridoxal kinase (PDXK). PDXK’s role is to convert vitamin B6 from dietary sources in an active form needed for the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that has long been known that is related to Parkinson’s disease.
“Although this variant is responsible for only a slight contribution to the overall risk of Parkinson’s disease, our findings could help develop individualized therapies,” said Elstner.
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