University of Iowa Professor to Tackle Dopamine-Reducing Protein

There is a new ray of hope for the one million people who suffer from Parkinson's disease. At the University of Iowa, distinguished professor of biomedical sciences Anumantha Kanthasamy has been working for more than ten years to gain a deeper understanding of Parkinson's disease and its
causes. Now, Dr. Kanthasamy has discovered a protein which could be an important key in the search for a treatment and cure for this debilitating disease.

The protein, called kinase-C, targets the dopamine-producing cells in the brain, killing them and causing a drop in dopamine levels. Low dopamine levels are one of the causes of Parkinson's disease. Dr. Kanthasamy states, "We have millions of cells in our brains. In Parkinson's, about 10,000 of these brain cells die; no one knows why." Dopamine is the link in the communication system between our brains and our muscles. Without dopamine, nerves function improperly and the communication breaks down causing a loss in our ability to control our body's movements.

The level of dopamine in our brains drops gradually as we age. In fact, Dr. Kanthasamy states that "everybody has a little Parkinson's in theory." In any older adult, dopamine levels that drop below 60-70 percent will create some Parkinson's-like symptoms. In adults diagnosed with Parkinson's, the dopamine levels continue to drop well below 40 percent causing a marked increase in symptoms such as shakiness, stiffness, fidgeting and jerking.

Kanthasamy states that a patient suffering from Parkinson's could be a "functioning, normal person," if their dopamine levels could be raised back to the 40-50 percent level. They would not need to bring their dopamine levels back to 100 percent. Currently there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, only therapies and medications to treat the symptoms.

For more information go to www.parkinsonresearchfoundation.org