The common virus can trigger Parkinson’s disease, suggests the study of the northwest

A virus considered harmless can actually play a role in Parkinson’s disease, a condition that affects more than a million Americans.

Northwestern medicine scientists have discovered human peghivirus (HPGV) in the brain and spinal liquid of people with Parkinson, but not in those without disease. The results question the decades of hypotheses on the virus.

“HPGV is a common infection and without symptoms previously unknown to frequently infect the brain,” said Dr. Igor Kuralnik, chief of neuro-cooinfector disease in Northwestern, in a press release.

“We were surprised to find him in the brain of Parkinson patients at such a high frequency and not in witnesses.”

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The researchers examined the post -dead brain fabric of 10 Parkinson patients and 14 people who died other causes. (istock)

The results were published in the journal JCI Insight.

The researchers examined the post -dead brain fabric of 10 Parkinson patients and 14 people who died other causes. The virus appeared in five of Parkinson’s 10 brains and none of the 14 controls.

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It also proved to be in spinal samples of spinal liquid, suggesting that the virus could be active in the nervous system. HPGV patients have shown more advanced brain changes linked to that of Parkinson, including protein accumulation and altered brain chemistry.

The team did not stop at the cerebral fabrics. Using blood samples of more than 1,000 participants in a project led by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the researchers saw the same immune system changes linked to the virus.

Researchers also examined blood samples of 1,000 people with Parkinson, in order to follow the virus. (istock)

Even more striking: patients with a mutation linked to Parkinson in the LRRK2 gene responded differently to HPGV than those without mutation.

“This suggests that it could be an environmental factor that interacts with the body in a way that we have not done before,” Koralnik said.

“This can influence Parkinson’s development, especially in people with certain genetic history.”

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Parkinson’s disease is the second most common brain disorder after Alzheimer’s disease, according to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Cerebral Vascular Accidents. Although a small percentage of cases is inherited, most patients have no family history and the cause has remained unknown.

“It is far too early to say that the virus causes the disease,” said Dr. Joel Salinas, behavioral neurologist. (istock)

If HPGV really plays a role, it could help explain why some people develop Parkinson, while others do not. It could also open the door to new treatments targeting viruses or the immune system.

“The study detected traces of HPGV more often in the brain of people with Parkinson’s disease than witnesses. This raises the possibility of a link between viral exposure and parkinson, but it is far too early to say that the virus causes the disease,” said Dr. Joel Salinas, a behavioral neurologist and associated teacher with the NYU Brossman of Medicine, Digital.

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Salinas, which was not involved in the study, also said that much higher and longer term studies will be necessary to determine whether this association had real clinical meaning.

“For the moment, people should know that it is early research and not a reason to worry – there is no overwhelming evidence that this virus causes that of Parkinson, similar to the way in which the work on herpesvirus in Alzheimerus has suggested a possible link but remains to be fully established.”

The northwest team plans to extend its study to see how often HPGV is in people with Parkinson. (istock)

According to the Parkinson Foundation, nearly 90,000 Americans are diagnosed each year. This number should reach 1.2 million by 2030.

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The north-west team plans to expand their study to see how often HPV is in people with Parkinson against Healthy controls, and if other viruses can be involved.

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“For a virus that was considered harmless, these results suggest that this can have important effects in the context of Parkinson’s disease,” said Kuralnik.

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“We also aim to understand how viruses and genes interact; ideas that could reveal how Parkinson begins and could help guide future therapies.”