Dementia is a term which describes a general decline in cognitive abilities of a person, usually a result of a neurodegenerative disease, injury, or just overall aging. The leading cause of dementia is the well known Alzheimer’s disease, but there are many more, one of which we will talk about today - Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease (Parkinson's) is a progressive disorder, affecting the nervous system and the parts of the body it controls. Most commonly starting with tremors, through slowed movement and worsening posture, patients slowly lose their ability to function normally and start to rely on others for help.
Pathologically, Parkinson’s is characterized by the formation and spreading of α-synuclein-rich aggregates, commonly referred to as Lewy bodies, which supposedly induce degeneration of certain dopaminergic neurons. Knowing the mechanism of formation and the protein structure, scientists are obviously trying to find a way to help people eliminate the risk factors of the disease before it ever becomes a problem. Epidemiological research has now identified a factor, which is consistently correlated with Parkinson’s development risk reduction - tobacco smoking.
With this shocking discovery came a bunch of new research into which tobacco smoke component stands behind this interesting phenomena. Since the most talked about substance is usually nicotine, the tests started here, but it was quickly proved that is not the case with Parkinson’s risk reduction. A new interesting idea was to test carbon monoxide (CO).
The fact is the concentration of hemoglobin-bound CO is much higher in the blood of smokers compared to non-smokers, at levels around 10%, which are well below those typically associated with both clinical or epidemiological investigated toxicity of CO. At these levels, CO can activate cell protective signaling cascades, which can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. It also seems low-dose CO increases expression of a transcription factor critical for dopaminergic neurons to maintain and survive.
That means CO, even when it’s counter-intuitive, really does make a difference in Parkinson’s risk reduction, which is a huge step in research of this disease and a great starting point for new projects. And if we find out more about the mechanism, it could also lead to new developments in treatment.
Resources:
Rose, K.N., Zorlu, M., Fassini, A. et al. (2024) Neuroprotection of low dose carbon monoxide in Parkinson’s disease models commensurate with the reduced risk of Parkinson’s among smokers
mayoclinic.org Parkinson’s disease
mayoclinic.org Dementia
neurochallenge.org What is Parkinson's disease?
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