A new study adds to evidence that autoimmunity plays a role in the development of Parkinson’s disease. The research also offers hope that early preventive treatment could offset the damage.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive disorder. Its characteristics tend to include tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and impaired balance.
Around 1 million people in the United States and 10 million people throughout the world have the disease. Parkinson’s results from a loss of nerve cells in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra.
These cells produce dopamine, a chemical messenger, or neurotransmitter, involved in controlling movement. Most people with Parkinson’s are older than 50 when they receive the diagnosis, but some