Advertisement

Pesticides can trigger Parkinson's disease

Author thumbnail
Pesticides can trigger Parkinson's disease
Photo: DPA

Researchers at Dresden's university clinic have found pesticides can trigger the degenerative nerve disorder Parkinson's disease.

Advertisement

Publishing their findings in the journal "Nature Scientific Reports," the scientists showed how the poison rotenone caused and exacerbated Parkinson's.

The disease causes deterioration of a person's central nervous system, which results in rigid muscles, a mask-like facial expression and uncontrollable shaking. Primarily affecting the elderly, Parkinson's symptoms occur when the brain's nerve cells producing the neurotransmitter dopamine die.

Although it has long been suspected that external factors could cause Parkinson's, the latest research shows that agricultural workers frequently exposed to pesticides develop the disease more often than people with less experience of the chemicals.

The scientists also discovered that rotenone given to mice produced a protein in their intestinal tract that destroyed brain cells.

"If this can also be confirmed in Parkinson's patients, we will have taken an important step towards new strategies for diagnose and treatment," said Francisco Pan-Montojo, the director of the Dresden Institute for Anatomy.

DAPD/The Local/mry

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also