Brain cells die due to excessive work; is this the cause of Parkinson's?:

News Topical, Digital Desk : Scientists have found in a new research that if brain cells remain very active for a long time, they gradually weaken and eventually die. This discovery can help explain what exactly happens in the brain of people suffering from Parkinson's.

Researchers already knew that as Parkinson's disease progresses, certain nerves or neurons in the brain slowly die. But they were not sure why this happens. This time the study found that the neurons being constantly overactive could be a major reason for their death.

why do brain cells die

Experts believe that this overactivity of neurons in Parkinson's disease can be due to many reasons. Such as genetic reasons, toxic elements present in the environment or other external factors. Ken Nakamura, a scientist at Landstone Institutes in America, says that a question has been raised about Parkinson's for a long time. Why do special cells of the brain die in this disease?

How does this disease occur?

Getting the answer to this question will not only help in understanding how this disease occurs but can also open new ways of its treatment. Today, around 80 lakh people around the world suffer from Parkinson's disease. During the research, scientists experimented on the dopamine neurons present in the brain of rats. A special receptor was inserted in these neurons, which increased their activity.

Study done on rats

After this, the rats were given a drug which kept these neurons more active continuously. As a result, within a few days, the normal day and night activities of the rats got disrupted. When the experiment continued for about a month, the scientists found that many neurons had started dying.

Neuroses did not survive for long

The research team also studied the changes in these neurons before and after they became overactive. The results showed that when the neurons started working too much, the calcium levels in them changed and the functioning of many genes related to dopamine was also affected. This was the reason why the neurons could not survive for long.

Survey was also done on Parkinson's patients

The researchers also examined brain samples from early-stage Parkinson's patients. There too, they found the same changes as those seen in mice. This made it clear that the persistent overactivity of neurons in Parkinson's may be the main reason for their weakness and ultimately death.