Japanese Research Team Announces Successful Imaging of Abnormal Proteins in Parkinson's Disease Patients' Brains

A research team, including the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, has announced that they have successfully captured images of abnormal proteins accumulating in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease and other conditions while they were still alive. This achievement is said to be beneficial for disease diagnosis and investigation of disease progression.

It has been known that abnormal proteins called 'alpha-synuclein' accumulate in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. However, a technology to examine the accumulation of these proteins in the brains of living patients had not been established.

The research team developed a special drug that binds to alpha-synuclein and emits faint radiation. They administered this drug to 10 patients with Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies and then used a medical imaging device called PET (positron emission tomography) to capture images of their brains. The results showed that the accumulation of alpha-synuclein in the substantia nigra, a part of the midbrain, was visually confirmed. Furthermore, it was discovered that patients with more severe symptoms exhibited a greater amount of accumulation.

The research team evaluated this technology as a significant achievement that will aid in disease diagnosis and investigation of disease progression. The head of the research team, Hiro Nobu Endo, stated, "Using this technology, we can identify individuals with abnormal protein accumulation in their brains, conduct clinical trials, and verify the efficacy of treatments. This research will also contribute to elucidating the disease mechanism."

Parkinson's disease occurs in approximately 100 to 180 individuals per 100,000 people in Japan, and in about 1 out of every 100 people over 65 years old. The number of patients has been steadily increasing since the onset of the aging society. Experts are warning of the seriousness of this phenomenon, referring to it as the 'Parkinson's pandemic.' Parkinson's disease is caused by a decrease in dopamine nerve cells in the substantia nigra of the midbrain. Although the exact cause remains unclear, research indicates that alpha-synuclein accumulates in dopamine nerve cells, leading to their decline.

This research outcome is expected to greatly contribute to the diagnosis and development of treatments for Parkinson's disease, as it has developed a technology to directly confirm the accumulation of alpha-synuclein. It is anticipated that this will also accelerate the development of fundamental treatment methods targeting alpha-synuclein in the future.