Scientists working with a mouse model of Parkinson's disease have found that caffeine prevents the loss of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is depleted in the neurodegenerative illness. If the new findings are any indication of caffeine's effects in humans, a coffee a day may help keep Parkinson's away. The results of this study will be published in the May 15 issue of the journal Neurology.
Specifically, the new research, conducted by Michael Schwarzchild of Massachusetts General Hospital and his colleagues, links caffeine's protective effects to the so-called A2A receptor. The dopamine neurons that degenerate in Parkinson's target neighboring neural cells that sport this receptor. But caffeine apparently antagonizes the A2A receptor, rendering it inactive and thereby halting the progressive destruction that characterizes the disease. Indeed, those mice in Schwarzchild's study that were pretreated with caffeine retained near-normal dopamine levels when exposed to a chemical known to induce Parkinson's-like symptoms by decreasing brain dopamine.
These findings follow on the heels of a study published last year, which found a link between caffeine consumption and a decreased risk of Parkinson's. At that time, some researchers suggested that rather than caffeine protecting against the disease, it might be that Parkinson's patients have a tendency to avoid addictive substances. The new results, however, show that caffeine can prevent the biochemical pattern of Parkinson's in mice. "The animal results lend more weight to caffeine's neuroprotective nature," Schwarzchild asserts. "But the results don't prove it, and they do not provide a rationale for changing coffee consumption habits." Thus, he says, it remains to be seen whether the mouse data will translate to humans.
Scientists working with a mouse model of Parkinson's disease have found that caffeine prevents the loss of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is depleted in the neurodegenerative illness. If the new findings are any indication of caffeine's effects in humans, a coffee a day may help keep Parkinson's away. The results of this study will be published in the May 15 issue of the journal Neurology.
Specifically, the new research, conducted by Michael Schwarzchild of Massachusetts General Hospital and his colleagues, links caffeine's protective effects to the so-called A2A receptor. The dopamine neurons that degenerate in Parkinson's target neighboring neural cells that sport this receptor. But caffeine apparently antagonizes the A2A receptor, rendering it inactive and thereby halting the progressive destruction that characterizes the disease. Indeed, those mice in Schwarzchild's study that were pretreated with caffeine retained near-normal dopamine levels when exposed to a chemical known to induce Parkinson's-like symptoms by decreasing brain dopamine.
These findings follow on the heels of a study published last year, which found a link between caffeine consumption and a decreased risk of Parkinson's. At that time, some researchers suggested that rather than caffeine protecting against the disease, it might be that Parkinson's patients have a tendency to avoid addictive substances. The new results, however, show that caffeine can prevent the biochemical pattern of Parkinson's in mice. "The animal results lend more weight to caffeine's neuroprotective nature," Schwarzchild asserts. "But the results don't prove it, and they do not provide a rationale for changing coffee consumption habits." Thus, he says, it remains to be seen whether the mouse data will translate to humans.
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Add CommentBullfeathers! Pesticides drain dopamine. Caffeine's a plant pesticide plants use to discourage insects eating them. Parkinsin's been caused in chimps on agricultural pesticides. Too bad for the chimps, they didn't need Parkinson's. My Mom died painfully of Parkinson's - drove her to suicide, at age 73. She died with coffee cup pretty much in hand - didn't know better. I'm sure Michael Schwartzchild is just obscuring facts to defend some big pharma Parkinson's drugs, or some other alterior profit motive stemming permaps from the hospital group affiliation. The main fact is, it's super-dangerous to attack caffeine - dangerous for writers of alternative medicine or status quo medical business literature, because 95% of humans drink coffee and love it! So cut back when you feel the brain stem shock, and read more Marina Kushner.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGenius- those pesticides (ie rotenone, etc) do not get absorbed through the gut and so cannot get into the brain. Experimental models using pesticides where shown to cause 'PD' only my direct injection into the jugular. You should probably think before you speak, next time. or if you did think, maybe do some research first.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisp.S. rotenone and many other pesticides are naturally occurring compounds that plants make. which means USDA allows them in organically grown produce. Let me explain this to you simply: when you are sitting in your sweater vest sipping on your fancy organic coffee, tea, or chomping on your expensive organic vegetables, keep in mind that you are probably consuming rotenone.
PSS you should be genetically tested for PD, since now it has become more and more clear that this is a complex genetic disease. There are multiple SNP risk factors your geneticist can test for.