Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. We do know the movement issues this disease causes, but a lot of us are not aware that this dreaded disease originates from the gut.
Since 1817, when this disease was recognised by James Parkinson, a lot of research has been conducted to decode the cause of this disease & also develop therapeutics to cure this disease.
Now research has given way for new discoveries, which potentially explains the connection between Parkinsons & gut microbiome. Let us discuss this connection in detail.
This disease affects a specific part of the brain causing progressive damage & various symptoms which you may not know. This disease results in loss of nerve cells in the brain’s substantia nigra that is responsible for movement, impacting motor skills, movement & muscle function. The loss of neurons that makes dopamine (vital for our movement) prevents normal movement from happening, making symptoms of this disease more apparent. As the number of these neurons decline, symptoms progress while new ones develop. Some of the most common symptoms include constipation, stiffness & tumors.
Besides, dysfunctional production of Dopamine also impacts memory, mood & causes gastrointestinal issues.
A protein called alpha-synuclein has a role to play in connection between the health of specific brain cells & health of the gut. The impact of this disease begins at the synaptic cleft of neurons, the microscopic gad that occurs between two brain cells. No two brain cells touch each other, rather send chemical signals ( through an electrical current) that goes from the tip of one cell to that of the other. These chemical messages travel through an empty space to reach the other cell. This movement happens in milliseconds & this clearly explains our smooth movement & coordination between various body parts be it walking, how our eyes change direction or quick fight or flight reactions. The speed of these transmissions is very important. The moment it becomes slow, our movements begin to tremble & this is what exactly happens with people suffering from Parkinson’s.
Recent studies have revealed that protein alpha-synuclein may be responsible for decay of cells. This protein is found in the heart & muscle, but most of it is found in the brain. In the brain, it has a very specific & important function- it has a wave life structure that communicates with neurotransmitters to facilitate this movement to the synaptic cleft. However if this protein becomes folded, it can form clumps & interfere with smooth flow of transmission/movement from one cell to another.
These clumps start to harm other brain cells & as these clumps grow & form large masses called as lewy bodies which causes brain cells to die. It is this time when it causes neurological damage. The question arises how these lumps are formed from wave like structure of protein.
It is INFLAMMATION occurring in the brain.
70% of our immune system is housed in our gut, also known as Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT). This immune system has a close relationship with microbes living in our gut as well as with the digestive system. Imbalance in the gut microbiome (ecosystem of microbes living in our gut) can cause inflammatory reactions (based on what is fed to them through the food we eat). This inflammation can travel to different parts of the body including the brain & cause havoc on our health.
Our gut also influences our brain through gut-brain connection/axis through vagus nerve that connects digestive system to brainstem. This link facilitates transmission of messages from one organ to other & also acts as a pathway for gut microbes to travel straight to the brain.
In case of Parkinsons’ inflammatory molecules accruing in the brain is caused by activities of these microbes living in gut which disrupt some processes while damaging others.
As mentioned above, gastrointestinal issues are one of the early symptoms of Parkinsons & this clearly explains how our gut microbiome may be modulating this disease. Scientists have now found a potential role of this protein-alpha-synuclein since some traces of this protein was found in the colon of people suffering from Parkinson’s. It has also been found that people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome – Crohn’s disease & Ulcerative Colitis have higher risk of attracting Parkinson’s. It was also found that people suffering from Parkinson’s have high incidence of inflammation with presence of Proinflammatory molecule- cytokines in colon, brain & central nervous system.
Studies have also found that people suffering from Parkinsons have less abundance of short chain fatty acids- Butyrate given the fact that Butyrate protects gut lining & prevents inflammation. It also communicates with the ENS- nervous system in the gut to keep things moving smoothly through the colon.
Therefore if you have less Butyrate, it means less bowel movement & more constipation.
Want to know if you have symptoms related to this dreaded neurodegenerative disorder, it is best to decode your gut microbiome composition to learn if your gut is causing specific inflammation that is creating lumps of alpha-synuclein & making brain cells degrade/die. For more details on sequencing your gut microbiome, give us a shout at www.genefitletics.com .
Sources: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-parkinsons-begin-in-the-gut/
