Mitochondria

Mitochondria

Context

Recent study has identified a key protein that could lead to new remedies for Parkinson’s disease and other brain conditions.

About

  • Researchers who study Parkinson’s disease have been investigating the role that mitochondria – the powerhouses of cells – play in Parkinson’s.
  • Researchers have identified a key protein that could result in new remedies for Parkinson’s disease and other brain conditions.

Mitochondrial Dynamics and Neurodegeneration

  • Emerging studies have linked imbalances in mitochondrial methods to other neurodegenerative diseases, along with Parkinson’s disease.
  • Impaired mitochondrial dynamics also take down the cell’s cleaning and waste recycling procedures, leading to a pileup of poisonous proteins that shape harmful aggregates within the cell. 
  • In Parkinson’s, the presence of these poisonous protein aggregates is an indicator of the disorder.

Parkinson’s Disease

  • Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative ailment that disrupts the brain’s potential to provide dopamine, an important neurotransmitter responsible for movement control.
    • PD gets worse over time. There isn’t any remedy, but treatments and drugs can reduce symptoms. 
  • Common symptoms encompass tremors, painful muscle contractions and trouble speaking.
    • Parkinson’s disease results in high rates of disability and the need for care. Many people with PD also increase dementia.
  • The disease commonly happens in older people, however younger people can also be affected. Men are affected more often than women.
  • In 1817, a British physician named James Parkinson published An Essay at the Shaking Palsy, describing for the first time, cases of a neurodegenerative disorder now called Parkinson’s disease. 
  • Today, Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the U.S.
    • It impacts about 1 million Americans and more than 10 million people in the world.

Parkinson Disease in India

  • In India, the rising life expectancy and developing population are contributing to an increased burden of PD. 
  • In contrast to western countries, India grapples with a large impediment—PD generally manifests at a more young age, hitting people around 51 years old, kind of a decade in advance.
    • This early onset has profound implications, impacting people at some point of their primary working years. 
  • Additionally, the scarcity of neurologists, mainly in rural regions, frequently results in delayed analysis and inadequate preliminary treatment. 
  • The Union health ministry has decided to offer neurological care at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, the government’s primary healthcare centres, to fight the increasing prevalence of neurological issues which include Parkinson’s, epilepsy and dementia among Indians.

Source: The Hindu

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