Why do neurons die in Parkinson's disease? Study of hereditary Parkinson’s finds that mitochondria can’t be cleared out when damaged
Friday, November 11, 2011 - 00:30
in Biology & Nature
Current thinking about Parkinson's disease is that it's a disorder of mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles inside cells, causing neurons in the brain's substantia nigra to die or become impaired. A study now shows that genetic mutations causing a hereditary form of Parkinson's disease cause mitochondria to run amok inside the cell, leaving the cell without a brake to stop them.