dopamine deficit. In the brain of Parkinson (top), dopaminergic neurons (dark areas) die in a brain region called the substantia nigra.
People with the disease Parkinson's struggle with progressive worsening tremors, stiffness, poor balance, and abnormally slow movement. The drugs relieve these symptoms, but there is still no cure for the disease. Now researchers say it might be possible to slow its progression with a compound called coenzyme Q 10 .
called coenzyme because it improves the performance of other enzymes, Q 10 is also a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants help protect cells against the harmful oxidation - the biological equivalent of rust. Q 10 is also known to play a critical role in the normal functioning of the energy generators of cells, the mitochondria. Previous studies have found that people with Parkinson's disease have mitochondrial dysfunction and low levels of Q 10 . And over the last decade, neurologists Clifford Shults of the University of California, San Diego, and Flint Beal of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, showed that rodents with symptoms like sickness Parkinson were able to control their movements much longer when given Q 10 .
To determine if Q 10 could help people with Parkinson's disease, Shults and Beal have teamed up with researchers from 10 research centers across the country. They recruited 80 people in the early stages of Parkinson's disease to be one of three doses of Q 10 or placebo. The researchers then followed the progress of each patient for 16 months, monitoring symptoms each with a battery of standardized tests. The progression of Parkinson's disease was slowed by 44% in the group taking the higher dose of Q 10 , reports the team in the October 15 issue of the Archive of Neurology . Blood tests taken before and after the Q 10 The treatment showed an increase of mitochondrial activity, indicating an improvement in mitochondrial function. Encouragingly, none of the patients experienced serious side effects.
The results clearly show that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a role in the progression of Parkinson's disease, said neurobiologist Virginia Lee of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Although it needed more research before the drug can be approved as a treatment for Parkinson's disease, the study provides "clear and convincing support" for the hope that Q 10 can slow the disease, she said.
related sites
site Clifford Shults
site Flint Beal
the site of Virginia Lee
basic information on Parkinson's disease NINDS
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