Enivornmental link

["ljherman1@xxxxxxxx" <ljherman1@xxxxxxxx>]

Public release date: 5-Apr-2007
Contact: Alicia Swanson
alicia.swanson@xxxxxxxxxxx
408-836-7170
The Parkinson's Institute 
New studies link the environment to Parkinson's diseaseResearch will open new 
possibilities for intervention and preventionSunnyvale, CA ? April 5, 2007 ? 
The Parkinson's Institute today announced that new findings concerning the role 
of environmental factors in the development of Parkinson's disease will be 
reported at Asilomar (Pacific Grove, CA) as part of the final meeting of the 
Collaborative Centers for Parkinson's Disease Environmental Research (CCPDER). 
This collaborative research effort, sponsored by the National Institute of 
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), brings together investigators from Emory 
University, the University of California Los Angeles and The Parkinson's 
Institute, which has served as the coordinating center for the study.
Highlights of the research include: The role of pesticides (eg. Paraquat and 
Dieldrin) as potential risk factors for Parkinson's disease, a role suggested 
by both epidemiological statistics and laboratory evidence.
The threat of toxic agents to damage neurons by causing the accumulation of 
harmful proteins.
Intraneuronal protein aggregates as markers of Parkinson's pathology, based on 
work carried out at The Parkinson's Institute indicating that these aggregates 
could be formed as a consequence of toxic exposure.
The importance of targeting a specific protein, alpha-synuclein, in order to 
achieve neuroprotection in Parkinson's
The role of inflammation in the development of Parkinson's disease and the 
possibility that anti-inflammatory drugs could be beneficial to patients.
The possibility that nicotine may act as a neuroprotective agent. 

"Our collaboration with Emory University and UCLA has allowed us to make great 
strives in identifying environmental factors involved in the development of 
Parkinson's disease," said Donato A. Di Monte, M.D., director of basic research 
at The Parkinson's Institute. "The findings that will be discussed at Asilomar 
will help us better understand the disease process, intervene earlier with 
neuroprotective treatment and work on preventive measures against Parkinson's 
disease risk factors." 
###The CCPDER initiative began under the auspices of NIEHS in 2002. NIEHS, one 
of 12 components of the National Institutes of Health, supports research to 
understand and combat the effects of the environment on human health. For more 
information on environmental health topics, please visit www.hiehs.nih.gov/.
About The Parkinson's Institute Founded in 1988, The Parkinson's Institute is 
the only independent nonprofit organization that provides clinical research, 
basic research, clinical trials and a comprehensive patient care center, all 
under one roof. The Institute's focus is on finding the cause(s) and a cure for 
Parkinson's disease and providing the best possible care to those diagnosed 
with PD and related disorders. For more information about The Parkinson's 
Institute, please visit www.thepi.org or call 408-734-2800.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-04/tpi-nsl040407.php