Scientists have discovered a possible link between Parkinson’s disease and a gene impacted by a neurotoxin found in blue-green algae.
Scientists have discovered a possible link between Parkinson’s disease and a gene impacted by a neurotoxin found in blue-green algae.
University of Queensland scientist Dr Jacob Gratten said the findings increased the understanding of the environmental risk factors of Parkinson’s disease.
“We looked for a link between Parkinson’s and changes in the human genome that control how genes are turned on and off, because these changes can be influenced by the environment,” Dr Gratten said.
“We found a gene, previously not known to be linked to Parkinson’s, which displayed reduced activity in people with the disease.
“This same gene is known to be targeted by a blue-green algae neurotoxin.”
Blue-green algae is found in inland waterways and poses a health risk to people, domestic animals and stock that come into contact with the toxic algal blooms.
Read more at University Of Queensland
Image by Colin Behrens from Pixabay
