Newswise On the fourth floor of Wichita State University's McKinley Hall, biochemistry professor Kandatege Wimalasena and his group of doctoral and undergraduate students are hard at work researching Parkinson's disease (PD) the second-most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting 1 to 2 percent of people older than 60.

Wimalasena, a native of Sri Lanka, has spent the past several years focusing his research on PD, hoping to help identify a way to target the underlying causes of the disease.

Wimalasena believes his studies will identify molecular causes and eventually lead to the development of effective preventive and therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's.

With more than 50,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year, Wimalasena believes that ongoing Parkinson's research is vital.

About Parkinson's

Parkinson's is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. The motor symptoms of PD result from the death of dopamine-generating cells in the substantia nigra, a region of the midbrain. The cause of this cell death is unknown.

Although L-Dopa is currently used to improve PD symptoms, there is no drug on the market that helps the causes of Parkinson's.

Wimalasena said the prevention of cell death is essential to protecting the aging population from PD. That's why the cause of the specific degeneration has been such a strong focus.

"Although considerable advances have been made, a comprehensive integration of the various risk factors has not been successful," he said.

Wimalasena said the most commonly accepted view is that the exposure to environmental factors and toxins, together with cumulative defects in protective mechanisms, may be the cause of Parkinson's. Although many examples of environmental factors have been identified, there is one toxic molecule referred to as MPP+ - that has garnered the most attention from researchers, including Wimalasena and his students.

Excerpt from:
Wichita State Professor Studies Causes, Prevention of Parkinson's