Researchers shine light on Parkinson's

A research team from Keele University in Staffordshire, England, is using a "synchrotron," or Diamond Light Source, to observe iron levels in brain cells. Those levels are affected by Parkinson's, a degenerative disease of the central nervous system that often impairs motor skills, speech and other functions. The synchrotron, essentially a "super-microsocpe," is a large particle accelerator that fires particles just below the speed of light. The particles are focused into a beam measuring less than a single cell in diameter. Reporting to the American Association for the Advancement of Science Conference in Chicago, Dr. Joanna Collingwood said, "We have been able to investigate human tissue with such precision that metal ions, particularly iron levels, in and around individual cells can be mapped. The technique is pioneering in that it does not change the distribution or form of the metals in the tissue being studied."

The hope is that, long term, the technique could be used in the early diagnosis of Parkinson's, enabling physicians to intervene with therapeutic approaches before the cell death of motor neurons in significant numbers. Early diagnosis is important because individuals with symptoms have already experienced chemical changes caused by the death of those neurons. "To move this research into the clinical arena, we need to determine how much the contrast change seen by clinicians in the MRI scan results is directly due to changes in iron distribution and form," Dr. Collingwood told the group. "Improving our understanding of the biochemical aspects of the disease should in the long term contribute to improved therapeutic approaches and also provide potential openings for early MRI detection and diagnosis."

News Release: Intense light could detect Parkison's www.telegraph.co.uk February 23, 2009