Disturbances in sleep patterns and the internal biological clock are frequently associated with Parkinson's disease. However, the link between biological rhythm and neuronal degeneration remains unclear. A team from the University of Geneva investigated the destruction of neurons at different times of the day, using the fruit fly as a study model.
This question is at the heart of work in the laboratory of Emi Nagoshi, associate professor in the Department of Genetics and Evolution at the UNIGE Faculty of Science. Her team uses the fruit fly as a study model for Parkinson's disease and to dissect the mechanisms of dopamine neuron degeneration. Scientists can simulate the onset of the disease by exposing the flies for a few hours to a drug that induces oxidative stress, leading to the death of dopaminergic neurons in the following days.
''Our results further suggest that genetic variations in circadian clock genes may represent a risk factor for dopaminergic neurodegeneration. We now need to ascertain the relevance of these results in humans,'' concludes Emi Nagoshi, the study's final author.Michaëla Majcin Dorcikova, Lou C. Duret, Emma Pottié, Emi Nagoshi.
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