Why is it in news?
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Recently, scientists said they had found the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease in the brain years before patients showed any symptoms.
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This discovery could eventually lead to better screening for at-risk people.
More in news
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A-Synuclein protein:(1) The disease is diagnosed by a build-up in the brain of a specific protein, a-synuclein, the cause of which is unclear.(2) However some people are born with a genetic mutation that makes them almost certain to develop the disease at some stage in their life.
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Experiment: Researchers from King’s College London compared data from 14 individuals carrying the mutation with that of 65 non-genetic Parkinson’s patients and 25 healthy volunteers.
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Identification with serotonin system: They found that changes in the serotonin system in the brains of Parkinson’s sufferers started to malfunction well before other symptoms occurred.
Source
The Hindu