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Parkinson disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction occurs early in PD

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 6, page 60 (2010)Cite this article

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Levels of high-energy phosphates are reduced bilaterally in the putamen and midbrain of patients with Parkinson disease (PD), Hattingen and colleagues at Goethe University, Germany have discovered. Low levels of high-energy phosphates are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and are evident early in the course of the disorder, indicating that dysfunctional energy metabolism might be a central element of the pathological process underlying the development of PD.

PD is clinically characterized by the development of movement and postural disturbances, which are thought to result from the selective degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantial nigra. In vitro and animal studies indicate that these dopaminergic neurons might be particularly vulnerable to variations in energy metabolism; however, our understanding of cerebral mitochondrial dysfunction in patients with PD is limited owing to the challenging nature of measuring such dysfunction in patients.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Hattingen, E. et al. Phosphorus and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy demonstrates mitochondrial dysfunction in early and advanced Parkinson's disease. Brain 132, 3285–3297 (2009)

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  1. Nick Jones
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Jones, N. Mitochondrial dysfunction occurs early in PD. Nat Rev Neurol 6, 60 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2009.221

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2009.221

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