Brain Inflammation Linked to Greater Complications in Parkinson's Disease

A recent study looks at brain inflammation and the increasing problem involving fluid in the brain's cortex and complications with Parkinson's disease.

According to researcher Lena Brudin of Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine who was part of a research team that measured inflammatory markers involving cerebrospinal fluid samples of Parkinson's patients and members of the control group, inflammation caused significantly more problems when relating to the disease.

"The degree of neuroinflammation was significantly associated with more severe depression, fatigue and cognitive impairment even after controlling for factors such as age, gender and disease duration," Brundin said, an associate professor in the college and a researcher with the Van Andel Institute, via a press release. "By investigating associations between inflammatory markers and non-motor symptoms we hope to gain further insights into this area, which in turn could lead to new treatment options."

Researchers have long believed that brain inflammation is the suspected cause of Parkinson's disease and can specifically cause depression, fatigue and cognitive impairment. Recent research also suggests that inflammation could drive cell death and prevent the development of new drugs that may halt the progression of the health issue.

As Parkinson's is the second most common degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, many causes surrounding the disorder are not yet fully understood.

The study looked at 87 Parkinson's patients who were enrolled between 2008 and 2012. The control group consisted of 37 individuals who were recruited and underwent a physical exam and routine blood screen. Researcher also looked at the following markers, according to the study: C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, eotaxin, interferon gamma-induced protein-10, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein 1-B.

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.