Word: parkinson
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Studies have established links between the incidence of depression and several other diseases, including cancer, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, stroke and Alzheimer's. In some cases at least, researchers have clues, if not definitive evidence, as to which molecules might be involved. In Parkinson's, the problem is the death of cells in the brain that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. While dopamine is crucial to the control of movement, it's probably a major factor in mood as well. "Depression almost certainly has multiple causes that produce similar symptoms," observes Dr. Bruce Cohen, president of McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass...
That could explain why drugs that improve serotonin chemistry don't always work on depression--and why Parkinson's and depression can feed on each another. Epilepsy, stroke and Alzheimer's, which, like Parkinson's, involve physical alteration of the brain, probably also affect that organ's ability to make or process neurotransmitters--not only serotonin and dopamine but also glutamate and norepinephrine, all of which may be involved in different forms of depression...
...borrow some of the same techniques. Supporters of "therapeutic cloning," in which embryos are cloned to harvest their stem cells but never grown into a baby, argue that these primitive cells, which can turn into any kind of cell in the body, may hold the secret to cures for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other diseases. "Of course, all society--from scientists to politicians--is against human reproductive cloning," asserts Dr. Robert Lanza, medical director of Advanced Cell Technology, a biotech firm in Worcester, Mass., that has led the way in cloning human embryos for stem-cell research...
DIED. GEORGE ROY HILL, 81, Oscar-winning director who brought a breezy touch to old-fashioned storytelling in some of Hollywood's most popular big-star entertainments of the 1960s and '70s; after a battle with Parkinson's disease; in New York City. A stickler for quality who made just 14 movies in a three-decade career, he popularized the duo of Robert Redford and Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973) and made acclaimed film versions of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five and John Irving's The World According to Garp...
USEFUL AT LAST? It has been touted before--prematurely--as a treatment for cancer, heart disease, even AIDS. But the dietary supplement coenzyme Q-10 may have finally hit pay dirt with Parkinson's disease. In a 16-month study of 80 patients, high doses of Q-10 four times daily significantly delayed the progression of the disease. Researchers declared the results "tremendously encouraging" but were quick to warn that the study was too small to be definitive...