Gut bacteria could improve symptoms in Parkinson’s sufferers, study suggests

A COMMON gut bacteria can slow and even reverse build-up of a protein associated with Parkinson’s, new research suggests.

The researchers identified a probiotic, or so-called “good bacteria”, which stops the formation of toxic clumps that starve the brain of dopamine, a key chemical co-ordinating movement.

It is hoped the “exciting” findings could pave the way for future studies that gauge how supplements such as probiotics impact on the condition.

In the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease, alpha-synuclein protein builds up, forming toxic clumps which are associated with the death of nerve cells responsible for producing dopamine. The loss of these cells causes the motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s, including freezing, tremors and slowness of movement.

Researchers from the universities of Edinburgh and Dundee used roundworms altered to produce the human version of alphasynuclein that forms clumps.

They fed these worms with different types of over-the-counter probiotics to see if bacteria in them could affect the formation of toxic clumps.

It is the latest in a number of recent studies which have found a link between brain function and the thousands of different kinds of bacteria living in the digestive system, known as the gut microbiome.

Dr Beckie Port, research manager at Parkinson’s UK, said: “The results from this study are exciting as they show a link between bacteria in the gut and the protein at the heart of Parkinson’s, alpha-synuclein.

“Studies that identify bacteria that are beneficial in Parkinson’s have the potential to not only improve symptoms but could even protect people from developing the condition in the first place.”