Parkinson's breakthrough could be hidden in Mount Everest, study says

In a groundbreaking new study, the researchers have discovered that a low-oxygen environment similar to the air surrounding Mount Everest could hold clues to reversing or treating Parkinson’s disease.

The recent research’s findings, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, demonstrate that dysfunctional cellular processes cause build-up of excessive oxygen in the brain, leading to Parkinson’s symptoms.

According to researchers from Harvard Medical School, the excessive oxygen precipitates the breakdown of cells in the brain. On the other hand, limited or restricted intake of oxygen could slow or reverse these symptoms.

In the research, the scientists created Parkinson's-like conditions in mice by injecting them with clumps of α-synuclein proteins and kept one group of mice in chambers with 11 percent oxygen in comparison to another group which was kept in 21 percent oxygen.

The group that was housed in low-oxygen chambers did not experience neuron loss despite developing protein clumps.

These findings suggest that reducing the concentration of oxygen can protect the brain cells from neural damage even if it does not stop the body from developing protein clumps.

According to Dr Mootha, “Too much oxygen in the brain turns out to be toxic. By reducing the overall oxygen supply, we are cutting off the fuel for that damage.”

Researchers are also working on “hypoxia in a pill” drug that would help in reducing oxygen levels to treat diseases stemming from mitochondrial dysfunction.

Parkinson’s disease is responsible for affecting 10 million people worldwide.