A new Buck Institute study led by Julie Anderson PhD has just published findings in the online Journal PLoS One demonstrating that high levels of MAO-B can cause Parkinson’s like symptoms in the brain. MAO-B’s are enzymes that regulate nerve activity in the brain and have been associated with neurodegeneration when they are increased in the brain.
The findings of this study, backed by the National Institutes of Health and the National Parkinson’s Foundation, have indicated that humans could be tested to see if they have risk factors for Parkinson’s disease before it begins to develop in the brain. According to Anderson, most Parkinson’s patients are diagnosed after 60% of the damage in the brain has already occurred. Tests to measure MAO-B are not currently available to the public, but the findings of this study show promise that an early diagnostic test could help prevent further damage to the brain of a Parkinson’s patient.

Levels of MAO-B vary among humans and they do tend to increase as age increases. Several Parkinson’s drugs available today inhibit MAO-B in the body. The presence of MAO-B does not mean that a person will develop Parkinson’s disease in their lifetime.

Source: Buck Institute for Age Research