Stopping the death of synapses - the connections between nerve cells in the brain - could provide a new way to tackle Parkinson's, which affects one in 500 people in the UK (1).
A study, published in Nature Communications (2), reveals the death of synapses in the brain may be due to proteins called Wnt not working properly.
The researchers gave mice drugs to stop Wnt proteins working and saw problems with movement, one of the main symptoms of Parkinson's.
The study, carried out at University College London (UCL) with funding from Parkinson's UK, suggests that restoring Wnt's protective abilities in people with Parkinson's could stop synapses dying, and the condition progressing.
Parkinson's affects over 127,000 people in the UK, and 7.5 million worldwide (3).
There are currently no drugs which can stop Parkinson's progressing. Levodopa (4) - the most common drug used to manage the symptoms of Parkinson's - is over fifty years old, and can have side effects like uncontrolled movement and impulsive behaviours.
Parkinson's UK researcher Dr Soledad Galli, who led the study at UCL, said:
"Looking at synapses is a very new area in Parkinson's research. We now need to see if what we've found in mice holds true when we study samples from people with Parkinson's.
"If we confirm that Wnt is involved in the early stages of Parkinson's this throws up exciting possibilities, not just for new treatment targets, but also for new ways to identify people with Parkinson's early on in their condition."
Dr Beckie Port, Research Communications Officer at Parkinson's UK, which helped to fund the study, said:
"We urgently need drugs that can stop Parkinson's getting worse, rather than just masking the symptoms. Until now most of the research to find these drugs has focused on preventing the death of nerve cells.
"This research - which instead looks at how to protect the bridges between nerve cells - could open up completely new routes towards our goal of a cure for Parkinson's."