New treatment for Parkinson’s may be found in a brain protein called GDF5

Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that affects over 10 million people worldwide, is caused by the gradual loss of dopamine neurons. The loss of these neurons leads to involuntary tremors, stiffness, and balance problems. While there are drugs to treat these symptoms, no drugs exist to slow the progression of the disease. However, we found a brain protein that may be able to prevent the loss of dopamine neurons. This discovery could be important for developing treatments. For many years, scientists have been investigating the use of neurotrophic factors to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. These proteins are normally…

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