Podcast – Immune System’s Role in Parkinson’s

Monday, 8th July 2019

The immune system is supposed to keep us healthy, but in Parkinson’s it may be too much of a good thing. MJFF Contributing Editor Dave Iverson moderates a conversation with MJFF CEO Todd Sherer, PhD, and Jeff Bronstein, MD, PhD, director of the Movement Disorders Program at the University of California, Los Angeles where they discuss:

The overall function of the immune system
How the immune system and inflammation may play a role in Parkinson’s disease
How scientists are using immune system properties to develop therapies against the disease

Listen to the Podcast

LINKS BETWEEN PARKINSON’S AND IMMUNE RESPONSE

Pesticide exposure and head injury – risk factors for Parkinson’s – linked to inflammation
People with PD show inflammation in brain tissue
Imbalance in gut bacteria (microbiome) in PD may impact immune response
People with inflammatory bowel disease and hepatitis C at greater risk of PD
People who took anti-inflammatory drugs for other conditions at lower risk of PD

Research funded by Shake It Up Australia Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation has uncovered a promising new therapy for Parkinson’s to reduce inflammation. Read more about this study