Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 5-4-2019

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder. It is associated with the central nervous system that affects movement, it often includes tremors, stiffness, and inability to plan and think. Nerve cell damage in the brain causes lower production of dopamine leading to those symptoms. There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but there are medications that can help control the symptoms. Researchers are suggesting that dysbiosis in gut microbiota could lead to the development of a protein called alpha synuclein in the intestines, and through intestinal leakage, this protein could possibly spread pathologically to the brain by the central nervous system. This protein then folds and forms a clump blocking dopamine production and then causing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. What causes this protein to fold is still unknown. This review focuses specifically on what factors may be contributing to Parkinson’s disease, the effects gut microbiota has on Parkinson’s disease, and how the alpha synuclein protein plays an important role in Parkinson’s disease. With all information found, dysbiosis of the intestines cannot be concluded to be the cause of Parkinson’s disease.

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