Gene therapy eases Parkinson’s symptoms by rewiring parts of the brain

This article was taken from: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2186723-gene-therapy-eases-parkinsons-symptoms-by-rewiring-parts-of-the-brain/

By Alice Klein

A gene therapy treatment for Parkinson’s disease appears to relieve symptoms by rewiring the brain circuits involved in movement.

People with Parkinson’s disease have tremors and muscle stiffness that are caused by overstimulation of a brain area called the subthalamic nucleus, which is responsible for coordinating the brain’s motor regions.

In a trial published in 2011, researchers at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York found that a gene therapy designed to turn down the activity of the subthalamic nucleus improved motor control for people with Parkinson’s.

Reshaping the brain

One year after treatment, the people in the gene therapy group were found to have new brain connections that weren’t seen in the placebo group. Shutting down the disease-causing pathways between the subthalamic nucleus and the brain’s motor regions appeared to encourage alternative pathways to develop instead, says David Eidelberg at the Feinstein Institute, who led the study.

These alternative pathways are not found in healthy people. This suggests that gene therapy lets people with Parkinson’s form novel, compensatory brain circuits for controlling movement, says Eidelberg. “We call it adaptive rewiring.”