Gene Therapy May Potentially Reverse Parkinson's Symptoms

To provide context for this study, it is best to provide a fundamental explanation of what exactly Parkinson’s disease is to understand the impact of the mentioned researcher’s work surrounding Parkinson’s disease. The primary cause of the disease has to do with the lowering of neurotransmitters, which explains its classification as a neurodegenerative brain disorder.  The neurotransmitter that is specifically affected is dopamine.  With the loss of these dopamine neurotransmitters, or neuroreceptors, the patient is not able to control their movements and emotions. The disease most often has the capability to worsen over time, but this progression of the disease differs from person to person.  Most cases though are slow, with some patients not experiencing the severe symptoms of the disorder for years.  It has been reported that most symptoms begin to appear in patients after the age 50.