C2D2 Research 7a - Functional linking of passive and responsive anti-oxidant responses underpinning Parkinson’s Disease caused by GTPCH1 mutations.

Parkinson’s Disease is the major neurodegenerative disease affecting the UK population after Alzheimer’s disease. It manifests as a movement disorder due to the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the part of the brain that controls movement, but then spreads to other regions of brain leading to dementia and early death. There are therapeutic interventions known to slow disease progression but as yet no identified cure. It is known that high levels of oxidative stress in the brain leads to neuronal death. This project aims to demonstrate experimentally how certain deficits at a genetic level lead to malfunctioning of the molecular mechanisms and pathways involved in eliminating harmful reactive oxygen species from the brain. An improved understanding of these processes opens up the possibility of developing new therapies against Parkinson's Disease.