Looking Through Different Lenses
When you look through someone else’s eyes, you sometimes see a completely different world. You are not alone - together with those close to you, you build your network. The same applies to brain cells. Dopaminergic brain cells form a large and complex network that is essential for functions such as movement, motivation, and reward. This network is vulnerable because of its extensive branching and high energy demands. In people with Parkinson’s disease, 50% of these brain cells have already died by the time the diagnosis is made. This is what Professor of Cellular Neurodegeneration, with a focus on Parkinson’s disease, Wilma D.J. van de Berg, stated in her inaugural lecture.
Other brain cells involved in functions such as smell, sleep, emotion, attention, and autonomic processes are also disrupted early on. The disease spreads through the network. There is still no treatment that can prevent, slow down, or cure the disease. With the help of a biological barcode, we can detect the disease earlier and begin to predict its progression. This barcode may also be the key to developing new, personalized treatments for Parkinson’s disease.