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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition that causes the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons in a brain region called the substantia nigra. Its characteristic symptoms include tremors, slowed movements, rigid muscles and difficulties with balance.

While there is currently no cure for the disease, some medications can help to manage its symptoms. Understanding how PD damages dopamine-producing neurons could help to develop new treatments that effectively slow down the disease's progression.

Past studies have uncovered a link between PD and an accumulation of cholesterol in the brain. Attempts to slow down the disease by reducing cholesterol production, however, have had limited success so far.

Researchers at Nanjing Medical University set out to explore the possible contribution of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), a protein that transports cholesterol in the brain, to PD.

The results of their study, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that this protein plays a role in the accumulation of cholesterol linked to PD-related neuronal damage, while also identifying a new possible molecular target for treating the disease.

The researchers analyzed data derived from postmortem tissue of patients with PD, focusing on changes in cholesterol-related pathways and the expression of ABCA1. They also studied mouse models that reproduce some PD characteristics and cells grown in a laboratory setting.

Their main goal was to better understand how ABCA1 expression affects the transport and accumulation of cholesterol.

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