UC team studies link between Parkinson's disease and depression

It has been proven in past studies that depression and Parkinson’s are oftentimes paired together. Scientists have been unable to determine whether depression is present initially and somehow leads to Parkinson’s disease, or whether Parkinson’s disease is predisposed for depression. Some wonder whether those diagnosed with Parkinson’s develop depression due to being ‘down’ about having the disease, while others wonder whether depression then aggravates and influences the progression of Parkinson’s disease. The big question is: How are Parkinson’s disease and depression linked?

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological disorder of the central nervous system. The disease impairs motor skills and speech, and involves the death of dopamine-producing cells within the brain. Since dopamine plays a role in depression, there are many questions about the connection between depression and Parkinson’s disease.

A team of researchers from the University of Cincinnati have been working toward an answer to these questions since 2005. The team is lead by Kim Seroogy, PhD, a professor of neurology and director of the Selma Schottenstein Harris Lab for Research in Parkinson's at the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, and James Herman, PhD. , the director of the university's neuroscience graduate program and a professor of psychiatry.

Their first grant was a $14,000 grant from the Sunflower Revolution Encore in 2005. After that, they received a $50,000 grant from the David Phinney Foundation, with interim grants of nearly $20,000 from the Parkinson's Disease Support Network of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Their recent work is funded by a five-year $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The studies that will follow this grant will be done using Parkinson’s disease induced rodents. Some will have depression first, then Parkinson’s disease, and vice versa, as well as a combination of the two. They will put them in stressful situations (extreme cold, crowded spaces) and test their reactions to gain insight into the questions: Does depression or Parkinson’s disease come first, and how can we use this information for new treatments?

In pilot studies they have already found that rodents with Parkinson’s disease and stress-induced depression show an acceleration of dying dopamine cells in the brain. They also found that stress added to movement issues and seemed to further exacerbates impaired limbs.

They will also be studying whether or not antidepressants affect Parkinson’s disease and how, as well as whether or not antidepressants can protect the brain from Parkinson’s disease. There are no definitive studies or long-term evaluations on antidepressants and Parkinson’s disease.





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