A small organ that鈥檚 often considered useless might play a major role in whether or not a person develops Parkinson鈥檚 disease, according to a new study.
Scientists have long believed that Parkinson鈥檚, an incurable neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 100,000 Canadians, may begin in the brain.
But a new study suggests that the tremor-inducing illness could have roots in an entirely different site much lower in the body: the appendix.
Researchers analyzed more than 1 million medical records and found that people who had their appendixes surgically removed had a lower risk of developing the brain disease.
鈥淲e found that removing the appendix was associated with a decreased risk of Parkinson鈥檚 disease, as high as a 20 per cent decrease,鈥� Viviane Labrie, a Canadian neuroscientist and geneticist who led the research team out of Michigan鈥檚 Van Andel Research Institute, told CTV News.
鈥淚t also delayed the progression of the illness, so in patients who did go on to develop Parkinson鈥檚 disease, we had a 3.6-year delay in the onset of Parkinson鈥檚.鈥�
Researchers made the finding after combing through Sweden鈥檚 national health database, which keeps medical records of almost 1.7 million people going back to the mid-1960s.
One of the key findings, Labrie said, is that a clump protein considered the 鈥渉allmark pathology鈥� of Parkinson鈥檚 was found in the appendixes of all individuals studied 鈥� no matter their age or health.
Researchers consider the appendix a 鈥渉ub鈥� containing the potentially dangerous protein, known as the alpha-synuclein.
鈥淚t鈥檚 present in everyone,鈥� Labrie said. 鈥淎nd we think only in rare instances would it be able to accumulate excessively and escape the appendix and potentially enter the brain and cause Parkinson鈥檚 disease.鈥�
Alpha-synuclein is known for its ability to move around the body. The protein can jump from neuron to neuron, and research has shown that it鈥檚 capable of travelling up the gastrointestinal tract and entering the brain.
Labrie likens the protein to a 鈥渟eed鈥� that can potentially spread once inside the brain.
Scientists have hypothesized a link between the gastrointestinal tract and Parkinson鈥檚 disease before, but the new study is the first to conduct a thorough investigation that examined human tissue samples.
And while researchers say they鈥檝e found a source of the harmful proteins, there could be more sources of alpha-synucleins within the GI tract.
Because of this uncertainty, researchers say it鈥檚 far too soon to call your surgeon and schedule an appendectomy.
Instead, Labrie said more research is needed to find ways to control the rogue protein.
鈥淚 think a much better intervention is to dampen down the levels or excess clump protein associated with this illness,鈥� Labrie said.
One of the more quizzical findings: people living in rural areas who underwent appendectomies appeared to benefit most from the reduced risk.
Researchers suggest that this link could point to the role of environmental factors, such as pesticides or herbicides, in the disease鈥檚 genesis.
Dr. Anthony Lang, a neurologist at Toronto Western Hospital, said more research is necessary before doctors establish the best way forward.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a very complicated situation that we still don鈥檛 fully understand. Our understanding is quite rudimentary. So this is one additional piece of information that has us interested and encourages further research.鈥�
Parkinson鈥檚 disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disorder, following Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
According to Statistics Canada, the average age when Canadians first experience the disease is 64. About 5 per cent of people living in residential care facilities in Canada are diagnosed with the illness.
Individuals with Parkinson鈥檚 disease can experience a range of debilitating symptoms including tremors, slurred speech, restricted muscle movements and inhibited reflexes.
With a report by CTV News鈥� medical affairs specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
