Journal of Alzheimers Disease & Parkinsonism
Open Access

Abstract

Parkinson�s disease (PD) is one of several prevalent neurodegenerative diseases plaguing the aging population. To date, no biological therapies have been shown to slow, stop, or reverse PD progression; the disease is considered irreversible and progressive. The hypothesis that deficiency of reduced glutathione (GSH) contributes to PD degeneration was proposed over thirty years ago. Advances in neuroimaging and pharmaceutical science now permit quantification of brain GSH concentrations and novel methods of delivery, respectively. The goal of this lecture will be to present the data in evaluation of this hypothesis and identify gaps in knowledge. Post mortem brain from individuals with premotor PD shows a deficiency of GSH and it has been hypothesized that deficiency of GSH contributes to PD neurodegeneration. The role of GSH in the healthy brain will be described, and evidence of GSH deficiency in PD will be reviewed. The pros and cons of various augmentation strategies will be discussed, e.g. oral, intravenous and intranasal. All four clinical trials of GSH in PD have demonstrated a mild symptomatic improvement. In a cross-sectional analysis of 58 individuals with PD, low blood GSH was associated with greater disease severity. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that GSH depletion contributes to PD and that intranasallyadministered GSH has therapeutic potential as both a symptomatic treatment and a disease modification strategy.

Biography

Email: lauriemischley@mac.com