Scientists discover diabetes link to Parkinson's

Published on Saturday 16 June 2007 13:08

A TEAM of scientists has discovered that keeping fit and staying clear of diabetes could help ward off Parkinson's disease.

Heriot-Watt University staff have found a mechanism linking the development of Parkinson's to people who have Type II diabetes.

Professor James Timmons, professor of Exercise Biology at the School of Life Sciences, led the team, which discovered that the biochemical changes brought about by diabetes switch off a gene called the PINK1 gene, and loss of function of this gene is an established cause of Parkinson's.

The team compared 200 tissue samples donated by volunteers, many of whom had been diagnosed with Type II diabetes.

Prof Timmons explained: "The loss of PINK1 is not the only cause of Parkinson's, but discovering this direct link between diabetes and the regulation of the PINK1 gene is the first example of a molecular mechanism potentially linking the two terrible illnesses, rather than just a statistical association drawn from population studies."