Do Neurons Die in Parkinson’s Disease Because They Lack Trophic Support?
Lipids are in the news again, with a recently published hypothesis proposing that age-dependent decreases in GM1 ganglioside can trigger Parkinson’s disease.(1) Forsayeth and Hadaczek describe parkinsonian-like neurodegeneration in humans and animals with mutations in ganglioside metabolic pathways. In their view, the age-related loss of GM1 prevents glial cell derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) from signaling and, without this trophic support, selected catecholaminergic neurons die. Gangliosides are lipids that consist of carbohydrates with a 9-carbon backbone and a carboxylic acid group. They…