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Microbes and Parkinson's disease: from associations to mechanisms

Tyler Cannon1, Samantha Gruenheid1

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, United States.

Trends in Microbiology
|February 11, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Parkinson's disease (PD) risk is linked to genetics and environment. Emerging research highlights how microbes and host-microbe interactions contribute to PD development, with rodent models aiding investigation.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder with multifactorial origins.
  • Both genetic predispositions and environmental exposures are known to influence PD risk.
  • The precise mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in PD remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize recent advancements in understanding the role of microbial factors in Parkinson's disease.
  • To explore the interplay between host-microbe interactions and PD pathogenesis.
  • To discuss emerging hypotheses for PD development, emphasizing microbial contributions.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on Parkinson's disease, genetics, and microbiology.
  • Analysis of newly developed models investigating microbial roles in PD.
  • Focus on studies utilizing rodent models for mechanistic hypothesis testing.

Main Results:

  • Several microorganisms have been associated with an increased risk of developing PD.
  • New findings reveal roles for PD-associated genes in host-microbe interactions and infection responses.
  • Evidence increasingly supports a significant contribution of microbial factors to PD etiology.

Conclusions:

  • Microbial factors represent a critical area of investigation for Parkinson's disease.
  • Understanding host-microbe interactions offers new avenues for exploring PD pathogenesis.
  • Rodent models are valuable tools for testing hypotheses regarding microbial involvement in PD.
Keywords:
Parkinson’s diseasegut–brain axisinfectioninflammationneurodegeneration

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