Abstract

Neuropathological changes in Parkinson's disease progress slowly and spread according to a characteristic pattern. Recent papers have shed light on this progression of pathology by examining the fate of neurons grafted into the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease. Two of these studies demonstrate that grafted healthy neurons can gradually develop the same pathology as host neurons in the diseased brains. According to these studies, implanted neurons developed -synuclein- and ubiquitin-positive Lewy bodies more than a decade after transplantation. We discuss the possible underlying mechanisms and their implications for how pathology spreads in Parkinson's disease.

Author affiliations

1. Patrik Brundin and Jia-Yi Li are at the Neuronal Survival Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science,Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Lund University, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden.
2. Janice L. Holton and Tamas Revesz are at the Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
3. Olle Lindvall is at the Section of Restorative Neurology, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Lund University, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden, and at the Division of Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden.

Correspondence to: Email: Patrik.Brundin@med.lu.se

Published online 4 September 2008

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