Study: Parkinson’s may affect brain before birth

A new study suggests Parkinson’s disease may begin before birth.

The research by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center focused on young-onset Parkinson’s, when the neurodegenerative disorder develops before the age of 50.

It found people with young-onset Parkinson’s may have been born with disordered brain cells that went undetected for decades.

The study, which derived neurons from stem cells of people with young-onset Parkinson’s, found two key abnormalities in the brain cells.

The researchers tested drugs to try to reverse the abnormalities.

One of them, an FDA-approved drug for treating precancerous skin lesions, reduced levels of one of the abnormalities in the lab-derived neurons.

One of the study coauthors says, “This exciting new research provides hope that one day we may be able to detect and take early action to prevent this disease in at-risk individuals.”