Bob Cowart's Blog: Melatonin can be neuroprotective against Parkinson's disease?

First, here is a link about neuroprotective properties of certain spices. Scroll down to

Parkinson

For brain to optimally produce melatonin at night you need a very dark room (can

not see your hand in front of face) It appears a sleep mask over eyes does help.

Some earlier research had seemed to show light anywhere on body was a problem

but this is in doubt now. Article below from life extension.

Melatonin may protect against Parkinson's disease

The theory that Parkinson's disease has an environmental cause has recently

gained credence. A study published in the December 2000 issue of the journal

Nature Neuroscience demonstrated that the pesticide Rotenone caused Parkinson's

symptoms when administered to rats. The article indicated that Rotenone may

cause the mitochondria, which are the power plants of the cells, to produce

free radicals, thereby causing the damage that leads to Parkinson's disease.

In a study published in the January 1, 2001 issue of the Federation of American

Societies for Experimental Biology or FASEB journal, researchers injected the

neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the right substantia nigra of the

brains of rats. This neurotoxin produces a loss of dopaminergic cells, thereby

creating an experimental model of Parkinson's in the right hemisphere of the

brain of the rats who received the injection, as Parkinson's disease is

characterized by a loss of these cells. The rats exhibited a postural assymetry

which causes rotation away from the the undamaged side of the body, seen as

circling behavior. Rats given melatonin prior to administration of 6-OHDA did

not demonstrate this behavior. Analysis of the affected brain tissue in rats

receiving 6-OHDA who were not protected with melatonin showed a loss of complex

1 activity of mitochondrial phosphorylation enzymes, a reduction of which has

been observed in the substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease patients. However,

the melatonin-treated rats were protected against this loss. The researchers

conclude that a deficit in mitochondrial complex 1 could cause free

radical-induced cell death in Parkinson's disease, both directly and by

decreased ATP synthesis and energy failure, and that melatonin may be useful in the

treatment of neurodegenerative disorders in which free radicals play a role.

Bob Cowart's Blog