In Germany alone 400,000 people are suffering from Parkinsons disease. Scientists have now discovered that the insecticide rotenone doesn’t just cause the disease, but exacerbates the symptoms. Earlier, researchers confirmed the fact that Parkinsons can be triggered by outside influences. Already in an early stage, distinct correlations were found between Parkinsons and the use of pesticides. Scientific research involving subjects active in agriculture and farming, used to working with pesticides, showed that an above average percentage of the subjects suffered from the disease.
Staff at the University examined the responses of mice to rotenone. It was established that certain nerve cells in the intestines contained large doses of the protein alpha-synuclein. These in turn affected important brain cells. According to Francisco Pan-Montojo of the Dresden Institute for Anatomy the discovery is an important step forward in the understanding and possible treatment of Parkinsons.