An international team of scientists is urging researchers to put ageing at the centre of Parkinson’s studies, arguing that it has been overlooked for too long.
A team of international scientists is calling for a re-think in the way Parkinson’s disease is studied, arguing that ageing must be central to future research.
The study outlines that although ageing is the single greatest risk factor for Parkinson’s, it has too often been overlooked in laboratory investigations.
Ageing as a missing piece
For years, much of the scientific effort to understand Parkinson’s has focused on genetics and isolated disease mechanisms. Yet according to Dr Julie Andersen, Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and senior author of the new study, this approach fails to reflect the biological reality of the condition.
For years, much of the scientific effort to understand Parkinson’s has focused on genetics and isolated disease mechanisms.
Most of the Parkinson’s research conducted in Andersen’s laboratory already examines the disease through the lens of ageing. She believes that perspective is long overdue across the wider field.
“Many age-related changes in the brain mirror those seen in the early stages of Parkinson’s,” she said, noting that many of the whole-body hallmarks of ageing, including mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired autophagy, increased inflammation and cellular senescence have been shown to contribute to the disease. “The research community needs to approach this disease holistically and ageing is the place to start,” concluded Andersen.
A growing global burden
Parkinson’s disease affects an estimated one million people in the United States alone. Worldwide, more than ten million people are thought to be living with the condition, and those numbers are rising as populations age, particularly in developed countries.
The researchers argue that the case for prioritising ageing in Parkinson’s studies is compelling. Only around 10 percent of cases are directly linked to family history. The vast majority are sporadic, arising from a complex interplay of advancing age, genetic vulnerability, environmental exposures and lifestyle factors.
“When we reviewed studies that include ageing, we concluded that the influence of ageing on Parkinson’s is subtle, emerges gradually and likely interacts synergistically with other contributing factors,” said Andersen.
This gradual and cumulative impact, the team suggests, may help to explain why Parkinson’s typically develops later in life and why it varies so widely between individuals.
A collaborative road map
To address these challenges, Andersen and her colleagues have developed a comprehensive research road map. It identifies mouse models that are best suited for preclinical experiments in which ageing is treated as a central component of Parkinson’s disease development.
Our work is aimed at making it easier for researchers to include ageing as a critical element of their efforts to tackle this disease.
The plan also seeks to standardise methodologies, encourage collaboration between laboratories and make better use of limited research resources.
“As a group we recognise that the complexity and diversity of Parkinson’s models, combined with the lengthy nature of ageing studies, present challenges that require substantial resources and innovative approaches,” said Andersen. “Our work is aimed at making it easier for researchers to include ageing as a critical element of their efforts to tackle this disease.”
The publication forms part of a broader four-year consortium funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Alongside the new guidelines for mouse models, related papers from the initiative address the use of human cell cultures and primates in Parkinson’s research, reflecting a coordinated effort to change how the disease is studied across multiple experimental systems.
