Microbial metabolism may launch α-synuclein aggregation

Back when James Parkinson first described the disorder now known as Parkinson’s disease, he noticed that severe constipation can be a prelude to the signature tremors. Researchers have learned that years before a die-off of dopamine- signaling neurons in the brain causes trouble with movement, damage spreads in the neurons surrounding the gut. In 2016, researchers found that in animal models, changes to the gut microbiome are enough to trigger neurodegeneration. According to Sarkis Mazmanian, a California Institute of Technology researcher who led that study, researchers are confident enough in the finding now to start to ask, “OK, so what is it about the microbiome?” In a talk on Mar. 24 at the American Chemical Society Spring 2025 meeting, University of California, Irvine, professor Elizabeth Bess presented on one molecular mechanism that might tie the microbiome to neuron death. The immediate cause of death in dopamine-signaling neurons is a protein