Through the tragic misadventures described in Addicts,
the parkinsonism-inducing neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) was discovered. It has
been one of the most important tools in generating animal
models to study Parkinson’s disease. Studies of how it kills
dopaminergic neurons have revealed their Achilles’ heel,
mitochondria, the power plants of cells. Mitochondria
provide cells with adenosine triphosphate, the chemical
energy molecule that the cells’ machinery runs on. Inside
the brain, MPTP gets converted into its toxic form, MPP+,
which then interferes with mitochondrial energy
production, increasing the release of toxic free radicals
and other chemicals. These chemicals trigger the release of
inflammatory signals, spreading inflammation outside the
cell, stimulating the brain’s immune cells to attack not
only the stricken neuron but neighboring neurons as well,
amplifying the pathology. CLICK TO REVIEW