A disturbed sleep rhythm increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease

Neurons are more sensitive at night. According to a study from the University of Geneva, the cellular stress that occurs in Parkinson’s disease is more damaging to brain cells when it occurs at night. At least with fruit flies.

A disrupted biological clock increases the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, the University of Geneva announced on Thursday.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease in which certain neurons in the brain, called dopaminergic neurons, die. The main symptoms of the disease are tremors, slowness of movements and muscle stiffness.

For the study in fruit flies, the researchers from Geneva investigated whether the time of day plays a role in the damage to neurons caused by oxidative stress. Although fruit flies and humans are very different animals, their biological clocks are similar, the researchers explained.

Scientists can simulate the onset of the disease in flies by exposing them to a drug that causes oxidative stress for a few hours.

After seven days, it was shown under the microscope that the fruit flies exposed to oxidative stress at night had destroyed more dopaminergic neurons than the fruit flies exposed to the stress during the day. These results have been published in the journal “Nature Communications”.

The biological clock plays a crucial role in this, the researchers continue. In science this is called circadian rhythm. During the circadian rhythm, there are times during the day when certain hormones and substances in the body increase or decrease.

The study found that flies genetically engineered not to have a circadian rhythm suffered more severe damage. According to the researchers, this means that this rhythm fulfills a protective function.

According to the researchers, further studies are needed to ensure that the results can also be transferred to humans.

(hah/sda)