WE MOVE
204 West 84th Street
New York, NY 10024
E-mail: wemove@wemove.org
wemove.org • mdvu.org
Louie Who? or Beyond The Blood/Brain/Barrier:
Individuals can have an impact on the momentum of neurological disorders
– Marjorie Carmen
"LOUIE WHO?..." …was my initial response in 2004 during a consultation with a fifth neurologist, when after another exhaustive exam, he suggested that my 80 year old husband, along with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), “probably” had Lewy Body Disease (LBD). After weeks Googling, I learned much more than I ever wanted to about the myriad of misfolded proteins that are randomly zapping my husband’s neurons with no antidote in sight. Though Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s have become household words, Lewy Body Dementias remain under the radar even though they are the second most common form of dementia in the elderly-- affecting over 1.5 million individuals and their caring families---even though the disease has been recognized since the early 1900s while Friederich H. Lewy was studying Parkinson’s Disease. For the last four years, we have been supporting research being conducted at the Massachusetts General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Lewy Body Disorders Association (LBDA). This intense immersion gives me hope that antidotes are on the horizon to stall, cure and prevent many neurological diseases. Focusing on a protein (alpha synuclein) implicated in the dementia found in both Lewy Body disorders (now considered an adjunct of Parkinson’s) as well as Parkinson’s, MIND researchers have found compounds that can cross the blood brain barrier and look to be effective in mouse models of Huntington's disease. Their goal is to replicate this success in LBD and PD.
BEYOND THE BLOOD/BRAIN BARRIER: Antidotes for PD and LBD
The human brain is encased in a thick skull to protect it from trauma. It is also defended internally from noxious chemicals and toxins by the blood-brain barrier, an intricate system of impermeable blood vessels that prevents most substances from entering the brain from the bloodstream.
Like the walls of a castle, this system deters the brain’s chemical enemies, but it is unable to distinguish between harmful substances and those that might be therapeutic. The blood-brain barrier is therefore an enormous challenge in the development of treatments for many brain disorders.
Supporting 21st Century Neurological research gives meaning to what I see every day as my beloved husband continues his journey toward what is called “the long goodbye.”
