CELLULAR FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN NEUROMELANIN

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In Parkinson's disease only specific brain cells die, these cells are unusual in that they contain a dark coloured pigment called neuromelanin. The presence of this pigment is thought to play a role in the death of these cells. Evidence from many different diseases has demonstrated that a type of cell damage called oxidative damage is caused by an increase in tissue iron levels. Iron levels are increased in the brains of persons who have died with Parkinson's disease but only in the part of the brain which contains neuromelanin. This increase in iron is thought to lead to oxidative damage and thus cell death in Parkinson's disease. Why iron should be increased specifically in this part of the brain is unknown but it has been shown that neuromelanin binds tissue iron and that the interaction between iron and neuromelanin can result in tissue damage. These events are suggested to underlie the specific vulnerability of the neuromelanin-containing cells in Parkinson's disease. However as yet very little is known about this pigment or how it interacts with iron. This research investigates neuromelanin in the normal brain and in the brain of persons who have died with Parkinson's disease. The project aims to demonstrate how neuromelanin interacts with iron and how neuromelanin, both in the presence and absence of iron, can influence oxidative cell damage. The use of human neuromelanin makes this research unique and it will provide important and novel information regarding the role of this pigment in the aetiology of this devastating disease.