Parkinson’s Disease, Lithium and Stem Cells

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Current treatment only helps symptoms, and there is no effective treatment to delay or reverse PD. Scientists have regarded a number of genetic and environmental factors that may lead to developing PD. Lithium has been used for years in psychiatry as an effective mood stabilizer in manic depressive bipolar disorder (BD). This natural element is the most potent inhibitor of the enzyme glycogen synthetase kinase (GSK3) activity. Because of GSK3’s abundance in the body and over expression leading to PD, lithium has been postulated be used as a treatment for numerous neurodegenerative diseases and conditions where GSK3 is over expressed. Lithium has also been shown to be protective to cells against rotenone-induced PD. In contrast cellular based therapy, specifically the use of induced pluripotential stem cells (iPSCs), also pose a promising therapeutic modality for future use in order to more fully understanding the process of PD development.