Parkinson's disease research
Parkinson's disease is a chronic, disabling neurodegenerative disease that causes movement disorders. It occurs when a type of nerve cells in the brain die or progressively degenerate. These produce a chemical substance (dopamine) that is key in the regulation of multiple brain functions related to movement.
When these neurons degenerate, the shortage of dopamine leads to problems in motor function, mainly causing tremor, clumsiness, stiffness and other movement disorders.
It is a disease that has no cure and affects 160,000 people in Spain and more than 7 million people worldwide.
It usually begins around the age of 60, but can appear earlier. Although the causes are still unknown, in some cases they are genetic.
Need more information?
If you are interested in learning more about our research, please contact us.
We dream of curing Parkinson's disease
Treatment options have increased significantly in recent years, but much remains to be discovered.
We seek to understand the causes and mechanisms of neuronal degeneration in order to find therapeutic targets to prevent or delay the development of the disease.
We do research to find biomarkers for early diagnosis and for monitoring the evolution of the disease.
We work closely with researchers and clinicians to rapidly translate discoveries from the laboratory to the patient.
REFERENCES IN TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
Parkinson's Disease Research Group
Reference team in preclinical research on Parkinson's disease with a multidisciplinary approach that includes neurophysiological, molecular, cellular, biochemical, genetic, imaging, and other scientific areas, providing a translational approach with synergies between the different fields.
It is part of the Neurosciences Program.