MicroRNAs alteration and unique distribution in the soma and synapses of substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease.

Summary: Parkinson's disease causes brain cells that make dopamine to break down and die, especially at the connections between cells, called synapses. Scientists don't fully understand why this happens. In this study, researchers looked at tiny molecules called microRNAs in the brains of people who had Parkinson's and compared them to healthy brains. They checked both the main part of the brain cell and the connecting parts. They found that the levels of these tiny molecules were altered in Parkinson's disease, which might help explain why the brain cells get sick and stop working properly.