ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers are studying whether low-dose radiation therapy can slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease by targeting inflammation in areas of the brain affected by the disease.
The clinical trial is the first to investigate low-dose radiation as an anti-inflammatory approach in patients with early-stage Parkinson’s disease. Radiation therapy is most often used to treat cancer, where higher doses are used to damage tumor cells and stop them from growing.
“Inflammation is believed to play an important role in the disease process in Parkinson’s,” Dr. Yasamin Sharifzadeh said. “Instead of treating the symptoms patients experience, we’re investigating whether low-dose radiation can affect one of the underlying biological processes associated with the disease and therefore slow the worsening of symptoms.”…