Parkinson's Disease and Latent (Hidden) Viruses. CBCD Reports an Important Discovery on the Cause of the Disease

WILMINGTON, Del., Jan. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for the Biology of Chronic Disease (CBCD) announces an important discovery on the cause of Parkinson's diseases.  The discovery shows how many common latent viruses, which infect the central and peripheral nervous systems, can cause Parkinson's disease (1).  Latent viruses are hidden in the body in a way that most individuals don't know that they are infected.  The discovery was published in the Journal of NeuroVirology.  More details are available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33405201/.

The discovery was made possible by using the microcompetition model.  The model uncovered new relationships between seemingly unrelated observations reported in the scientific literature.  The discovery describes the molecular steps that lead from a latent infection to the clinical symptoms of Parkinson's disease.  Many common viruses can cause the disease. They include the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1), and Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV).

The model shows that an increase in the concentration of these viruses, or copy number, during the latent phase, increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease.  What can increase this viral copy number? A damaged immune system.  Events that decrease the efficiency of the immune system include aging, certain medications, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, stress, and more.

The microcompetition model was used to discover the effects of latent viruses on other diseases too. It was used to show how latent viruses can cause breast cancer (2), and other cancers (3).  The model was created by Hanan Polansky, and was introduced in his book: "Microcompetition with Foreign DNA and the Origin of Chronic Disease."

Currently, the CBCD is looking for funding to cover the cost of future research on Parkinson's and other diseases.  If you are interested in learning about our research plans, and how you can get involved with our fundraising, please contact the CBCD at [email protected].

(1)  Polansky H, Lori G. How microcompetition with latent viruses can cause α synuclein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and eventually Parkinson's disease. J Neurovirol. 2021 Jan 6. doi: 10.1007/s13365-020-00929-x

(2)  Polansky H, Schwab H. How latent viruses cause breast cancer: An explanation based on the microcompetition model. Bosn J Basic Med Sci. 2019 Aug 20;19(3):221-226. doi: 10.17305/bjbms.2018.3950.

(3)  Polansky H, Schwab H. Copy number of latent viruses, oncogenicity, and the microcompetition model. Oncotarget. 2018 Aug 3;9(60):31568-31569. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.25804. eCollection 2018 Aug 3.

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SOURCE The Center for the Biology of Chronic Disease