Inspired by human studies showing that avid coffee drinkers and smokers
have a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, scientists at the University
of Washington decided to see what java and cigarettes do to fruit flies.
The tremors and other movement impairments of Parkinson’s are triggered
by the death of dopamine-producing cells in the brain, so the
investigators used flies that had been genetically engineered to have
their dopamine cells die off as they age. When Leo Pallanck and his
colleagues fed coffee and tobacco extracts to these flies, they found
that the animals’
dopamine cells survived and their life span increased. The scientists
ruled out caffeine and nicotine as the protective substances, but there
are other promising compounds in coffee and tobacco, which the
researchers intend to test in these short-lived creatures. “Flies are a
great system for quickly trying to zero in on the chemicals that are
responsible,” Pallanck says.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Prescription for a Healthier Brain: Coffee and Cigarettes?: Scientific American
Author: Michele Solis
