Synchrotron X-ray helps map Parkinson’s

U.S. and British researchers have linked changes in the distribution of metal ions in the brain to Parkinson’s disease.

The findings, presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago — by Dr. Joanna Collingwood of Keele University in Staffordshire, England, and Dr. Mark Davidson of the University of Florida — offer hope of new treatments and earlier diagnosis for those with this neurodegenerative disorder.

The researchers are mapping brain chemistry using the exceptional X-rays produced with the help of an electron accelerator — the national synchrotron called Diamond — at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus near Didcot in Oxfordshire, England.

Our studies at Diamond involve a technique called microfocus spectroscopy, Collingwood said in a statement. We have been able to investigate human tissue with such precision that metal ions, particularly iron levels, in and around individual cells can be mapped. What makes the microfocus synchrotron approach so unique is that we can also use the focused beam to obtain information about the form in which the iron is stored.