α-Synuclein is a pathological link and therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease and traumatic brain injury

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects more than 1% of population over 65 and it is characterized by gradual loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons and wide spread accumulation of α-synuclein. Collectively 30% of familial and 3-5% of sporadic form of PD are associated with genetic mutation. Compelling evidence implicates that in addition to inherited factors, acquired co-morbidities contribute to PD pathology. Here, we hypothesize that traumatic brain injury (TBI) exacerbates nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration by modulating PD-associated genes including α-synuclein, DJ-1, LRRK2, among others. Thus this article will present speculative arguments of a genetic component contributing to this TBI and PD pathological overlap.