Inflammation and α-Synuclein's Prion-like Behavior in Parkinson's Disease-Is There a Link?

Parkinson's disease patients exhibit progressive spreading of aggregated alpha-synuclein in the nervous system. This slow process follows a specific pattern in an inflamed tissue environment. Recent research suggests that prion-like mechanisms contribute to the propagation of alpha-synuclein pathology. Little is known about factors that might affect the prion-like behavior of misfolded alpha-synuclein. In this review, we suggest that neuroinflammation plays an important role. We discuss causes of inflammation in the olfactory bulb and gastrointestinal tract and how this may promote the initial misfolding and aggregation of alpha-synuclein, which might set in motion events that lead to Parkinson's disease neuropathology. We propose that neuroinflammation promotes the prion-like behavior of alpha-synuclein and that novel anti-inflammatory therapies targeting this mechanism could slow disease progression.