The research group led by Assistant Professor Takafumi Hasegawa, Dr. Masatoshi Konno, and Associate Professor Atsushi Takeda of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine has found that antidepressant sertraline effectively suppressed the cell-to-cell transmission of pathogenic protein aggregates in the cellular model of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. This discovery paves the way for future therapeutic uses in the treatment of the aforementioned diseases. The results of the research have been published in the electronic version of Molecular Neurodegeneration.

 The research was made possible through grants by the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Research Funds for the catecholamine and neurological disease research.

More information (Japanese)

[Contact]

(About the research)

Assistant Professor Takafumi Hasegawa

Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

TEL: +81-22-717-7189

FAX: +81-22-717-7192

E-mail: thasegawa*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

(Public Relations)

Associate Professor Fuji Nagami

Public Relations Office of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

TEL: +81-22-717-7908

FAX: +81-22-717-8187

E-mail: f-nagami*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)