Red hair link to Parkinson’s disease


Ginger haired people are more likely to develop Parkinson's disease, according to new research.


The breakthrough could lead to a new drug that targets the protein. Parkinson's affects about 127,000 people in the UK. There is currently no cure.





Study leader Professor Xiqun Chen, of the Massachusetts General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, said: "This study is the first to show direct influences of the melanoma-linked MC1R gene on dopaminergic neurons in the brain and may provide evidence for targeting MC1R as a novel therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease.


The substantia nigra is the brain structure in which dopamine producing neurons are destroyed in Parkinson's disease. They are more susceptible to toxins known to damage those neurons.

Nerve cells



The latest finding published in Annals of Neurology suggests it also contributes to the known link between melanoma and Parkinson's.

Inherited mutations of MC1R determine skin pigmentation, with the most common form leading to greater production of the darker colour called eumelanin and the 'red hair gene'.

The latter inactivates the gene's function, increasing production of the lighter pigment called pheomelanin.



Cancer risk

Interestingly, patients with Parkinson's have a reduced risk of developing most types of cancer, apart from melanoma, which is well recognised to be higher.

Likewise, patients with melanoma are more likely to develop Parkinson's. Several recent studies have also found evidence suggesting increased Parkinson's risk in individuals with the red hair gene.

So Dr Chen and colleagues decided to explore that potential role of the gene in Parkinson's, and specifically in dopamine producing neurons of the substantia nigra.



