Study ties gut bacteria to dopamine, Parkinson's motor control

Study ties gut bacteria to dopamine, Parkinson's motor control

Gut bacteria that produce vitamin B6 may help nerve cells in the brain produce dopamine, a chemical involved in motor control that is missing in Parkinson’s disease, according to an animal study. The research in worms and mice adds to a growing understanding of how the gut-brain axis is involved in the disease’s development and progression. Giving vitamin B6 to mice that lacked enough of it restored their motor coordination, suggesting that prod…