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The story of what alpha-synuclein does is still
unfoldind. It was discovered in 1988, and is known to be abundant in
synaptic terminals. Its function is still unknown, but there is some
evidence that it plays a role in synaptic transmission. In 1997, a mutation
in alpha-synuclein was discovered in a Greek family, the Contursi kindred,
with familial Parkinson disease. This mutation, to my mind, really blew the
lid off PD as we knew it. It was qiuckly discovered that antibodies to
alpha-synuclein stain Lewy bodies, much more extensively that any other
reagents ever applied to human brain tissue. |