A protein in fish may help prevent cognitive decline
A study published in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that parvalbumin, a protein found in substantial numbers in several fish species, may be responsible for favorable health effects with respect to age-related dementia and cognition decline in those who consume fish regularly.
Fish is commonly known as “healthy food,” and is often associated with better health and less neurodegeneration. However, the reasons for this have been unclear. Omega-3 and -6, fatty acids commonly found in fish, are often assumed to be responsible. A study published in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that parvalbumin, a protein found in substantial numbers in several fish species, may be responsible for favorable health effects with respect to age-related dementia and cognition decline in those who consume fish regularly.
Parvalbumin has been shown to help prevent the formation of certain protein structures closely associated with Parkinson’s disease. One of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease is an amyloid formation of a particular human protein, called alpha-synuclein. The researchers have found that parvalbumin can form amyloid structures that bind together with the alpha-synuclein protein. Parvalbumin effectively “scavenges” the alpha-synuclein proteins, using them for its own purposes, thus preventing them from forming their own potentially harmful amyloids later.
“Parvalbumin collects up the ‘Parkinson’s protein’ and actually prevents it from aggregating, simply by aggregating itself first,” said study author Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede, professor and head of the Chemical Biology division at Chalmers University of technology in Sweden.
Herring, cod, carp, and redfish, including sockeye salmon and red snapper, have particularly high levels of parvalbumin, but it is common in many other fish species too. Other neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Huntington’s disease are also caused by certain amyloid structures interfering in the brain. The researchers plan to research this further to see if the discovery relating to Parkinson’s disease could have implications for other neurodegenerative disorders as well.
“These diseases come with age, and people are living longer and longer. There’s going to be an explosion of these diseases in the future—and the scary part is that we currently have no cures. So, we need to follow up on anything that looks promising,” said Wittung-Stafshede.