The Beneficial Role of Thiamine in Parkinson Disease

Summary Parkinson disease ( PD ) is the second most common form of neurodegeneration among elderly individuals. PD is clinically characterized by tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement, and postural imbalance. In this paper, we review the evidence for an association between PD and thiamine. Interestingly, a significant association has been demonstrated between PD and low levels of serum thiamine, and thiamine supplements appear to have beneficial clinical effects against PD . Multiple studies have evaluated the connection between thiamine and PD pathology, and candidate pathways involve the transcription factor S p1, p53, B cl‐2, caspase‐3, tyrosine hydroxylase, glycogen synthase kinase‐3β, vascular endothelial growth factor, advanced glycation end products, nuclear factor kappa B , mitogen‐activated protein kinase, and the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. Thus, a review of the literature suggests that thiamine plays a role in PD , although further investigation into the effects of thiamine in PD is needed.