Alpha synuclein in neurodegenerative disorders: Murderer or accomplice?

Several neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by intracellular protein accumulations or inclusions, such as the Lewy bodies of Parkinson's disease. Although little is know about the origin of these accumulations and their specific affect on neurons, it seems likely that as they grow they prove fatal to the cell. Here Michael Brownstein and colleagues speculate on a broad role for alpha synuclein in the development of Lewy bodies and the other protein inclusions associated with neurodegeneration.