Itinerary
Paul Carvey, PhD Speaker, Parkinson's Symposium
"Prenatal Infection as Risk Factor for Parkinson's Disease" Department of Biomedical & Therapeutic Sciences University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria January 24, 2003

January 24th ,2003

11:00 am Arrive at UIC College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOM-P).
1 Illini Drive, Peoria, IL (Parking available in visitor parking lot.)
Meet with Dr. Richard Weber, Room B-305
(Office Phone 309-671-8532; Cellphone 309-370-7244)

11L30 am Nancy Fehr will take you to the Department of Education Services
for a photograph by Larry Crossett, Room A-1O7.

12:00 noon Lunch at The Grill 456 Fulton Street. Phone 674-6870
Reservations made under Dr. Weber's name)
Guests: Sarah Zallek,MD
J. Thomas Hjelle, PhD, Interim Chair
Department of Biomedical & Therapeutic Sciences
Joan Blessington Snyder & spouse
Parkinson Alliance
Holly Angus-Parkinson Alliance
Paula Tomlin-Parkinson Action Network
Dr. Weber

1:00 pm- 5:00 pm Meetings with staff personal

5:00 - 5:30 pm Light Buffet Reception, UICOM-P Lobby

5:30 - 6:30 pm Seminar “Prenatal Infections as Risk Factor for
Parkinson’s Disease” theater Introduction by
Dr, Rick Weber

6:30 - 7:00 pm Depart Peoria

Meet with L. William Scheibel, MD, ScD, in his office, Room B-327

Meet with Marcia Miller, PhD in her office, Room B-311
Meet with Maarten Reith, PhD, in his office, Room B-222
,

Meet with Steven Lasley, PhD, in his office, Room B-331

Meet with Richard Weber, PhD, in his office, Room B-305 .

Light Buffet Reception, UICOM-P Lobby

Seminar "Prenatal Infection as Risk Factor for Parkinson's Disease" Room A-lOO-i. Introduction by Dr. Weber

Depart Peoria

Thank you for visiting our campus!

Dr. Paul Carvey Monday, January 27, 2003

Researcher discloses Parkinson’s insights
Neurological disease linked to mother’s bacterial infection
By Elaine Hopkins

Fetal exposure to a mother’s bacterial infection during pregnancy may set the stage for Parkinson’s disease, a Chicago researcher said Friday at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.
Professor Paul Carvey, chairman of the Department of Pharmacology at Rush Medical College, described his soon-to-be-published research with rats.
“One injection in the mom and 16 months later you’re still seeing the effects of that injection,” he said. “I have never seen (a previous) response like that.”
The same chemical processes likely are occurring in humans with vaginal bacterial infections, he said.
He injected pregnant rats with a toxin like that produced at the molecular level by common bacteria in the environment. The rats were born, then killed at various stages of their life cycles and the dopamine neurons in their brains were studied.
The offspring of the injected mothers had lower levels of dopamine neurons. When they were later exposed to toxins from common pesticides, the levels dropped even lower, like those in humans with Parkinson’s disease, he said.
His research demonstrates “a whole new area for looking at prenatal exposure to toxins,” which also may be affecting the genes of the developing fetus.
Parkinson’s disease is known to occur in humans when too many dopamine neurons in the brain die. These neurons die naturally as a person ages, Carvey said, but fetal exposure to toxins that kill dopamine neurons, followed by environmental exposure may hasten the process, causing Parkinson’s.
About 14% of pregnant women are known to develop vaginal infections, which occur naturally from chemical changes that make the body susceptible to bacteria found everywhere, he said. Half have no symptoms.
But killing the bacteria might require toxins that could also harm the fetus.
If toxins can kill dopamine neurons in a fetus at certain stages during pregnancy, other toxins may affect other parts of the developing brain. His research could lead to new insights into the causes of Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia and other brain disorders.
Carvey’s lecture combined complex scientific concepts with a few jokes. Doing long-term studies on rats is expensive, Carvey said. The creatures live up to two years at a cost of $1.25 a day. “That’s like sending them to the Drake (hotel),” he joked.
The lecture attracted physicians, researchers and Parkinson’s Disease activists.
“This is the most amazing revelation that I have heard and it could revolutionize the way we think about Parkinson’s.” said Joan Blessington Snyder of Chillicothe, a Parkinson’s sufferer and activist. The Parkinson’s Alliance co-sponsored the lecture.
“This is fantastic, the best sensible new clue” into Parkinson’s, said Richard Weber, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria who has studied Parkinson’s disease. “This could open up a wide variety of possibilities. By understanding what causes a disease, you can find ways to attack it through research.”