The article detailed a study, “Parkinson’s disease with and without history of Agent Orange exposure: A prospective study of US Veterans,” that was published in the journal Parkinsonism & Related Disorders in March. It was co-authored by UVM scientists Cole Zweber, M.D.’26, who recently matched for neurology residency at Stanford University; UVM Visiting Scholar Vivikta Iyer, M.D., who recently matched for neurology residency at the University of Arkansas; Ian Zurlo, medical assistant at the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC), who worked on this project as an undergraduate student under a Laud Student Fellowship provided by the Frederick C. Binter Center for Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders at UVM Medical Center; and James T. Boyd, M.D., the Robert W. Hamill, M.D., Green and Gold Professor of Neurological Sciences and director of the Binter Center for Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders, along with non-UVM colleagues.
The study authors noted “evidence supporting an elevated risk of PD in association with environmental toxins … which can occur as occupational exposures during military service … Some neurotoxins, such as … Agent Orange, have been shown to induce PD pathophysiology through various mechanisms, including mitochondrial dysfunction, generation of superoxide free radicals, and dopaminergic cell death.” They added, however, “To the best of our knowledge, no prospective data are available on potential differences in PD with a history of AO exposure in U.S. veterans,” but said they sought to answer that question.
The researchers concluded, “Our prospective clinical research study found no statistically significant differences in … U.S. veterans with and without AO exposure. However, trends … suggest potential clinically meaningful distinctions that likely require a larger sample size for confirmation.”