Curcumin reverses Parkinson's in Fruit Flies

OK, so maybe its not a clinical trial. But fruit flies have many genes conserved from humans, so its some rationale for research in mammals.

Curcumin, from turmeric spice, appears to block alpha-synuclein aggregation in in vitro models of Parkinson's disease, and now in flies. Alpha-synuclein is believed to aggregate and choke off dopaminergic brain cells in Parkinson's patients, leading to sleep issues. Inhibition or clearance of alpha-synuclein by curcumin in the flies also lead to a reduction in sleep disturbances.

"Clinical trials of curcumin to reduce risk of Parkinson's disease are a future possibility, but for now we are using the flies to learn how curcumin works," says author James Galvin, M.D.

Reference: Seugnet L, Galvin JE, Suzuki Y, Gottschalk L, Shaw PJ. Persistent short-term memory defects following sleep deprivation in a Drosophila model of Parkinson disease. Sleep, Aug. 1, 2009