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American Morning

Scientists Search for Trigger for Parkinson's Disease

Aired April 02, 2002 - 09:56   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Michael J. Fox's memoir, "Lucky Man" is out today and available in bookstores just about everywhere, and he talks about his life, starting with his childhood in Canada to his life and film career today as an advocate for Parkinson's Disease awareness.

Now, while Michael is out promoting his book, a Canadian TV documentary is drawing some attention to a group of four Parkinson's patients, including Fox, who all worked together in the late 70's, but the notion of a Parkinson's disease cluster is itself creating controversy within the medical community.

We have a report now from our own medical correspondent, Rhonda Rowland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RHONDA ROWLAND, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just like a puzzle, former director, producer, and actor Don Williams meticulously pieces together his garden wall, his movements slow, hands tremoring from Parkinson's Disease.

At the same time, his doctor, neurologist Don Calne, is putting together another puzzle, one with fewer pieces that may or may not fit together. Dr. Calne claims he knows of four television crew members, including actor Michael J. Fox, who worked together in Canada in the late 1970's, who now have Parkinson's Disease.

DR. DON CALNE, PACIFIC PARKINSON'S RESEARCH CENTER: The chances of this being a coincidence of four cases occurring out of that group is about 1 in 20,000. In other words, overwhelmingly the evidence suggests that this is not coincidence.

ROWLAND: Williams says he worked with Fox for a nine-day stretch.

DON WILLIAMS, PARKINSON'S DISEASE PATIENT: I was engaged to direct two episodes of the miniseries called, "Nelly, Daniel, Emma and Ben (ph)." This was Michael J. Fox's second production.

ROWLAND: If this is indeed a cluster of Parkinson's, what could be the cause? Dr. Calne thinks it could have been a virus.

CALNE: I think that the virus possibility has been relatively ignored, up to recently, and I think there's reasons to go back and re-examine the possible causation by a virus now.

ROWLAND: But Dr. Calne is basically alone in believing in the viral theory.

DR. TIM GREENEMYRE, EMORY UNIVERSITY: That's a controversial idea right now. The evidence really isn't there yet, but I think it is something that's important to look at.

ROWLAND: However, most scientists do believe that there is some kind of environmental trigger for Parkinson's.

DR. J. WILLIAM LANGSTON, PARKINSON'S INSTITUTE: I think the leading theory is that it is some type of toxic agent, and there have been quite a few studies suggesting that things like pesticides, herbicides, metals -- heavy metal exposure.

ROWLAND: And, there is scientific agreement patients are genetically susceptible.

GREENEMYRE: So what a lot of people say is that the genetics load the gun, and environment pulls the trigger.

ROWLAND: Now it is a matter of figuring out what is the environmental trigger.

(on camera): Doctor Langston, who is scientific adviser for the Michael J. Fox Foundation says Fox is concerned that he and some former coworkers may have had a common exposure. Doctor Langston agrees it's a red flag. There are now a number of studies underway designed to find an environmental link to Parkinson's.

Rhonda Rowland, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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