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BMAA and Neurodegenerative Illness

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Abstract

The cyanobacterial toxin β-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) now appears to be a cause of Guamanian amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism dementia complex (ALS/PDC). Its production by cyanobacteria throughout the world combined with multiple mechanisms of BMAA neurotoxicity, particularly to vulnerable subpopulations of motor neurons, has significantly increased interest in investigating exposure to this non-protein amino acid as a possible risk factor for other forms of neurodegenerative illness. We here provide a brief overview of BMAA studies and provide an introduction to this collection of scientific manuscripts in this special issue on BMAA.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Spring Creek Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for facilitating the discussions that led to these presentations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brain Chemistry Labs, Institute for Ethnomedicine, PO Box 3464, Jackson Hole, WY, 83001, USA

    Paul Alan Cox

  2. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, PO Box 70577, Johnson City, TN, 37614, USA

    Richard M. Kostrzewa

  3. Macquarie University, MND Research Centre, FMHS, 2 Technology Place, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia

    Gilles J. Guillemin

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  1. Paul Alan Cox
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  2. Richard M. Kostrzewa
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Correspondence to Paul Alan Cox.

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Funding

Prof Guillemin is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Australian Research Council (ARC), The Deb Bailey Foundation, MND and ME Foundation, and Macquarie University.

Conflict of Interest

The Institute for Ethnomedicine has applied for patents for the use of L-serine to treat neurodegenerative illness (US 13/683,821) and for screening potential drug candidates using BMAA-induced neurodegeneration (US 14/229,624).

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Cox, P.A., Kostrzewa, R.M. & Guillemin, G.J. BMAA and Neurodegenerative Illness. Neurotox Res 33, 178–183 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12640-017-9753-6

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