Pesticides and Parkinson's Disease: Current Experimental and Epidemiological Evidence

Abstract In contrast to genetic and toxicant-induced forms of parkinsonism, the etiology of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) likely involves the contribution of a variety of risk factors. Pesticide exposure is perhaps the most studied environmental risk factor for idiopathic PD. A review of the results of epidemiological and experimental investigations strongly supports the possibility that specific classes of pesticides may act as neurotoxicants and affect key pathogenetic processes in PD, including the degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons and the accumulation of pathological α-synuclein aggregates. Particularly relevant is the observation that both epidemiological and experimental studies have independently yielded similar conclusions on the involvement of specific pesticides in PD pathogenesis. In future studies, closer collaborations between clinicians, epidemiologists, and basic researchers would facilitate the acquisition of new information and the translation of this information into public health policies.