Researchers study 23 January 2004 cells in the newly-opened stem cells bank of Granada. The bank will research into embryos in order to develop cell therapies for diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. This first Spanish stem cells bank, which is publicly funded, is only the third of its kind in Europe and will cooperate actively with its parent public institutions in Sweden and the United Kingdom. (Photo by Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images) (Photo by Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Parkinson’s, a neural disease in which cells deep within the brain die which causes tremors, difficulty staying still and moving, may not emanate from the brain as conventional wisdom would lead us to believe.

According to New Scientist, it’s possible that the origins of Parkinson’s come from within the gut.

Scientists surely haven’t dispelled the theory yet and are taking it seriously.

They say it’s plausible because those suffering from Parkinson’s also have digestive issues, typically constipation, and that can start a decade before the tremors begin.

“That would be game-changing,” says David Burn at Newcastle University, UK told New Scientist. “There are lots of different mechanisms that could potentially stop the spread.”

Those who have Parkinson’s have different bacteria in their stomach than those without the disease, and people who have their main nerve to their stomach cut have a less chance of getting Parkinson’s.

“It could be that having the wrong bacteria in your gut triggers inflammation,” Sébastien Paillusson at King’s College London told New Scientist. “We know that inflammation makes synuclein more likely to aggregate.”

Testing has been carried out in labs to further pursue the notion, and it has the potential to be a big step in curing or preventing Parkinson’s.