The review explores the link between diseases and inflammation.

A Canadian research team that includes a professor from the University of Ottawa, found that inflammation is the likely culprit when it comes to certain diseases.

For years, researchers have tried to understand how mutations in one gene, called LRRK2, can increase the risk of Parkinson’s (a brain disease), Crohn’s (a gut disease) and leprosy (a disease that affects the nervous system).

According to Dr. Michael Schlossmacher, a neurologist at the Ottawa Hospital and a professor at the University of Ottawa's Brain and Mind Research Institute, inflammation seems to be the reason.

“Everyone thought that LRRK2’s primary role was in the brain, because of its association with Parkinson’s disease. But our research shows for the first time that its primary role is probably in the immune system,” says the doctor, who served as a senior author for the study and is also the Bhargava Family Research Chair in Neurodegeneration and a neurologist at The Ottawa Hospital.

Inflammation, which is associated with swelling, redness, heat and pain, is the body’s first defence mechanism against viruses, bacteria and injuries. When it is too strong or lasts too long, it can cause damage to the body.

The study’s findings are published in the Science Translational Medicine journal.