Mechanism suggested for Guam illness
By Susan Milius
A research team has invoked protein chemistry to propose a solution to one of the most puzzling parts of Guam’s long-standing neuroscience mystery.
During the 20th century, the prevalence of the neurologic disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/Parkinsonism dementia complex (ALS/PDC) rose dramatically among the Chamorro people of Guam and then declined, explains Paul Cox of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens, headquartered in Kalaheo, Hawaii (SN: 5/17/03, p. 310: Available to subscribers at http://sciencenews.org/articles/20030517/fob8.asp). The disease even showed up in Chamorro people at a high rate after they’d left Guam.