Findings from the new experiments, supported by the National Institutes of Health and published Nov. 24 in Neuron, could potentially help scientists find the root causes of nonheritable forms of Parkinson’s disease, the researchers say.

Sporadic cases of Parkinson’s disease account for most cases of the neurodegenerative disorder, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. The condition is marked by disruptions to the signaling point between two brain cells. That connection point, known as a synapse, is notoriously difficult to study, says Shigeki Watanabe, Ph.D., associate professor of cell biology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, who led the research.