Parkinson's disease causes a 36 percent drop in hydrogen sulfide gas in the exact brain region where the disease begins.
April 24, 2026
Original Paper
In vivo Ratiometric SERS Monitoring of Intracerebral H2S in Parkinson's Disease Using a Tapered Capillary Microprobe
SSRN · 6584543
The Takeaway
Monitoring the chemical environment of a living brain has traditionally been impossible at high resolutions. A new tapered microprobe can now track pH and gas levels in real time within a specific part of the brain called the substantia nigra. The device revealed a significant depletion of hydrogen sulfide in models of Parkinson's. This gas acts as a signaling molecule and its loss may be a key driver of the disease's progression. Having a real time chemical window into the brain allows researchers to see the disease's mechanics as they happen.
From the abstract
Emerging evidence suggests a critical link between the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and dysregulated metabolism of the gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide (H2S). However, the precise spatiotemporal dynamics of cerebral H2S during neurodegeneration remains elusive due to a lack of reliable in vivo sensing tools. Here, we developed a background-free ratiometric Tapered Capillary SERS Microprobe (TCSM) for the in vivo monitoring of H2S in key brain regions of PD mouse models. The TCSM