Dr. Malú Tansey (IMAGE) UT Southwestern Medical Center Caption Blocking one of the body's natural inflammatory factors gives substantial protection against cell death in the brain associated with Parkinson’s disease, researchers led by Dr. Malú Tansey, assistant professor of physiology, have discovered. By using a drug against tumor necrosis factor, or TNF, the researchers saw a 50 percent drop in dopamine neuron death in the brains of rats injected with compounds that cause Parkinson’s-like cell death. Credit UT Southwestern Medical Center Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.