Scientists have just made a massive discovery when it comes to Parkinson’s disease, discovering a link between bacteria in the gut and the onset of the mysterious ailment, which is one of the most common debilitating brain disorders int he world. Scientists from institutions in the United States and Europe discovered that changing the bacteria in the guts of mice affects how Parkinson’s symptoms manifested themselves.

This discovery may lead to a new way of treating Parkinson’s, targeting the gut rather than the brain, according to an Axial Biotherapeutics statement. Hopefully, this will lead to a new generation of probiotics that are more sophisticated than typical offerings in grocery stores.

Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder where protein called alpha-synuclein build up around the brain cells, causing sufferers to lose motor function. A total of a million people in the U.S. and up to 10 million worldwide have this condition, the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our findings provide a completely new paradigm for how environmental factors may contribute to Parkinson’s disease and possibly other neurodegenerative disorders. The notion that these diseases may be impacted by pathology in the gut and not only in the brain is a radical departure from conventional research in neuroscience,” said Dr. Sarkis Mazmanian, the Louis & Nelly Soux Professor of Microbiology in the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering at the California Institute of Technology and Scientific Founder of Axial Biotherapeutics. “Parkinson’s disease is complex and there are several genetic predispositions and environmental risks that play a role, but we believe our findings shed light on a previously unrecognized and potentially important part of this puzzle.”