Parkinson’s disease is a chronic condition that continues to worsen over time. Symptoms are slow movements, often with shaking, together with muscular rigidity.
It is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder, affecting about 3% of the population by the age of 65 and up to 5% of individuals over 85 years of age.
About half of the patients experience cognitive decline early in the disease. The disease is somewhat more common in men than in women.
A new study from the University of Bologna found that the presence of neuronal deposits of the biomarker phosphorylated alpha-synuclein (p-syn) in the brain and the skin of patients with PD distinguishes them from individuals with symptoms of Parkinsonism due to the accumulation of another protein, tau.
This development may help the early identification and differential diagnosis of PD among the various Parkinsonism subtypes.
The study is published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease and was conducted by Prof. Rocco Liguori et al.
The main Parkinsonian symptoms are shared with other synucleinopathies, as well as with atypical Parkinsonism, including progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS), both of which are due to the accumulation of another protein, tau.
Despite the clinical overlap with PD, PSP is characterized by 4-repeat tau deposits, mainly in the basal ganglia, brainstem, and cerebellum, and CBS is a clinical syndrome with a heterogeneous underlying neuropathology.
In the study, the team tested 26 patients with PD, 26 patients with either PSP (18) or CBS (8), and 26 healthy individuals from May 2014 to April 2017.
All individuals underwent skin biopsy in three sites: the leg, the thigh, and the cervical area, to study p-syn deposits in skin nerves.
The team found that all except two of the PSP/CBS patients had no skin p-syn deposits, as well as all the healthy individuals. Conversely, all PD patients showed p-syn deposition.
They were surprised by the finding that two patients diagnosed with PSP and CBS, respectively, had p-syn skin deposits. The diagnosis was confirmed by clinical and MRI findings.
The findings showed that the presence of skin p-syn deposits accurately distinguishes patients with PD from those with atypical Parkinsonism.
Early differentiation and accurate diagnosis are important for adequate clinical management and patient care since the treatment and prognosis of PD, PSP and CBS are different.
The investigators recommend further studies including larger samples of patients to confirm these results.
Read more about These vitamins may protect you from Parkinson’s disease.
Previous studies have found new early signs of Parkinson’s disease that may help with diagnosis.
In a recent study from Aarhus University and published in Brain, researchers found that patients who suffer from REM sleep behavior disorder have altered blood flow in the brain, which can lead to a lack of oxygen in the brain tissue.
In the long term, this may cause symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
In the study, the team examined whether the sleep disorder RBD—which is also known as Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder—may be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease.
They tested 20 RBD patients aged 54-77 years and 25 healthy control subjects aged 58-76 participated in the study.
The participants in the study were monitored in a sleep laboratory, where they had their EEG (electrical activity in the brain), EOG (eye movements), EMG (muscle activity) and ECG (electrical activity in the heart) measured during sleep.
The patients and the healthy people were tested cognitively and MRI scanned, and the results revealed low blood flow and flow disturbances in the small blood vessels in the brain in the patients compared with the control group.
In the patients, these flow disturbances seen in the cerebral cortex were linked to language comprehension, visual construction and recognition—this was also associated with reduced cognitive performance.
The researchers believe that the same disease processes that cause disrupted sleep also affect the ability to control the blood flow in the brain, which can lead to a lack of oxygen in the brain tissue.
Over time this will gradually break down the brain tissue and cause symptoms that we see in Parkinson’s disease.
The changes in the brain are associated with reduced neurotransmitters, meaning that nerves in the brain have trouble controlling the blood vessels.
The team says a medical treatment would be able to restore the neurotransmitter and control the blood vessels, thereby helping to maintain the cognitive function of patients who show early signs of Parkinson’s disease.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies a major cause of Parkinson’s disease, and simple daily habit may reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
For more information about Parkinson’s disease, please see recent studies this one-time treatment may eliminate Parkinson’s disease, and results showing Parkinson’s disease is an autoimmune disease partly.
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