A buildup of protein in the brain is linked to some forms of Parkinson’s disease, a study published this Thursday confirms, potentially paving the way for early diagnosis of the disease.
The high content of the protein alpha-synuclein in the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain provides “greater accuracy (for detecting) typical forms of Parkinson’s disease,” summarizes a study by American neurologist Andrew Sideroof, which was published in the Lancet Neurology.
Parkinson’s disease is, along with Alzheimer’s disease, one of the main pathologies affecting the brain. However, it is still largely unknown what causes this insidious disease, in which patients gradually lose the ability to move, according to the news agency France-Presse (AFP).
However, several factors are known to be associated with the disease. Among them, it has been known for several years that aggregates of the alpha-synuclein protein are often found in patients.
The Lancet Neurology study, which has the advantage of being the first of its kind to be conducted on hundreds of patients, confirms that by testing for elevated levels of this protein, disease can be largely identified.
However, the results are unevenly accurate. In patients with a genetic mutation called LRRK2, which is associated with some forms of Parkinson’s disease, the presence of clusters is less systematic.
In particular, it is necessary to determine whether the technique is effective with blood tests, which are much easier to perform than cerebrospinal fluid tests.
But this study “lays the groundwork for a biological diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease,” according to neurologists Daniele Berg and Christine Klein, who were not involved in the study, in a commentary also published in the journal Lancet Neurology.
In his opinion, the role of alpha-synuclein has now been proven to be “a game-changer in the diagnosis, research and clinical trials of Parkinson’s disease.”
The researchers find it particularly interesting that the study authors also measured the presence of high concentrations of a-synuclein in patients with early signs of Parkinson’s disease, including impaired sense of smell, although the disease has not yet been diagnosed.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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