Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, involving slow and progressive loss of a group of nerve cells in the brain. Unlike most cells in the human body, most brain nerves, once lost, are not replaced. For decades, scientists have been trying to understand the basic mechanisms of this disease so that they can develop treatments.
However, a major hurdle still remained: early diagnosis. Without ways to make a diagnosis early, the cascading events that lead to this slow deterioration is not detectable until a patient presents with neurological complaints. However, with early detection of the disease, early intervention may be possible before it has caused significant neurological damage.
A research group from Iowa State University, led by Dr. Anumantha Kanthasamy, has been able to successfully diagnose Parkinson’s disease using skin samples. In this research study, samples of skin from subjects with or without Parkinson’s disease were provided by the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders for the study. The diagnostic method can detect and measure pathological alpha-synuclein protein in the skin, which were present in individuals who had Parkinson’s disease.
The researchers say that the test is both sensitive and specific. This is good news because it will help to correctly diagnose people who present with symptoms that resemble Parkinson’s, so the correct treatments can be given. Further, since it is a highly sensitive technique, it can be developed into a screening tool, making it possible to detect the disease early on, before too much deterioration of the brain and other organs has occurred. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DOD). The authors had no competing interests.
There are many ways to get involved in Parkinson’s Disease research and awareness. The Michael J Fox Foundation (MJFF) has many options available for community engagement and involvement. MJFF directly supports research through funding and one can contribute by donating or volunteering.
Bibliography
Iowa State University. "Diagnosing Parkinson's disease with skin samples could lead to earlier detection." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 October 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201021112343.htm>.
Michael J Fox Foundation: https://www.michaeljfox.org/
Sireesha Manne, Naveen Kondru, Huajun Jin, Geidy E. Serrano, Vellareddy Anantharam, Arthi Kanthasamy, Charles H. Adler, Thomas G. Beach, Anumantha G. Kanthasamy. Blinded RT‐QuIC Analysis of α‐Synuclein Biomarker in Skin Tissue from Parkinson's Disease Patients. Movement Disorders, 2020; DOI: 10.1002/mds.28242
