Plasma α-synuclein and cognitive impairment in the Parkinson's Associated Risk Syndrome: A pilot study.

Plasma α-synuclein and cognitive impairment in the Parkinson's Associated Risk Syndrome: A pilot study. Neurobiol Dis. 2018 Apr 26;: Authors: Wang H, Atik A, Stewart T, Ginghina C, Aro P, Kerr KF, Seibyl J, Jennings D, PARS Investigators, Jensen PH, Marek K, Shi M, Zhang J Abstract Plasma total and nervous system derived exosomal (NDE) α-synuclein have been determined as potential biomarkers of Parkinson's disease (PD). To explore the utility of plasma α-synuclein in the prodromal phase of PD, plasma total and NDE α-synuclein were evaluated in baseline and 2-year follow-up samples from 256 individuals recruited as part of the Parkinson's Associated Risk Syndrome (PARS) study. The results demonstrated that baseline and longitudinal increases in total α-synuclein predicted progression of cognitive decline in hyposmic individuals with dopamine transporter (DAT) binding reduction. On the other hand, a longitudinal decrease in NDE α-synuclein predicted worsening cognitive scores in hyposmic individuals with DAT binding reduction. Finally, in individuals with faster DAT progression, decreasing NDE/total α-synuclein ratio was associated with a larger reduction in DAT from baseline to follow-up. These results suggest that, though underlying mechanisms remain to be defined, alterations in plasma total and NDE α-synuclein concentrations are likely associated with PD progression, especially in the aspect of cognitive impairment, at earl...
Source: Neurobiology of Disease - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Neurobiol Dis Source Type: research