Elevated serum α-synuclein levels in huntington’s disease patients

We presently sought to investigate serum α-synuclein levels in 38 HD patients (34 symptomatic and 4 premanifest) and compare them to 36 controls. We found that α-synuclein was elevated in HD patients vs. controls (2.49 ± 1.47 vs. 1.40 ± 1.16, p=0.001). There was no difference in α-synuclein levels between symptomatic vs. premanifest HD, nor between HD patients receiving medication vs. treatment-naïve. Furthermore, α-synuclein levels showed no correlation with CAG2, Unified HD Rating Scale motor score, age, disease duration or disease burden score. Our results provide evidence for elevated serum α-synuclein in HD and lend support to further investigating the role of α-synuclein in this disorder.
Source: Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research