Paula asked why the spinal tap (or lumbar puncture)...as you likely know, the CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) bathes the brain. And, much in the same way that blood can illuminate elements of biology and activity for our bodies, the same is true for what CSF can tell us about the brain (remember, no blood passes beyond the blood brain barrier).

In earlier work supported by MJFF to discover potential biomarkers of progression, it was found that concentrations of some proteins vary in CSF of PD patients. In fact, those findings have been the most telling of all we've uncovered thus far. So, in PPMI (our study to verify biomarkers of PD progression) we are tracking how such levels change over time and if that is different for PD patients than for folks who don't have PD). The study calls for seven LP's over 5 years (I know--I"m actually a control for the study)....so we will be able to learn much from this valuable biological sample. It is important to know that we will be looking immediately to see if the earlier findings hold but we are also reserving stores of CSF to investigate future findings. The data being contributed by subjects in this biomarker study is extraordinary and has the power to transform what we understand about the disease. Very exciting.

I'm checking on the question about cancer and growth factors although I'm not aware of any such finding/concern (but I'm not a researcher!)

Best, Debi