Is alpha-synuclein in the colon a biomarker for premotor Parkinson's Disease? Evidence from 3 cases.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...25020/abstract


Abstract
Background: Despite clinicopathological evidence that Parkinson's disease (PD) may begin in peripheral tissues, identification of premotor Parkinson's disease is not yet possible. Alpha-synuclein aggregation underlies Parkinson's disease pathology, and its presence in peripheral tissues may be a reliable disease biomarker. Objective: We sought evidence of alpha-synuclein pathology in colonic tissues before the development of characteristic Parkinson's disease motor symptoms. Methods: Old colon biopsy samples were available for three subjects with PD. Biopsies were obtained 2-5 years before PD onset. We performed immunohistochemistry studies for the presence of alpha-synuclein and Substance P in these samples. Results: All subjects showed immunostaining for alpha-synuclein (two, five and two years before first motor Parkinson's disease symptom). No similar alpha-synuclein immunostaining was seen in 23 healthy controls. Staining of samples for substance P suggested colocalization of alpha-synuclein and substance P in perikarya and neurites. Conclusions: This is the first demonstration of alpha-synuclein in colon tissue prior to onset of PD. Additional study is required to determine whether colonic mucosal biopsy may be a biomarker of premotor PD

http://blog.michaeljfox.org/2012/05/...es-predict-pd/

Debi

Hi there,

I just went to a research symposium for the mj fox foundation at yale this week. Did you speak there?

Yes...I was on the panel at the MJFF Roundtable in New Haven along with two PhD colleagues, a clinical neurologist and a scientist from Pfizer. I hope you found the session useful.

Debi