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Lewy bodies composed of α-synuclein are a pathological feature of Parkinson disease (PD). In previous studies, when pathological α-synuclein fibrils were injected into duodenal and pyloric muscularis of mice, they traveled into the vagus nerve, hindbrain, and substantia nigra; this migration was followed by loss of dopaminergic neurons (NEJM JW Gen Med Jul 25 2019 [e-pub] and Neuron 2019; 103:1).
Using electronic health records, researchers identified 9350 U.S. patients without known PD who had undergone upper endoscopy and who were followed for a mean 15 years. Endoscopy revealed erosion, esophagitis, ulcer, or peptic injury in 2337 patients. Each patient with mucosal damage was matched with patients of the same age, sex, and date of endosc…