Alpha-Synuclein Aggregates as Biomarkers for Parkinson Disease

Can we track PD clinical stage using measures of alpha-synuclein aggregates?

A critical need remains for a biomarker to aid in diagnosing and monitoring the clinical course of Parkinson disease (PD). These authors assessed whether a seed amplification assay (SAA) of alpha-synuclein (αSyn) multiplexed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) correlated with disease severity. To develop the test, they used a pilot set and a validation set of human brain homogenates from patients with PD, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), or Alzheimer disease, and healthy controls. They performed verification with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 111 patients with PD and 82 healthy controls, separated into discovery and validation cohorts.

Oligomer-specific ELISA successfully measured αSyn SAA end products from patients with PD or…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)