Central and Peripheral α-synuclein in Parkinson Disease

A comparison of α-synuclein detection by seed amplification assay in cerebrospinal fluid and submandibular tissue in patients and healthy controls

In this study, investigators examined the accuracy of an α-synuclein seed amplification assay in both central nervous system (cerebrospinal fluid) and peripheral nervous system (submandibular gland). There were 59 patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and 21 healthy controls; almost all participants were white. Participants underwent PD motor and nonmotor measurements as well as dopamine transporter scans, along with a seed amplification assay run in cerebrospinal fluid and a formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded submandibular gland sample. Investigators also measured the total α-synuclein level using enzyme-linked immunoassay and measured the aggregated α-synuclein in submandibular gland detected by immunohistochemistry.

The sensitivity and speci…

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)