Parkinson's Diagnosis: New Lab Tests Could Accelerate Detection, Research

Researchers discover a new way to diagnose Parkinson's disease
The study was led by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
The new test joins a previously known procedure

International researchers have discovered a new way to detect a key pathology of Parkinson's disease inside the human brain and body cells.

The study's identification of the new biomarker, known as abnormal alpha-synuclein, provides new opportunities for further research. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research led the coalition and its landmark study known as the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI).

Detecting Parkinson's Disease at an Early Stage

The new tool is known as the α-synuclein seeding amplification assay and was found capable of detecting pathology in spinal fluid for both those who were diagnosed with Parkinson's as well as individuals who were considered to be at high risk of developing the disease but have not yet been diagnosed or have shown clinical symptoms, as per Fox News.

Furthermore, the researchers' laboratory testing confirmed the presence of abnormal alpha-synuclein. The team detected this in most people with Parkinson's with what the foundation considered to be "astonishing accuracy."

The research data showed that out of all the people who participated in the study, 93% were proven to have had abnormal alpha-synuclein. In a statement, the chief mission officer at the foundation, Dr. Todd Scherer, said that they have never before determined whether or not a living person had this alpha-synuclein biological change occurring inside their bodies.

The protein, commonly found inside the body's nervous system, similar to amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, is capable of misfolding and clumping, resulting in the damage of neurons and later leading to Parkinson's disease.

The new test, known as SYNTap, joins a previously known procedure for detecting Parkinson's, known as Syn-One, which has been available since 2019. But the new test, when finding positive results from a patient, points to a group of disorders caused by the abnormal clumping of alpha-synuclein instead of just Parkinson's, according to CNN Health.

A Revolutionary New Test

These include dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy, which is considered to be a rare disorder that results in damage to several areas of a person's brain. The most common disease among these is Parkinson's.

Parkinson's is known to affect a person's nervous system, cause movement-related symptoms, and cause other problems, such as depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment, sleep troubles, hallucinations, and loss of smell.

The study was conducted to find a simple test capable of detecting neurodegenerative disease in its early stages, which is when therapies have the largest impact.

The new test is also a crucial reminder of the importance of investing in ambitious, long-term science that has the potential to transform a field's perspective. The foundation has spent more than $500 million in the last decade toward its broader efforts to find a good way to detect neurodegenerative disease, said the Washington Post.