Neurodegenerative diseases: early diagnosis by skin biopsy

A skin test will help determine Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases

BBC news: Skin may help spot Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseaseScientists from Mexico have proposed a new technology for detecting hidden brain diseases – a skin test.

The development can serve as a method of early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other disorders.

Dr. Ildefonso Rodriguez-Leyva and his colleagues from the University of San Luis Potosi believe that skin analysis can be a good tool for determining brain diseases, since these tissues have a common origin in embryogenesis (from ectoderm). The study showed that, indeed, with the accumulation of abnormal proteins in the brain, they can also be found in the skin.

65 people took part in the experiment: 12 healthy and 53 with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's or age-related dementia. They took a biopsy of a small area of skin behind the ear and examined the concentrations of several proteins. As a result, it turned out that in 20 people with Alzheimer's disease and in 16 with Parkinsonism, the level of tau- and alpha-synuclein in the skin was increased compared to the control group and with patients suffering from other types of dementia. In addition, participants with Parkinson's disease were found to have higher levels of alpha-synuclein.

Dr. Rodriguez-Leyva is going to present the results of the study in April at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (American Academy of Neurology).

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