Alpha-synuclein – a marker for early diagnosis of parkinsonism

Blood test for early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease
LifeSciencesToday based on ScienceDaily:
Simple Blood Test Diagnoses Parkinson's Disease Long Before Symptoms AppearA characteristic feature of Parkinson's disease is the presence in the brain of Levi's bodies containing phosphorylated and aggregated protein alpha-synuclein.

Alpha-synuclein is also found in various body fluids, including blood plasma, and is a potential marker of Parkinson's disease. Scientists from the University of Lancaster, UK, have developed a simple blood test to diagnose Parkinson's disease at the earliest stages of the disease, using phosphorylated alpha-synuclein.

Formation of an alpha-synuclein dimer on the cell membrane in Parkinson's disease. (Photo: scidacreview.org )

"A blood test to diagnose Parkinson's disease will mean that we will be able to find out if there is a risk of developing this disease even before its symptoms appear," says David Allsop, Ph.D., (Department of Biomedical and Natural Sciences, Lancaster University School of Health and Medicine). "This will contribute to the development of drugs that could protect the brain, which will improve the quality of life and health of the elderly."

To develop a blood test for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, Dr. Alsop and his colleagues studied a group of people diagnosed with this disease and a second group consisting of healthy people of the same age. The level of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein was determined in the blood samples of all participants of the study. It turned out that elevated levels of this substance were observed in participants with diagnosed Parkinson's disease. Based on these results, the researchers developed a blood test that determines the presence of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein, which will diagnose the disease long before the onset of symptoms, but when pathological changes have already begun to occur in the brain.

"Most people associate Parkinson's disease with external symptoms, such as involuntary movements," says Gerald Weissmann, M.D., editor–in-chief of the FASEB Journal, which published an article about this work (Foulds et al., Phosphorylated α-synuclein can be detected in blood plasma and is potentially a useful biomarker for Parkinson's disease), – but many people with Parkinson's disease develop neurological problems that are much more difficult to detect. A blood test not only helps doctors rule out other possible causes of external symptoms, but also allows them to diagnose the disease at its early stage, which can help patients and their caregivers prepare for the possibility of mental, emotional and behavioral problems."

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21.12.2011