Search

The aim of our study is to examine the plasma levels of the four kinds of neurodegenerative proteins in plasma: α-syn, T-tau, P-tau and Aβ-42 in Parkinson's disease (PD) and to evaluate the relationship between their plasma levels and PD motor subtypes. 84 patients with PD were enrolled in our study, and finally, 73 of them were classified into the tremor-dominant subtype (TD) and the postural instability gait difficulty subtype (PIGD). Their motor performance was evaluated by a series of clinical assessments: Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOGQ), Timed Up and Go (TUGs), Tinetti balance, and Tinetti gait. Plasma levels of these proteins were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The plasma level of α-syn was significantly higher in PD patients when compared to controls ( p = 0.004), and significantly higher in the PIGD group when compared to the TD group ( p = 0.03). While the plasma level of Aβ-42 was significantly lower in PD patients than in controls ( p = 0.002), and significantly lower in the PIGD group than in the TD group ( p = 0.05). In PD patients, the plasma level of α-syn ( r = −0.355, p < 0.001) was significantly related to the severity of Tenitti Gait score, even after performing multiple linear regression ( p = 0.002). While the plasma level of Aβ-42 ( r = −0.261, p < 0.05) was significantly associated with the severity of PIGD score and remained correlate when performed multiple linear regression ( p = 0.005). The patients with PIGD subtype are characterized with a lower level of plasma Aβ-42 and a higher plasma level of α-syn, which may be used as biomarkers for diagnosis and progression of the subtypes of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) can be classified into the tremor dominant (TD) subtype and the postural instability gait difficulty (PIGD) subtype, which present with different clinical courses and prognoses. However, the symptom-specific intrinsic neural mechanisms underlying the subtypes of PD still remain elusive. In the current study, we utilized resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) combined with the regional homogeneity (ReHo) method to investigate the modulations of neural activity in 13 patients with predominantly PIGD (p-PIGD) and 15 patients with predominantly TD (p-TD) in the resting state. Compared with healthy controls, the p-PIGD and the p-TD groups both displayed ReHo changes in the default mode network (DMN). By contrast, the p-TD group exhibited more ReHo alterations in the cerebellum involved in the cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CTC) loops, whilst the p-PIGD group in extensive cortical and sub-cortical areas, including the frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, limbic lobes, basal ganglia and thalamus, which are involved in the striatal-thalamo-cortical (STC) loops. Direct comparison between the two groups showed significant ReHo alterations in the primary visual cortex. Our findings underscore the differential involvement of the STC and CTC circuits underlying the two subtypes of PD. Moreover, relatively widespread neural activity abnormality, especially in the motor-related regions as well as the visual network, is apparently a characteristic feature of PIGD symptoms. This study could shed light on the underlying pathophysiology and clinical heterogeneity of PD presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Converging evidence suggests that changes in plasma levels of amino acids are involved in Parkinson's disease (PD), but their roles in nonmotor symptoms (NMS) of PD remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlations between plasma amino acids and NMS of PD. Plasma levels of aspartate (Asp), glutamate (Glu), glycine (Gly) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were measured in 92 PD patients and 60 healthy controls. Four NMS, including depression, pain, sleep disturbances and autonomic dysfunction were assessed in enrolled subjects using the Hamilton Depression Scale, the short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Scale for Outcomes in Parkinson's disease for Autonomic Symptoms, respectively. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the correlations between plasma levels of amino acids and NMS. PD patients exhibited significantly higher scores of NMS scales and lower plasma levels of amino acids compared to healthy controls. Within the PD group, plasma levels of Asp and Glu were negatively associated with the severity of depression and sleep disturbances. Moreover, decreased plasma level of GABA was correlated with more severe symptoms of sleep disturbances. After controlling for gender, disease duration, severity of motor symptoms and anti-parkinsonian medications, Glu but not Asp remained significantly associated with depression, along with Asp, GABA but not Glu remained negatively associated with sleep disturbances. The altered plasma levels of amino acids may be implicated in the pathogenesis of NMS of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]