June 18th 2024.
Parkinson's disease is a neurological condition that affects a significant number of people in Australia, with 50 individuals receiving a diagnosis every day. Despite its prevalence, there is currently no definitive screening or test available to detect the disease in its early stages. Typically, a doctor must conduct a clinical examination and look for certain physical symptoms, such as tremors and changes in movement, in order to diagnose Parkinson's disease.
However, a team of European researchers has made an exciting discovery that could change the game for early detection of the disease. They propose that a simple blood test could potentially predict Parkinson's disease up to seven years before the motor symptoms, such as tremors, begin to appear. The study, published in Nature Communications, found that early markers for the disease can be detected in the blood.
Parkinson's disease is characterized by slowness of movement, rigidity, and resting tremor, but before these physical symptoms manifest, there is a period of non-motor symptoms, including sleep disorders like REM sleep behavior disorder. To investigate the potential of a blood test for early detection, the research team analyzed blood samples from three groups of individuals: those with Parkinson's, those with REM sleep behavior disorder but no motor symptoms, and healthy individuals.
Through their analysis, the team identified 23 proteins in the blood that were consistently altered in individuals with Parkinson's disease. Out of these, six were also found to be altered in those with the sleep disorder. Using an artificial intelligence model, the researchers were able to predict a Parkinson's diagnosis based on the composition of an individual's blood sample. Impressively, their machine was able to accurately predict who would develop the disease with 79% accuracy, up to seven years before the motor symptoms appeared.
This groundbreaking discovery has the potential to not only provide earlier treatment for affected individuals, but also improve recruitment into preventative clinical trials. By being able to more accurately predict who will develop Parkinson's disease, researchers hope to drive further research and ultimately improve the lives of those affected by this condition. However, the authors of the study caution that further validation of their results in larger populations is necessary.
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