CSF Biomarkers Flags Parkinson's Pathology Years Before Symptoms Appear

Description

Real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC), a test for pathological misfolded protein, detected alpha-synuclein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with isolated rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (IRBD), years before clinical symptoms of Parkinson's disease or dementia with Lewy bodies emerged.

In these patients, RT-QuIC detected misfolded alpha-synuclein in CSF with both sensitivity and specificity of 90%, reported Alison Green, PhD, of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and co-authors, in Lancet Neurology. Alpha-synuclein positivity was associated with increased risk of subsequent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease or dementia with Lewy bodies.