Parkinson's disease is a disorder that is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the part of the brain. This eventually leads to shaking, stiffness and difficulty with walking, balance and coordination. While there are treatments to help with the symptoms, there is no cure. According to this article, researchers are saying that a small skin test could accurately identify this disorder early on. Researchers say that this was an important study because patients are usually misdiagnosed with Parkinson's, early in the disease course, which eventually leads to complications with treatment and clinical trials. A chemical assay is able to detect clumping of the protein, alpha-synuclein. This article, by the NIH, emphasizes that the aggression of a-Syn is associated with the dysfunctionality and degeneration of neurons in Parkinson's Disease.
I found it so interesting how scientists are able to simply find early detection of PD by taking a skin sample. I could definitely understand why this would assist clinical trials.
ReplyDeleteParkinson's Disease is an unfortunately and painfully slow disease for those who are unfortunate enough to succumb to it. Hopefully, this new discovery will aid in future diagnoses.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how a small skin test could help identify this disorder in the early stages! Hopefully this helps more people in the future!
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