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Biomarkers in Parkinson’s Disease

Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports volume 10, pages 423–430 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Biomarkers are objectively measured characteristics that are indicators of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or responses to therapeutic interventions. To date, clinical assessment remains the gold standard in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and clinical rating scales are well established as the gold standard for tracking progression of PD. Researchers have identified numerous potential biomarkers that may aid in the differential diagnosis of PD and/or tracking disease progression. Clinical, genetic, blood and cerebrospinal fluid (proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics), and neuroimaging biomarkers may provide useful tools in the diagnosis of PD and in measuring disease progression and response to therapies. Some potential biomarkers are inexpensive and do not require much technical expertise, whereas others are expensive or require specialized equipment and technical skills. Many potential biomarkers in PD show great promise; however, they need to be assessed for their sensitivity and specificity over time in large and varied samples of patients with and without PD.

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Disclosure

Dr. Morgan has received consulting or speaking honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Teva Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Mehta has received consulting or speaking honoraria from Allergan and Ipsen. Dr. Sethi has been a consultant to Teva Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer-Ingelheim, and Ipsen and has received honoraria and speaking fees from Teva Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Ipsen, and GlaxoSmithKline.

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Affiliations

  1. Movement Disorders Program, Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, 1429 Harper Street, HF-1121, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA

    John C. Morgan, Shyamal H. Mehta & Kapil D. Sethi

  2. Charlie Norwood VAMC, Augusta, GA, USA

    John C. Morgan

Authors
  1. John C. Morgan
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  2. Shyamal H. Mehta
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  3. Kapil D. Sethi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kapil D. Sethi.

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Morgan, J.C., Mehta, S.H. & Sethi, K.D. Biomarkers in Parkinson’s Disease. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 10, 423–430 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-010-0144-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-010-0144-0

Keywords

  • Biomarkers
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT)
  • 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)
  • Dopamine transporter
  • Radiotracer neuroimaging
  • Hoehn and Yahr staging
  • Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)
  • Transcranial ultrasound
  • α-Synuclein
  • Uric acid
  • Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
  • Proteomics
  • Metabolomics
  • Gene expression profiling
  • REM behavior disorder
  • Non-Motor Questionnaire and Scale
  • Leucine-rich repeat kinase-2 (LRRK2)
  • Glucocerebrosidase
  • Parkin
  • Metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG)