madman
Super Moderator
Andrea Pilotto, MD, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy, explains the major ongoing research regarding digital and fluid biomarkers for use in Parkinson’s disease (PD) diagnosis, monitoring, and prognostication. There is a huge interest in seed amplification assays (RT-QuIC) that detect misfolded ɑ-synuclein in the CSF, as they have demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity. However, its ability to detect ɑ-synuclein in PD and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), as well as other conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, limits its use for PD differential diagnosis. Although some reports are conflicting, neurofilament light (NfL) appears to be useful in discriminating between typical and atypical parkinsonisms, as well as providing prognostic information on cognitive and motor progression. However, NfL does not change much over time in PD, and therefore there is still research into new markers in plasma that are able to track the neurodegenerative process, especially in prodromal phases. Digital technology able to detect subtle changes in motor performance that are not otherwise visible is also promising in this space. This interview took place at the AD/PD™ 2023 Congress in Gothenburg, Sweden.
