What is Parkinson’s disease and why is it difficult to diagnose?
The Parkinson’s disease It is a brain disease that affects mainly, but not only, older people and causes problems with movement, such as tremors, slowness and muscle stiffness, but also non-motor disorders such as depression and digestive difficulties. Currently, the diagnosis is mainly based on theclinical observation, but it can often be wrong, because the symptoms are similar to those of other diseases. Even brain imaging, such as MRI, does not always help decisively. For this reason, many researchers are looking for new, more reliable methods, such as the use of biomarkers in the blood or urine, which are chemicals that can more accurately indicate whether a person has Parkinson’s.
A new approach: metabolomics to study Parkinson’s disease
In a recent study from 2024, researchers used the metabolomics, which analyses the metabolites, that is, the small molecules produced by our body. This technique has allowed us to compare the blood of healthy people with that of Parkinson’s patients. They have been identified 15 altered metabolites, And 11 of these were reported for the first time as possible signs of the disease. The alterations concern in particular the caffeine metabolism, of the bile acids and of thearachidonic acid, all substances involved in important functions of the body. In addition, a model was created with artificial intelligence able to distinguish sick people from healthy people with a94% accuracy, much higher than the diagnosis made by the doctor alone.
What does this discovery mean for early diagnosis?
The results show that some metabolites present in body fluids (like blood, but also other fluids like urine) can become useful tools for a more precise and earlier diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. The use of automatic models like the decision trees It also allows you to make the analysis easy to interpret, helping doctors make better decisions. These discoveries can lead not only to more effective diagnosis, but also to new personalized care, improving the quality of life of people affected by this complex disease.
For further information:
Santos WT, Katchborian-Neto A, Viana GS, Ferreira MS, Martins LC, Vale TC, Murgu M, Dias DF, Soares MG, Chagas-Paula DA, Paula ACC. Metabolomics Unveils Disrupted Pathways in Parkinsons Disease: Toward Biomarker-Based Diagnosis. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2024 Sep 4;15(17):3168-3180.