New Study reveals correlation between protein levels in spinal fluid and gait difficulty in parkinso

The Fox Investigation for New Discovery of Biomarkers (BioFIND) — a cross-sectional, observational study sponsored by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) — has profiled Parkinson's-associated protein levels and correlation to clinical experience in findings published online in Movement Disorders. This analysis points to associations that could inform subject selection for clinical trials, speeding testing of symptomatic and disease-modifying therapies.

"This report is an important contribution in our efforts to understand and quantify Parkinson's biology to accelerate drug development," said MJFF Senior Vice President of Research Programs Mark Frasier, PhD, an author on the paper. "BioFIND is a partnership between our Foundation, academia, government and — most importantly — research volunteers to measure this disease and the impact of new treatments."

BioFIND is supported in part by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health, and led by principal investigator Un Jung Kang, MD, chief of the Division of Movement Disorders at Columbia University. The study collected data and samples from 120 people with moderately advanced Parkinson's disease and 100 control volunteers across eight academic sites in the United States at two points over two weeks.

Study investigators report levels of the protein alpha-synuclein were lower in cerebrospinal fluid among participants with postural instability/gait difficulty phenotype. Levels of beta-amyloid protein — which accumulates into plaques in Alzheimer's disease — were lower in the Parkinson's cohort and correlated to scores on a cognitive recall test (Montreal Cognitive Assessment).

The study also showed alpha-synuclein levels in plasma and saliva did not differ between people with Parkinson's and control volunteers, and alpha-synuclein did not significantly correlate among biofluids. These are important insights for the ongoing pursuit of accessible biomarker tests to diagnose and track the disease.