Plasma alpha synuclein assay in Parkinson's disease and parkinsonisms

In this observational cross-sectional study, using an immunoenzymatic technique we assayed and compared total plasma alpha-synuclein concentrations in 69 patients with Parkinson's disease and 110 age-matched healthy control subjects. Two previously unreported findings concerned gender. First, plasma alpha-synuclein concentrations measured in the more advanced parkinsonian disease stages decreased in men but not in women. Second, again only in men, plasma alphasynuclein concentration was associated with cognitive impairments, hallucinations, depressed mood and sleep disorders. These findings underline the gender-related differences in parkinsonian patients and indicate plasma alpha-synuclein expression as a potential biological marker for Parkinson's disease progression in men.

E' stato condotto uno studio osservazionale trasversale caso controllo finalizzato al dosaggio plasmatico della alfa sinucleina nella malattia di Parkinson e in soggetti sani di controllo. La alfa sinucleina decrementa nei maschi ma non nelle donne al progredire della malattia. Inoltre solo negli uomini il livello plasmatico di alfa sinucleina è associato con disturbi cognitivi, allucinazioni, psicosi, disturbi del sonno