FLUID BIOMARKERS IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, debilitating neurodegenerative disorder characterized clinically by
a variety of progressive motor and non-motor symptoms. Currently, there is a dearth of diagnostic tools
available to predict, diagnose or assessdisease risk or progression, leading to a challenging dilemma within
the healthcare management system. The search for a reliable biomarker for PD that reflects underlying
pathology is a high priority in PD research. With the advent of the recent alpha-synuclein Seeding
Amplification Assays (SAA), mainly applied in the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF), a new era in PD biomarkers
has commenced. However, such assays, despite their high sensitivity and specificity for PD or its prodromal
forms, are at this point used only as a research tool, and they are not quantitative or reflective of disease
severity. Currently, there are no reliable biomarkers predictive of progressionof motor and non- motor
symptoms. A combination of multiple biomarkers might facilitate earlier diagnosis and more accurate
prognosis in PD. In this review, we focus on the recent developments of fluid biomarkersin different
biological liquids (CSF, blood, saliva) for PD.