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Gut microbes may serve as an early warning signal of Parkinson\u2019s risk years before symptom onset. Credit: Neuroscience News<\/p>\nSummary: The fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease in the world may soon be detectable through a simple fecal sample. Researchers have identified a distinctive \u201cmicrobial signature\u201d in the gut that appears long before the motor tremors of Parkinson\u2019s disease begin.<\/p>\n
By studying healthy individuals with a high-risk genetic variant (GBA1), the team discovered that their gut microbiome already resembles an \u201cintermediate\u201d stage of Parkinson\u2019s, suggesting the gut is an early battlefield for the disease.<\/p>\n
Key Findings<\/p>\n
Early Detection: Gut microbes provide a \u201cwarning signal\u201d years before traditional symptoms like tremors or stiffness appear.Universal Results: The findings were corroborated across cohorts in the UK, Korea, and Turkey, totaling over 1,400 participants, proving the microbial signature is consistent across different cultures and diets.New Research Avenues: UCL is currently leading trials testing whether targeting these pathways, including using common cough medicines, can slow the disease\u2019s progression.<\/p>\n
Source: UCL<\/p>\n
Analysis of microbes in the gut can reveal whether a person faces an elevated risk of Parkinson\u2019s disease, before they have developed any symptoms, suggests a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.<\/p>\n
The scientists found that people with Parkinson\u2019s disease have a distinctive makeup of gut microbes, as do healthy individuals who are genetically at risk of Parkinson\u2019s disease, they report in the new\u00a0Nature Medicine\u00a0study.<\/p>\n
Gut microbes may serve as an early warning signal of Parkinson\u2019s risk years before symptom onset. Credit: Neuroscience News<\/p>\n
The researchers say their findings could help in developing tests to reveal a person\u2019s risk of developing Parkinson\u2019s disease, so that they can be offered early support, and potentially also lead to new ways to prevent Parkinson\u2019s by targeting the gut.<\/p>\n
Professor Anthony Schapira (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology), lead investigator of the study said: \u201cParkinson\u2019s disease is a major cause of disability worldwide, and the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease in terms of prevalence and mortality. There is an urgent need to develop treatments that can stop or slow the disease\u2019s progression.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo enable both the research and eventual use of such treatments, we need to develop the means for very early detection of people who will, or likely will, go on to develop the disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn recent years there has been a growing recognition of the links between Parkinson\u2019s disease \u2013 a brain disorder \u2013 and gut health. Here we have strengthened that evidence and shown that microbes in the gut can reveal signs of Parkinson\u2019s and may be an early warning signal of Parkinson\u2019s risk years before symptom onset.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the study, the international team led by scientists at UCL and in collaboration with INRAE (Institut national de la recherche agronomique, in France) used an innovative new method to analyse clinical and fecal data from study participants in the UK (at the Royal Free Hospital, London) and Italy.<\/p>\n
This included 271 people with Parkinson\u2019s disease, 43 carriers of the\u00a0GBA1\u00a0variant (a gene variant that can increase the risk of Parkinson\u2019s disease by up to 30-fold) with no clinical symptoms, and 150 healthy control participants (as a comparison group).<\/p>\n
The scientists found that over a quarter of the microbes making up the gut microbiome (the assortment of microorganisms such as bacteria that live in our digestive tract) \u2013 176 different species \u2013 differed in their abundance when comparing people with Parkinson\u2019s disease and the healthy control participants.<\/p>\n
Some microbes were more common among those with Parkinson\u2019s disease, while others were more common among healthy study participants. This pattern was most noticeable among people in more advanced stages of Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Most of these microbes (142 species) also consistently differed in abundance when comparing healthy controls to people with the\u00a0GBA1\u00a0gene variant who have not yet experienced any symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
The researchers say that the makeup of the gut microbiome in people who are genetically at risk of Parkinson\u2019s, but without any symptoms, resembled an intermediate pattern between the healthy individuals and those with Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Professor Schapira added: \u201cFor the first time we identify bacteria in the gut of people with Parkinson\u2019s that can also be found in those with a genetic risk for the disease, but before they develop symptoms. Importantly, these same changes can be found in a small proportion of the general population that may put them at increased risk for Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis discovery opens the way not only to see if the bacteria are a way to identify those at risk of Parkinson\u2019s, but also to see if changing the bacterial population, through dietary changes or medication, can reduce a person\u2019s risk for Parkinson\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
The scientists corroborated their findings by comparing their results to additional cohort of people in the UK, Korea and Turkey, totalling an additional 638 people with Parkinson\u2019s disease and 319 healthy control participants.<\/p>\n
A small proportion of the healthy control participants also had gut microbiomes similar to those at risk of Parkinson\u2019s disease, raising the question of whether they might also be at risk of Parkinson\u2019s. More research is still needed to understand what other genetic or environmental factors are at play to determine whether someone develops Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Study participants also provided data about their dietary habits, which revealed some evidence that those with a more balanced and varied diet are less likely to have gut microbiomes that suggest an elevated risk of Parkinson\u2019s; the researchers say this may suggest that diet modification could play a role in Parkinson\u2019s prevention.<\/p>\n
Co-lead author Professor Stanislav Dusko Ehrlich, honorary professor at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, said: \u201cGut microbiome analysis can enable us to identify individuals who are at risk of developing Parkinson\u2019s disease, so that we can suggest ways for them to reduce their own risk, such as through dietary adjustments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another recent study led by UCL researchers revealed how Parkinson\u2019s spreads from the gut to the brain with the help of immune cells, in a finding that might point to potential therapeutic strategies.<\/p>\n
UCL researchers are also leading the first phase 3 genetically stratified Parkinson\u2019s trial that\u2019s testing a common cough medicine as a potential treatment, and the world\u2019s largest-ever clinical trial of treatments to slow or stop Parkinson\u2019s progression, in a study that will be updated as new drugs are developed.<\/p>\n
Funding: The study was supported by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson\u2019s Research and the Medical Research Council.<\/p>\n
Key Questions Answered:Q: Does having a \u201cbad\u201d gut microbiome mean I will definitely get Parkinson\u2019s?<\/p>\n
A: No. It means you may have an elevated risk. The microbiome is one piece of a complex puzzle that includes genetics and environment. However, this test allows doctors to monitor at-risk people much earlier than ever before.<\/p>\n
Q: How can I change my gut microbes to lower my risk?<\/p>\n
A: The study found that people with a varied and balanced diet had \u201chealthier\u201d gut profiles. Increasing fiber, fermented foods, and a diverse range of plants is generally the best way to support a microbiome that resists these disease-linked patterns.<\/p>\n
Q: Why is a brain disease showing up in my gut first?<\/p>\n
A: Many researchers believe the toxic proteins associated with Parkinson\u2019s (alpha-synuclein) may actually form in the gut\u2019s nervous system first and \u201cclimb\u201d up the vagus nerve to the brain over several years.<\/p>\n
Editorial Notes:This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.Journal paper reviewed in full.Additional context added by our staff.About this Parkinson\u2019s disease research news<\/p>\n
Author:\u00a0Chris Lane<\/a>
Source:\u00a0UCL<\/a>
Contact:\u00a0Chris Lane \u2013 UCL
Image:\u00a0The image is credited to Neuroscience News<\/p>\n