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Diagnostic methods for Parkinson’s Disease
A clinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is
based upon characteristic motor symptoms such as tremor,
muscular rigidity and slowness of movement. Studies have
shown that diagnosis based upon these signs, especially early
in the disease when the characteristic symptoms are ambiguous
or absent, is difficult. Further, motor dysfunction only
develops several years after brain cell death has begun when
at least 70% of the dopamine-containing neurons of the
substantia nigra have already died. New, more objective
methods of diagnosis would make it possible to diagnose
Parkinson’s disease earlier and more accurately than is
currently possible, even before motor symptoms develop. An
accurate and early diagnosis would enable more effective
treatments including the use of so-called “neuroprotective”
drugs; these compounds aim to slow or even stop brain cell
death to arrest the disease process and are currently a focus
of intense world-wide research.
Dr Double, together with her colleagues Dr Rowe
from the Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney and Professor
Riederer and Professor Gerlach from the University of Würzburg,
Germany, have developed a new patented
blood test for the early detection and correct diagnosis of
Parkinson’s disease
(see
Figure 1). We are refining the current test and conducting a multicentre, international study to determine the usefulness
of the test to objectively and sensitively diagnose
Parkinson’s disease in clinical practice. One arm of this
study is the Sydney-based “Diagnosing
dopamine cell loss” (DEDCeL) study.
Figure 1:
In Parkinson’s
disease many of the neuromelanin-containing pigmented brain
cells which control normal movement die, releasing their
neuromelanin pigment into the brain. We believe that the
pigment is then removed from the brain by cells of the immune
system into the blood and that these immune cells make a new
protein, an antibody, as a response to being exposed to the
released pigment. The test we have developed appears to
measure this new protein in a small blood sample taken, for
example, from the arm. If high blood levels of this new
protein are found this suggests that the neuromelanin-containing
brain cells are actively dying.
In addition
Drs Double and Rowe and Professors
Halliday and
Broe are involved in ongoing research at the
University of Saarland, Germany to develop a new imaging
method for the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
Ultrasound imaging is an inexpensive and
widely available diagnostic tool and its application to the
diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease would improve diagnostic
accuracy.
How can I help this research?
By participating in our research programs
(contact 02 9036 7117).
Key Researchers
Kay
Double,
Glenda Halliday,
Tony
Broe, Francine Carew-Jones
Collaborators
DEDCeL Research
Group,
Sydney
Dominic Rowe (University of Sydney, Royal North Shore Hospital)
Peter Riederer (University of Würzburg, Germany)
Manfred Gerlach (University of Würzburg, Germany)
Stefanie Behnke (University of the Saarland,
Germany)
Key Publications
Double, K.L., Rowe, D.B., Gerlach, M. and Riederer, P. (2001)
Australian Patent PCT/AU01/01271, Detection of neurodegenerative
disorders.
Double, K.L.,
Rowe, D.B., Hayes, M., Chan, D.K.Y., Blackie, J, Corbett, A.,
Joffe, R., Fung, V.S., J. Morris, J. and Halliday, G.M. (2003)
Identifying the pattern of olfactory deficits in
Parkinson’s disease using the Brief Smell Identification Test
(B-SIT). Archives Neurol 60, 545-549.
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