A team of researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has identified a potential biomarker of Parkinson's disease progression. According to the new study, published in the NPJ Parkinson's Disease , patients with a slow progression of the pathology would have a significant increase in the levels of a molecule called ecto-GPR37 in the cerebrospinal fluid. The findings could have relevant implications for the treatment of patients with this neurodegenerative disease, which is characterised by movement disorders such as tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement or postural instability.
What the study suggests is that this biomarker could be used to define whether the progression of the disease will be fast or slow. On a clinical scale, being able to perform this stratification is very important, because the management of patients with slowly progressive Parkinson's disease versus those with rapid progression involves a different clinical approach". Francisco Ciruela, professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB and member of the Institute of Neurosciences (UBNeuro) and IDIBELL According to the researcher, patients with rapid progression have an accelerated onset and worsening of symptoms, motor fluctuations and complications, as well as an increased likelihood of cognitive impairment and psychiatric symptoms.
In contrast, patients with slow progression have a gradual onset and progression of symptoms a.