Altered brain-body interaction as early marker of Parkinson’s disease
Description: Parkinson's disease (PD) is progressive and irreversible, and is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. The number of patients with PD is expected to double by 2040 to reach approximately 17 million individuals worldwide. PD is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the nigrostriatal pathway and the presence of Lewy bodies, which are abnormal accumulations of misfolded a-synuclein protein, in the central nervous system. Although PD is generally regarded as a movement disorder, with tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia as typical motor symptoms, it is now known to be a more heterogeneous disease with a range of non-motor symptoms, including psychosis, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), and cognitive decline.Recent hypotheses have proposed two distinct subtypes of PD based on the origin of Lewy bodies accumulation. The first subtype, defined as the 'body-first', is characterized by an initial Lewy bodies accumulation in peripheral body parts, such as the gut, which then spread to the brainstem and ultimately to the brain. The second subtype, defined as the 'brain-first', is characterized by the initial Lewy bodies accumulation directly in the brain. While both subtypes are associated with PD, the 'body-first' subtype might be a marker of a more severe form of the disease, characterized by a more rapid progression of disease and higher risk of psychosis and dementia. Therefore, providing empirical confirmation supporting the existence of this subtype is critical for a better understanding of PD, its progression, as well as for providing early and personalized neuroprotective treatments. To confirm the existence of the 'body-first' subtype, the proposed project will investigate the brain-body interaction in individuals with isolated RBD, a condition that has been hypothesized as a strong marker for the 'body-first' subtype. The current project, which merges neuroscience, engineering, and medicine, has the potential to confirm the existence of the 'body-first' subtype, identify new prognostic markers of PD, and contribute to a better understanding of the disease progression and trajectories.
Amount: CHF 83,870
Funding type: grant
Funder scheme: Spark
Start date: 2024-03-01
End date: 2025-02-28
Investigator: Bernasconi, Fosco
Institution: EPF Lausanne – EPFL
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Funded outputs count: 4
Funder award ID: 221182
OpenAlex ID: G7049111404