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TNF rs1800629 Genotype and Motor Response to Intensive Rehabilitation in Parkinson’s Disease: An Exploratory Study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Rehabilitation is a key component of Parkinson’s disease (PD) management, although individual responses differ substantially. Genetic factors involved in neuroplasticity and inflammation may contribute to this variability. We investigated whether selected polymorphisms in inflammation- and neuroplasticity-related genes influence motor outcomes following intensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation in patients with PD. Sixty-six patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic PD were consecutively enrolled and randomly allocated to an intensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation group (EXP-Group, n = 34) or a home-based stretching control group (CTRL-Group, n = 32) for six weeks. MDS-UPDRS III score was assessed at baseline (T0) and post-treatment (T1). SNPs in the TNF, IL6, IL6R, IL1A, IL1B, IL10 and BDNF genes were genotyped. Possible associations between genotype, treatment group and MDS-UPDRS III score at T1 were analyzed using ANCOVA and linear mixed-effects models, adjusting for baseline MDS-UPDRS III score, age, sex, disease duration and levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD). A significant treatment group x TNF rs1800629 genotype interaction was observed (p = 0.033). Among EXP-Group patients, GG homozygotes showed lower adjusted MDS-UPDRS III scores than did the A-allele carriers (29.10 vs. 36.11; p = 0.029). Longitudinal analyses revealed a significant time × treatment group × TNF rs1800629 genotype interaction (p = 0.010), with GG homozygotes showing an approximately 10-point reduction in MDS-UPDRS III score (40.87 to 30.87; p < 0.001). These findings suggest that TNF rs1800629 contributes to variability in response to intensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation in PD.

Source: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/ijms27219491