Skin Test May Diagnose Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s

Skin biopsies can be used to detect elevated levels of abnormal proteins associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases (AD and PD), according to two studies presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting (Washington, D.C.; April 1825). The researchers showed that phosphorylated Tau (p-Tau) and α-synuclein (α-Syn) are present in the skin from patients with the conditions and that the protein levels can be quantified using image analysis techniques. The current gold standard for the definitive diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases is the demonstration of misfolded proteins in postmortem brain samples. Diagnosis in living patients is primarily based on clinical observations, but biomarkers of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s have long been sought. “We hypothesized that since skin has the same origin as brain tissue while in the embryo that they might also show the same abnormal proteins,” said study author Ildefonso Rodriguez-Leyva, M.D., from University of San Luis Potosi (Mexico), in a statement. “This new test offers a potential biomarker that may allow doctors to identify and diagnose these diseases earlier on.” The researchers presented findings from two related studies. First, they evaluated skin biopsies from behind the ear in 65 individuals (20 with AD, 16 with PD, 17 with non-neurodegenerative […]