We are thrilled to inform you about the clinical benefits of eye tracking. Every month, we keep you updated on the latest news shared by the scientific community. The current newsletter will emphasize the latest research about Parkinson’s Disease (PD) as April is Parkinson’s Awareness month. We want to express our admiration for those who progress the science and bring society one step closer to a cure, for the +10 million patients worldwide.
Enjoy the reading!
The neuroClues® Team
Researchers have discovered a new biomarker for Parkinson’s that could be used to identify people at risk of the disease and profoundly change the way it is treated.
The assay for a particular abnormal form of the protein alpha-synuclein – known as αSyn-SAA – could also be used to diagnose people with Parkinson’s more quickly, help identify the best treatment for patients, and speed up clinical trials of new therapies.
A paper on the biomarker, published in the journal Lancet Neurology, found that αSyn-SAA was 87% accurate at detecting early-stage Parkinson’s disease in a cross-sectional analysis of 1,123 patients in the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) cohort, recruited from neurology centres around the world.
Lead researcher Claudio Soto of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston said the findings are “a game-changer” for people with Parkinson’s and will “contribute in a substantial way to understanding the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s, and the development of a much-needed therapy.”
Bradykinesia (low velocity) and hypokinesia (reduced amplitude) of limb movements are features of PD exacerbated when patients perform self-guided, repetitive limb movements.
While these features are today usually clinically assessed with subjective items of UPDRS, researchers found a way to objectively measure bradykinesia with a simple eye movement test and evaluation of the progression of velocity.
In that study, PD saccadic velocity in the final six saccades was lower than normative amplitude-matched velocities (P = 0.039) … Healthy controls displayed normal saccadic function across all saccadic tasks
PD: Parkinson’s Disease
UPDRS: Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-motor
Researchers showed that in the same simple task as tested in the aforementioned study, patients with PSP did not show a modification of their velocity. The authors then suggest that this task could then be a useful biomarker to differentiate PSP from PD.
PSP: Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
PD: Parkinson’s Disease