Research suggests Parkinson’s disease may begin in the gut, offering new possibilities for early diagnosis and treatment.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that involves motor and cognitive function with requirement rashes & shakings, slowness of movement and rigid stiffness. Some new research findings have identified the gut and not the brain as a key organ in the development of the disease. GI symptoms include nausea, constipation, and abdominal pain, and are not rare in patients with PD; these manifestations may occur many years before motor symptoms develop (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Probe the gut, protect the brain?

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Gut as a Potential Starting Point for Parkinson’s

A neuro-gastroenterology expert, think that Parkinson’s might start in the gut. In the research, they want to identify biomarkers in the gut that will signal Parkinson’s disease much earlier than the first signs of motor issues. The enteric nervous system (ENS), a subgroup of neurons surrounding the stomach and the intestines, is in touch with the brain and has pathways in both directions including one affecting mood, desires, as well GI functions.

Microbiome and Its Role

The gut also contains the microbiome, the diverse bacterial population and microbes that are essential to one’s health. It also reveals that dysbiosis in the gut microbiome is correlated with Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders. Fluctuations in the composition of the altered flora within the GI tract can destabilize regular functioning of digestion, or the immune system, and thus facilitate the development of disease.

Alpha-Synuclein and Its Pathway

Parkinson’s disease is defined by aggregation of the misfolded proteins, particularly alpha-synuclein in the neuron body. It has been reported the presence of alpha-synuclein in the gut can be detected several years before it is detected in the brains, possibly through the vagus nerve. These findings have fueled research into and regarding the way gut dysfunction might contribute to the neurological changes associated with Parkinson’s (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Upper Gastrointestinal Mucosal Damage and Subsequent Risk of Parkinson Disease

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).

According to research done in 2016, alpha-synuclein was found in intestinal tissues five to twenty years prior to the onset of neurodegenerative symptoms. In more recent work conducted in 2000, a study carried out in the Journal of the American Medical Association completed showed that mucosal lesion in the small intestine was positively connected with Parkinson’s disease. However, these outcomes suggest that there are still some unknown aspects of the association of alpha-synuclein to the gut.

New knowledge of the link between the digestive system and the nervous system in Parkinson’s brings hope for the development of an early diagnosis and potentially, for a cure.

References:

1. Probe the gut, protect the brain? – (https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/12/does-parkinsons-start-in-the-gut-brain-microbiome/)
2. Upper Gastrointestinal Mucosal Damage and Subsequent Risk of Parkinson Disease – (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2823250?resultClick=3)

Source-Medindia