A new blood test could reveal Parkinson’s diagnoses up to seven years before symptoms emerge. Researchers from University College London and University Medical Center Goettingen in Germany used artificial intelligence to develop the test. The study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, included 72 patients with rapid eye movement behavior disorder , a condition that has been linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s.
When the researchers used machine learning to analyze blood samples from the patients, they discovered that 79% of them had the same biomarkers as people with Parkinson’s. Over a 10-year follow-up period, the researchers confirmed that 16 of the patients went on to develop Parkinson’s, a movement disorder that affects nearly one million people in the U.S.
This means that drug therapies could potentially be given at an earlier stage, which could possibly slow down disease progression or even prevent it from occurring.' 'We have not only developed a test, but can diagnose the disease based on markers that are directly linked to processes such as inflammation and degradation of non-functional proteins. So these markers represent possible targets for new drug treatments.
This early intervention capability could significantly slow the disease progression.' Although knowing about a disease in advance can help patients prepare mentally and emotionally, Castro warned that it could be a 'double-edged sword.' 'While some patients may benefit from early knowledge and the ability to plan their lives accordingly, others might prefer not to know about a potential future illness due to the psychological burden it could impose,' he said.
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