TY - JOUR
T1 - Gender differences in Parkinson's disease
T2 - Focus on plasma alpha-synuclein
AU - Caranci, Giovanni
AU - Piscopo, Paola
AU - Rivabene, Roberto
AU - Traficante, Anna
AU - Riozzi, Barbara
AU - Castellano, Anna Elisa
AU - Ruggieri, Stefano
AU - Vanacore, Nicola
AU - Confaloni, Annamaria
PY - 2013/8
Y1 - 2013/8
N2 - Among promising biological markers proposed for Parkinson's disease (PD) and other disorders related to Lewy bodies, plasma alpha-synuclein assay has provided conflicting results mainly owing to the various laboratory assay techniques used and protein forms assayed. In this observational and exploratory cross-sectional study, using an immunoenzymatic technique, we assayed and compared total plasma alpha-synuclein concentrations in 69 patients with PD and 110 age-matched healthy control subjects. Two previously unreported findings concerned gender. First, plasma alpha-synuclein concentrations measured in the more advanced parkinsonian disease stages decreased in men, but not in women. Second, again only in men, plasma alpha-synuclein concentration was associated with cognitive impairments, hallucinations, and sleep disorders. These findings underline the gender-related differences in parkinsonian patients and indicate plasma alpha-synuclein expression as a potential biological marker for PD progression in men.
AB - Among promising biological markers proposed for Parkinson's disease (PD) and other disorders related to Lewy bodies, plasma alpha-synuclein assay has provided conflicting results mainly owing to the various laboratory assay techniques used and protein forms assayed. In this observational and exploratory cross-sectional study, using an immunoenzymatic technique, we assayed and compared total plasma alpha-synuclein concentrations in 69 patients with PD and 110 age-matched healthy control subjects. Two previously unreported findings concerned gender. First, plasma alpha-synuclein concentrations measured in the more advanced parkinsonian disease stages decreased in men, but not in women. Second, again only in men, plasma alpha-synuclein concentration was associated with cognitive impairments, hallucinations, and sleep disorders. These findings underline the gender-related differences in parkinsonian patients and indicate plasma alpha-synuclein expression as a potential biological marker for PD progression in men.
KW - Alpha-synuclein
KW - Biomarker
KW - Cognitive impairment
KW - Parkinson's disease
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84881099688&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84881099688&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00702-013-0972-6
DO - 10.1007/s00702-013-0972-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 23328951
AN - SCOPUS:84881099688
VL - 120
SP - 1209
EP - 1215
JO - Journal of Neuro-Visceral Relations
JF - Journal of Neuro-Visceral Relations
SN - 0375-9245
IS - 8
ER -