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Cutaneous autonomic denervation in Parkinson's disease
Judith Navarro-Otano1, Jordi Casanova-Mollà, Merche Morales
1Neurology Service, Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Unit, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED, Barcelona, Spain), Institut Clínic de Neurociències, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, University of Barcelona, c/Villarroel 170, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.
Journal of Neural Transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)
|December 25, 2014
Summary
Parkinson's disease (PD) is linked to reduced peripheral autonomic nervous system (PANS) function. Dermal autonomic innervation was lower in PD patients, but alpha-synuclein deposits were not found in distal leg skin.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Dermatology
- Autonomic Nervous System Research
Background:
- Peripheral autonomic nervous system (PANS) dysfunction is implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD).
- Assessing dermal autonomic innervation offers a potential diagnostic avenue for PD.
- The role of alpha-synuclein (AS) in skin manifestations of PD requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess autonomic innervation of dermal appendages in Parkinson's disease patients.
- To investigate the presence of alpha-synuclein (AS) and phosphorylated AS (pAS) in the skin of PD patients.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative fluorescence measurement of PGP immunoreactivity in skin biopsies from PD patients and controls.
- Calculation of a ratio to quantify autonomic innervation of blood vessels and sweat glands.
- Immunohistochemistry to detect AS and pAS deposits in dermal and hypodermal layers.
Main Results:
- Autonomic innervation scores were significantly lower in PD patients compared to controls for both blood vessels and sweat glands.
- No evidence of alpha-synuclein (AS) or phosphorylated AS (pAS) immunoreactivity was detected in the skin of any subjects.
- These findings suggest reduced autonomic innervation in the distal leg skin of PD patients.
Conclusions:
- Autonomic innervation of dermal appendages is reduced in living patients with Parkinson's disease.
- Distal leg skin biopsies are not useful for in vivo detection of alpha-synuclein (AS) in Parkinson's disease.
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