DRD2 methylation to differentiate dementia with Lewy bodies from Parkinson's disease

The aim was to clarify whether DRD2 methylation changes in leukocytes of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) or Parkinson's disease (PD) patients are seen and can be used to discriminate between them.

Methylation rates were examined in 23 DLB subjects and 23 age- and sex-matched healthy controls and 37 PD patients and 37 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Significant DRD2 DNA methylation changes were found in leukocytes of DLB and PD patients compared with healthy subjects. Discriminant analysis between DLB and PD using seven CpG sites demonstrated sensitivity and specificity of 83.8% and 90.9%, respectively. None of the CpG sites were associated with sex, age, age of onset, disease duration, and any of the neuropsychological tests in DLB and PD patients.

This is the first report showing that DRD2 DNA methylation rates in leukocytes were increased in DLB patients and decreased in PD patients. These results may be an important step in understanding epigenetic mechanisms underlying DLB and PD pathogenesis and providing a novel biomarker for discriminating between them.