Current trends in blood biomarkers detection and neuroimaging for Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by both motor and cognitive impairments. A significant challenge in managing PD is the variability of symptoms and disease progression rates. This variability is primarily attributed to unclear biomarkers associated with the disease and the lack of early diagnostic technologies and effective imaging methods. PD-specific biomarkers are essential for developing practical tools that facilitate accurate diagnosis, patient stratification, and monitoring of disease progression. Hence, creating valuable tools for detecting and diagnosing PD based on specific biomarkers is imperative. Blood testing, less invasive than obtaining cerebrospinal fluid through a lumbar puncture, is an ideal source for these biomarkers. Although such biomarkers were previously lacking, recent advancements in various detection techniques related to PD biomarkers and new imaging methods have emerged. However, basic research requires more detailed guidelines on effectively implementing these biomarkers in diagnostic procedures to enhance the diagnostic accuracy of PD blood testing in clinical practice. This review discusses the developmental trends of PD-related blood biomarker detection technologies, including optical analysis platforms. Despite the progress in developing various biomarkers for PD, their specificity and sensitivity remain suboptimal. Therefore, the integration of multimodal biomarkers along with optical and imaging technologies is likely to significantly improve diagnostic accuracy and facilitate the implementation of personalized medicine. This review forms valid research hypotheses for PD research and guides future empirical studies.