Integrative Analysis of Metabolome and Proteome in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients with Multiple System Atrophy

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a progressive neurodegenerative synucleinopathy. Differentiating MSA from other synucleinopathies, especially in the early stages, is challenging because of its overlapping symptoms with other forms of Parkinsonism. Thus, there is a pressing need to clarify the underlying biological mechanisms and identify specific biomarkers for MSA. The metabolic profile of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is known to be altered in MSA. To further investigate the biological mechanisms behind the metabolic changes, we created a network of altered CSF metabolites in patients with MSA and analysed these changes using bioinformatic software. Acknowledging the limitations of metabolomics, we incorporated proteomic data to improve the overall comprehensiveness of the study. Our in silico predictions showed elevated ROS, cytoplasmic inclusions, white matter demyelination, ataxia, and neurodegeneration, with ATP concentration, neurotransmitter release, and oligodendrocyte count predicted to be suppressed in MSA CSF samples. Machine learning and dimension reduction are important multi-omics approaches as they handle large amounts of data, identify patterns, and make predictions while reducing variance without information loss and generating easily visualised plots that help identify clusters, patterns, or outliers. Thus, integrated multiomics and machine learning approaches are essential for elucidating neurodegenerative mechanisms and identifying potential diagnostic biomarkers of MSA.