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Detection of Disease-associated α-synuclein by Enhanced ELISA in the Brain of Transgenic Mice Overexpressing Human A53T Mutated α-synuclein
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Cognitive function correlates with gastric alpha-synuclein seeding activity in early Parkinson's disease
Chaewon Shin1, Jong Pil Im2, Jung-Youn Han3
1Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam-si, Republic of Korea.
NPJ Parkinson'S Disease
|November 4, 2025
Summary
Stomach biopsies show alpha-synuclein seeding activity in early Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, unlike controls. This assay may detect PD pathology via the gut-brain axis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gastroenterology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Alpha-synuclein (AS) accumulation is prevalent in the stomach of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.
- This suggests AS's potential as a diagnostic biomarker for early PD detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay on stomach biopsies for early PD.
- To explore the association between AS seeding activity and clinical characteristics in PD patients.
Main Methods:
- Prospective collection of stomach biopsy tissues from 22 early-stage PD patients and 17 controls.
- Assessment of pathological AS-seeding activity using RT-QuIC.
- Correlation analysis between kinematic parameters, clinical features, and AS activity, with age adjustment.
Main Results:
- Pathological AS-seeding activity was detected in 45.5% of PD patients, but in none of the controls.
- A significant correlation was found between Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores and AS seeding lag time (Spearman's ρ = 0.742; p = 0.022) after age adjustment.
Conclusions:
- The AS seed amplification assay using stomach tissue shows promise as a biomarker for PD.
- This assay may reflect the gut-brain axis pathophysiology in Parkinson's disease.
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