[Contributions of seeding amplification assays to the diagnosis of synucleinopathies]

Synucleinopathies comprise three distinct disorders: Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia and multiple system atrophy, all of which involve the pathological aggregation of a protein called alpha-synuclein (α-syn). In order to establish an accurate diagnosis of these disorders, and thus improve patient care or inclusion in therapeutic trials, methods based on the in vitro amplification of pathological α-syn have been developed. In this review, we will discuss the history and development of these techniques, their strengths, and the promising prospects they offer for early patient screening using a simple blood sample.