Could an altered microbiome predict Parkinson’s disease risk?

By Tim Cutcliffe

- Last updated on GMT

© iStock/ Jevtic
© iStock/ Jevtic

Related tags Bacteria Gut flora

People with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) appear to have a different gut bacteria composition to healthy individuals, suggests a new study in Movement Disorders.

The abundances of various genera of gut bacteria found in individuals with PD differed significantly from those in the control group, found the team, led by researchers at the University of Luxembourg.

Patients in a third group, with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD), revealed many similar trends to PD cases in gut microbiota differences versus healthy controls. People with iRBD carry a significantly increased risk of developing PD in later life.

"Parkinson's patients could be differentiated from healthy controls by their respective gut bacteria,"​ explained first author Dr. Anna Heintz-Buschart.

The findings may enable monitoring of changes in the microbiome as a future prediction tool for PD risk.

"We hope that, by comparing the groups, we will learn to better understand the role of the microbiome in the process of the disease and to find out what changes occur and when," ​commented lead researcher Dr. Paul Wilmes. "This might deliver new starting points for early treatment of the disease. It would also be essential knowledge for one day being able to use the absence or presence of certain bacteria as a biomarker for early detection of the disease."

Study details

The study investigated the ‘two-hit’ hypothesis of PD development. This theoretical mechanism involves the entry of an unknown pathogen into the nose or gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which may initiate the misfolding of alpha-synuclein protein in the central nervous system. This process is thought to lead to the long-term development of Lewy bodies, a key characteristic of PD.

The bacterial composition of the gut and nasal microbiomes of 76 PD patients and 78 matched healthy individuals were analysed and compared with 21 subjects with iRBD.

No significant differences were found in nasal microbiome composition between PD and healthy controls, suggesting that nasal bacteria populations are not likely to be biomarkers for PD and that only gut microbiome composition differences might be relevant.  

 

Species linked to specific PD symptoms  

Higher abundance of Akkermansia ​sp. was found in PD patients, while two previously unknown types of bacteria were found to be depleted in those with the disease. The researchers speculated that the depleted species may provide a protective effect in healthy individuals, in whom they are present in greater numbers.

The team also found that relative abundance of certain types of bacteria were closely linked to particular symptoms of PD. Differences in numbers of Anaerotruncus ​spp., Clostridium XIVa, ​and Lachnospiraceae were significantly associated to motor symptoms in the PD group. Depression, commonly comorbid with PD, was significantly associated with differential abundance of Anaerotruncus ​spp.

The researchers also found an 80% overlap of differential bacterial abundances in PD and iRBD, strengthening the evidence for this sleep disorder as a prodrome for PD.

“In summary, our analysis revealed and confirmed differential abundances of gut, but not nasal, microbial taxa in PD patients and also revealed overlaps between PD and iRBD microbiota,” ​wrote the authors.

The mechanisms of microbial involvement in the development of PD would nevertheless need much further investigation, including full metagenomic analysis and metabolite detection, explained the researchers.

Source: Movement Disorders
Published online, doi: 10.1002/mds.27105
“The nasal and gut microbiome in Parkinson's disease and idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder”
Authors: Anna Heintz-Buschart, Paul Wilmes et al

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3 comments

What is Parkinson's and how can it be treated successfully?

Posted by Dr. Stefanie Hillinger,

Parkinson's disease is a disorder in the nervous system. Classical medicine describes this disease as follows: "Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disease that affects certain parts of the brain.
These areas of the brain have a great lack of dopamine.
For reasons still unresolved, the dopamine-containing nerve cells die. Brain areas with dopamine-containing nerve cells control arbitrary and involuntary movements. Movement disorders are therefore one of the main symptoms of Parkinson's disease."
The Classical medicine does not know why dopamine-containing nerve cells die. We, the independent, scientific research center of the Dayeng Foundation, have been investigating the causes of many diseases for more than 30 years, especially the immune system. We have gained great insights into the connection between a disturbed or weak immune system and many so-called civilization diseases. We discovered the cause of the development of Parkinson's disease and developed a special therapy to correct the information units of the nerve cells and thus to stimulate dopamine production in the nerve cells. Our success is approximately 100%.
Dr. Stefanie Hillinger
Science Center of the Dayeng Foundation
Web: http://lupus-trust.net

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Our Microbiome: Time to focus on nurturing it

Posted by Dr. Mark JS Miller,

A nice summary of an intriguing article that draws attention to the potential impact of the gut flora well beyond the gut. IBS has been appreciated to involve a disturbed gut-brain axis where flora contributes. However, now the impacts of dysbiosis are spreading. Associations between depression and Parkinson's and the gut microbiome is intriguing. Looking forward to more research & for more detailed options on probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics.

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I am a 77-year-old lady. My Parkinson's disease appeared at the age of 55

Posted by Theresa,

I am a 77-year-old lady. My Parkinson's disease appeared at the age of 55. My symptoms at the beginning were fine tremors and rigidity with joint stiffness. I was taking Entacapone with Levodopa, Carbidopa, and Pramipexole. My Parkinson's disease was not under control. I lost touch with reality.I searched for alternative treatments and and started on Parkinson's herbal formula i ordered from Health Herbal Clinic, Just 7 weeks into the Herbal formula treatment i had great improvements with my slurred speech, there is no case of Rigid muscles and Slowed movement (bradykinesia) since treatment, and my tremors completely gone, visit Health Herbal Clinic official website on www. healthherbalclinic. net or email info@ healthherbalclinic. net. This treatment is incredible!

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