Louis Kälble, Tereza Tykalova, David Zogala, Petr Dusek, Jan Rusz, Michal Novotny
{"title":"Automatic analysis of eyelid movement in de-novo Parkinson’s disease","authors":"Louis Kälble, Tereza Tykalova, David Zogala, Petr Dusek, Jan Rusz, Michal Novotny","doi":"10.1038/s41531-025-01021-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01021-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study presents an automated, objective method for eyelid movement assessment in de-novo Parkinson’s disease(PD) using a one-dimensional camera setup during monologue. These measurements were related to Dopamine Transporter Single Photon Emission Tomography and clinical scores. State-of-the-art computer-vision technologies and deep-learning neural networks were utilized to measure fourteen eyelid movement markers describing blinking and eyelid kinematics. Video-recordings were collected from a total of 120 de-novo patients with PD and 55 healthy controls. Abnormal blinking was present in 38% of PD, indicated by a reduced blink rate (<i>p</i> < 0.001), an increased inter-blink interval (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and an increased rigidity of the palpebral aperture (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The classification experiment reached an area under the curve of 0.81 on a blinded test set. The blink rate correlated with the loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons (r = 0.35, <i>p</i> < 0.001). These findings suggest eyelid movement markers as strong reflections of striatal dopaminergic activity levels, underscoring the method’s potential as a reliable early PD biomarker.</p>","PeriodicalId":19706,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Parkinson's Disease","volume":"75 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144237140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lei Ma, Bar Yosef, Ipek Talu, Daniel Batista, Emi Jenkens-Drake, Nanthia Suthana, Katy A Cross
{"title":"Effects of virtual reality on spatiotemporal gait parameters and freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease","authors":"Lei Ma, Bar Yosef, Ipek Talu, Daniel Batista, Emi Jenkens-Drake, Nanthia Suthana, Katy A Cross","doi":"10.1038/s41531-025-01017-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01017-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used to study freezing of gait (FOG) in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, overground gait in VR typically exhibits shorter, wider, and slower steps than real-world gait in both healthy and PD populations. This altered gait behavior raises the question of whether VR also alters the FOG phenomenon. We investigate the effects of naturalistic VR on gait and FOG characteristics in PD patients. Patients walked in a real-world environment and its VR replica under conditions that provoke FOG. Spatiotemporal gait parameters and FOG episodes were compared between environments. Results revealed that a detailed VR replica and large walking area reduced the effect of VR on gait parameters compared to previous reports. Additionally, FOG was provoked by similar triggers with comparable frequency, suggesting VR effectively replicates FOG heterogeneity. This work demonstrates the feasibility of VR to study gait and FOG in PD and informs future VR applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":19706,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Parkinson's Disease","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144211265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New diagnostic and staging framework applied to established PD in the BioFIND cohort","authors":"Marco J. Russo, Un Jung Kang","doi":"10.1038/s41531-025-00992-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-00992-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The proposed Neuronal α-Synuclein Disease Integrated Staging System (NSD-ISS) was recently applied to early Parkinson’s disease (PD) cohorts. We applied this research framework to the BioFIND study cohort, which includes more moderately advanced PD participants with clinically established PD. Disease durations within each ISS stage were highly variable. Cognitive and non-motor anchors had little weight in determining staging. The analysis highlights strengths and limitations of NSD-ISS to guide further refinement of an integrated staging system.</p>","PeriodicalId":19706,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Parkinson's Disease","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144218876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Lactobacillus reuteri-derived γ-amino butyric acid alleviates MPTP-induced Parkinson’s disease through inhibiting ferroptosis via the AKT-GSK3β-GPX4 axis","authors":"Xuechao Dong, Teng Yang, Zheng Jin","doi":"10.1038/s41531-025-01022-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01022-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a debilitating neurological disorder characterized by motor dysfunction, which has been associated with alterations in the gut microbiota. <i>Lactobacillus reuteri</i> (<i>L. reuteri</i>), a safe and versatile probiotic, exhibits potent immunomodulatory functions and neuroprotective effects. However, the extent and mechanisms by which <i>L. reuteri</i> mitigates PD remain unclear. Here, we demonstrated that <i>L. reuteri</i> significantly alleviated MPTP-induced PD in mice. Importantly, we found that the protective effects of <i>L. reuteri</i> are mediated by its bioactive metabolites rather than the bacteria themselves. Specifically, <i>L. reuteri</i> elevated the levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Administration of GABA to mice mitigated MPTP-induced PD. Mechanistically, GABA inhibited MPTP-induced ferroptosis in neuronal cells through activation of the AKT-GSK3β-GPX4 pathway via the GABA receptor. Collectively, our research elucidates that <i>L. reuteri</i>-derived GABA attenuates MPTP-induced PD by inhibiting ferroptosis via the AKT-GSK3β-GPX4 axis, providing a potential therapeutic approach for the prevention and treatment of PD.</p>","PeriodicalId":19706,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Parkinson's Disease","volume":"331 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144218878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yixiang Lin, Haoling Xu, Jiayi Zheng, Tianxin Lin, Minhui Wang, Tingting Huang, Fabin Lin, Qinyong Ye, Guoen Cai
{"title":"Association between functional gastrointestinal disorders and Parkinson’s disease in a prospective cohort study","authors":"Yixiang Lin, Haoling Xu, Jiayi Zheng, Tianxin Lin, Minhui Wang, Tingting Huang, Fabin Lin, Qinyong Ye, Guoen Cai","doi":"10.1038/s41531-025-01000-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01000-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The influence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) on the onset of Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effect of FGIDs and their subtypes on the PD onset. In Cox proportional hazards model, FGIDs significantly increased the risk of PD incidence [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.30–2.33]. Similar results were also observed for functional dyspepsia (HR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.17–2.52) and other functional intestinal disorders (other FIDs) (HR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.00–2.78). Mediation analyses revealed that mental health scores mediated 10.00% and 8.32% of the association between FGIDs and functional dyspepsia and PD development. This cohort study discovered that FGIDs increase the risk of developing PD. Similar effects can also be observed in functional dyspepsia and other FIDs and mental health mediates part of the effect of FGIDs and functional dyspepsia on PD.</p>","PeriodicalId":19706,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Parkinson's Disease","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144218877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hila Avisar, Uri Greenbaum, Ruth Djaldetti, Boaz Lerner
{"title":"Lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in the prediagnostic phase of Parkinson’s disease","authors":"Hila Avisar, Uri Greenbaum, Ruth Djaldetti, Boaz Lerner","doi":"10.1038/s41531-025-01003-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01003-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Investigating the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and all its components with prediagnostic Parkinson’s disease (PD) may clarify PD pathogenesis and identify candidates for prevention strategies and neuroprotective trials. We conducted a retrospective study of 890 PD patients diagnosed during 2000-2020 and 8,100 matched controls, analyzing electronic health records up to 15 years before PD diagnosis. Prevalence was assessed annually to track changes in association strength over time. PD patients consistently showed lower MetS prevalence (OR = 0.57–0.8). Compared to controls, PD patients had lower triglycerides (OR = 0.44–0.75), BMI (OR = 0.54–0.65), and hyperglycemia (OR = 0.81–0.86) rates, and females showed higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (OR = 1.48–1.82), lower low-density lipoprotein/HDL ratio (OR = 0.46–0.64), and reduced hypertension (OR = 0.79–0.85). These findings suggest an inverse association between MetS and PD years before diagnosis. We propose a lipid–blood pressure index incorporating triglycerides, HDL, and hypertension as a potential clinical tool for PD risk stratification.</p>","PeriodicalId":19706,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Parkinson's Disease","volume":"51 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144211264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nour H. Marzouk, Hannah H. Rashwan, Mohamed El-Hadidi, Raghda Ramadan, Mohamed Mysara
{"title":"Proinflammatory and GABA eating bacteria in Parkinson's disease gut microbiome from a meta-analysis prospective","authors":"Nour H. Marzouk, Hannah H. Rashwan, Mohamed El-Hadidi, Raghda Ramadan, Mohamed Mysara","doi":"10.1038/s41531-025-00950-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-00950-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by motor dysfunction coupled with gastrointestinal disturbances. Recent studies implicate the gut microbiome with the development of PD, yet pinpointing the exact microbial players is still to be determined. This meta-analysis is the first to consolidate five homogenous case-control studies, covering the same variable regions of the 16S rRNA of 1007 fecal samples. Utilizing our unified pipeline, we identified several key players potentially contributing to PD. Our findings reveal higher microbial diversity characterized by elevated levels GABA consuming species particularly <i>Evtepia gabavorous</i>, contributing to neuronal excitability. We also report the abundance of the proinflammatory <i>Klebsiella variicola</i> and the H<sub>2</sub>S-producing <i>Streptococcus anginosus</i> bacteria, potentially promoting α-synuclein accumulation in the brain. This comprehensive analysis highlights the potential of gut microbiota as a biomarker and a therapeutic strategy to mitigate the progression of PD, possibly facilitating diagnosis and enhancing patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":19706,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Parkinson's Disease","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144211505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Leyre Merino-Galán, Marta Zamarbide, Arantzazu Belloso-Iguerategui, Marta C. Alonso-Moreno, Belén Gago, Alejandro Reinares-Sebastián, Javier Blesa, Dani Dumitriu, Ana Quiroga-Varela, María Cruz Rodríguez-Oroz
{"title":"Resilience of striatal synaptic plasticity over early structural adaptations in premotor parkinsonism","authors":"Leyre Merino-Galán, Marta Zamarbide, Arantzazu Belloso-Iguerategui, Marta C. Alonso-Moreno, Belén Gago, Alejandro Reinares-Sebastián, Javier Blesa, Dani Dumitriu, Ana Quiroga-Varela, María Cruz Rodríguez-Oroz","doi":"10.1038/s41531-025-00994-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-00994-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Parkinson’s disease has a long premotor phase with ongoing dopaminergic degeneration, yet its compensatory mechanisms remain unclear. Using a rat model with A53T α-synuclein overexpression in the substantia nigra, we analyzed striatal synaptic changes at 72 h, 1, 2, and 4 weeks post-inoculation, before motor signs appeared. Dopamine concentration decreased from 72 h, and chemical long-term potentiation was simultaneously inhibited, partially recovering by 4 weeks. At this time point, dopaminergic degeneration and post-synaptic morphological and ultrastructural dendritic spine remodelling became significant. These changes included a reduction in thin dendritic spines, an increase in mushroom spine head volume, a decrease in smooth endoplasmic reticulum-containing spines, and an increase in dendritic branching. In conclusion, impaired striatal dopaminergic neurotransmisson diminishes striatal synaptic plasticity, which can be partially restored through complex structural changes in striatal spines. These adaptations might represent fundamental homeostatic mechanisms regulating synaptic function during the premotor stage of Parkinson’s disease.</p><figure></figure>","PeriodicalId":19706,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Parkinson's Disease","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144211268","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
You Hyun Park, Yong Wook Kim, Dae Ryong Kang, Sang Chul Lee, Seo Yeon Yoon
{"title":"Prediction of all-cause mortality in Parkinson’s disease with explainable artificial intelligence using administrative healthcare data","authors":"You Hyun Park, Yong Wook Kim, Dae Ryong Kang, Sang Chul Lee, Seo Yeon Yoon","doi":"10.1038/s41531-025-01007-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01007-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Many studies have reported increased mortality risk in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), but few have investigated the risk factors for PD mortality, including medical and socioeconomic factors. We applied an explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) model to predict long-term all-cause mortality in patients with PD using administrative healthcare data collected at PD diagnosis. Among seven machine learning algorithms, XGBoost achieved the best performance (10-year area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC): 0.836; 5-year AUROC: 0.894). The most important contributing feature to PD mortality was age, followed by male sex and pneumonia. Using XAI models, the nonlinear association between contributing factors and PD mortality was assessed, and an optimal target value to reduce mortality was found. In addition, prediction of individualized 10-year mortality risk for each PD participant was possible. Our XAI modeling pipeline demonstrated the feasibility to predict long-term mortality in patients with PD using preexisting healthcare data.</p>","PeriodicalId":19706,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Parkinson's Disease","volume":"81 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144201944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Isaac Bul Deng, Jordan Follett, Jesse D. Fox, Shannon Wall, Matthew J. Farrer
{"title":"Central biogenic amine deficiency with concomitant exploratory behavioral deficits in Dnajc12 knock-out mice","authors":"Isaac Bul Deng, Jordan Follett, Jesse D. Fox, Shannon Wall, Matthew J. Farrer","doi":"10.1038/s41531-025-00991-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-00991-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Bi-allelic autosomal recessive pathogenic variants in <i>DNAJC12</i> lead to a constellation of neurological features, including young-onset Parkinson’s disease. DNAJC12 is a co-chaperone for enzymes involved in biogenic amines synthesis. In vitro, we discovered overexpressed DNAJC12 forms a complex with guanine triphosphate cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1), a rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin, a cofactor for biogenic amine synthesis. We also confirm DNAJC12’s interaction with tyrosine (TH) and tryptophan hydroxylases, paramount for dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) synthesis. In-vitro knock-down of DNAJC12 with a siRNA destabilizes DNAJC12-TH-GCH1 complex, whereas reciprocal co-overexpression of TH and GCH1 increases endogenous DNAJC12. <i>Dnajc12</i> knock-out mice (DKO) exhibit reduced exploratory behavior at 3 months of age in open-field testing. In striatal tissue, total DA and 5-HT, and electrically evoked DA release are all reduced, with enhanced phosphorylation of Th at Ser31 and Ser40. DKO mice present models to develop/refine therapeutics approaches for biogenic amines disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":19706,"journal":{"name":"NPJ Parkinson's Disease","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144183747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}