Global, Yet Incomplete Overview of Cohort Studies in Parkinson's disease

Which Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) instruments are currently used in Germany: a survey

BACKGROUND

The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) records geriatric syndromes in a standardized manner, allowing individualized treatment tailored to the patient's needs and resources. Its use has shown a beneficial effect on the functional outcome and survival of geriatric patients. A recently published German S1 guideline for level 2 CGA provides recommendations for the use of a broad variety of different assessment instruments for each geriatric syndrome. However, the actual use of assessment instruments in routine geriatric clinical practice and its consistency with the guideline and the current state of literature has not been investigated to date.

METHODS

An online survey was developed by an expert group of geriatricians and sent to all licenced geriatricians (n = 569) within Germany. The survey included the following geriatric syndromes: motor function and self-help capability, cognition, depression, pain, dysphagia and nutrition, social status and comorbidity, pressure ulcers, language and speech, delirium, and frailty. Respondents were asked to report which geriatric assessment instruments are used to assess the respective syndromes.

RESULTS

A total of 122 clinicians participated in the survey (response rate: 21%); after data cleaning, 76 data sets remained for analysis. All participants regularly used assessment instruments in the following categories: motor function, self-help capability, cognition, depression, and pain. The most frequently used instruments in these categories were the Timed Up and Go (TUG), the Barthel Index (BI), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Limited or heterogenous assessments are used in the following categories: delirium, frailty and social status.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that the assessment of motor function, self-help capability, cognition, depression, pain, and dysphagia and nutrition is consistent with the recommendations of the S1 guideline for level 2 CGA. Instruments recommended for more frequent use include the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the WHO-5 (depression). There is a particular need for standardized assessment of delirium, frailty and social status. The harmonization of assessment instruments throughout geriatric departments shall enable more effective treatment and prevention of age-related diseases and syndromes.

Luxembourg Parkinson's study -comprehensive baseline analysis of Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism

Background

Deep phenotyping of Parkinson's disease (PD) is essential to investigate this fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder. Since 2015, over 800 individuals with PD and atypical parkinsonism along with more than 800 control subjects have been recruited in the frame of the observational, monocentric, nation-wide, longitudinal-prospective Luxembourg Parkinson's study.

Objective

To profile the baseline dataset and to explore risk factors, comorbidities and clinical profiles associated with PD, atypical parkinsonism and controls.

Methods

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of all 1,648 participants divided in disease and control groups were investigated. Then, a cross-sectional group comparison was performed between the three largest groups: PD, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and controls. Subsequently, multiple linear and logistic regression models were fitted adjusting for confounders.

Results

The mean (SD) age at onset (AAO) of PD was 62.3 (11.8) years with 15% early onset (AAO < 50 years), mean disease duration 4.90 (5.16) years, male sex 66.5% and mean MDS-UPDRS III 35.2 (16.3). For PSP, the respective values were: 67.6 (8.2) years, all PSP with AAO > 50 years, 2.80 (2.62) years, 62.7% and 53.3 (19.5). The highest frequency of hyposmia was detected in PD followed by PSP and controls (72.9%; 53.2%; 14.7%), challenging the use of hyposmia as discriminating feature in PD vs. PSP. Alcohol abstinence was significantly higher in PD than controls (17.6 vs. 12.9%, p = 0.003).

Conclusion

Luxembourg Parkinson's study constitutes a valuable resource to strengthen the understanding of complex traits in the aforementioned neurodegenerative disorders. It corroborated several previously observed clinical profiles, and provided insight on frequency of hyposmia in PSP and dietary habits, such as alcohol abstinence in PD.Clinical trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov, NCT05266872.

Defining the causes of sporadic Parkinson's disease in the global Parkinson's genetics program (GP2)

The Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2) will genotype over 150,000 participants from around the world, and integrate genetic and clinical data for use in large-scale analyses to dramatically expand our understanding of the genetic architecture of PD. This report details the workflow for cohort integration into the complex arm of GP2, and together with our outline of the monogenic hub in a companion paper, provides a generalizable blueprint for establishing large scale collaborative research consortia.

Improved Parkinsonian tremor quantification based on automatic label modification and SVM with RBF kernel

Objective. The quantitative assessment of Parkinsonian tremor, e.g. (0, 1, 2, 3, 4) according to the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, is crucial for treating Parkinson's disease. However, the tremor amplitude constantly fluctuates due to environmental and psychological effects on the patient. In clinical practice, clinicians assess the tremor severity for a short duration, whereas manual tremor labeling relies on the clinician's physician experience. Therefore, automatic tremor quantification based on wearable inertial sensors and machine learning algorithms is affected by the manual labels of clinicians. In this study, an automatic modification method for the labels judged by clinicians is presented to improve Parkinsonian tremor quantitation.Approach. For the severe overlapping of dynamic feature range between different severities, an outlier modification algorithm (PCA-IQR) based on the combination of principal component analysis and interquartile range statistic rule is proposed to learn the blurred borders between different severity scores, thereby optimizing the labels. Afterward, according to the modified feature vectors, a support vector machine (SVM) with a radial basis function (RBF) kernel is proposed to classify the tremor severity. The classifier models of SVM with RBF kernel,k-nearest neighbors, and SVM with the linear kernel are compared.Main results. Experimental results show that the proposed method has high classification performance and excellent model generalization ability for tremor quantitation (accuracy: 97.93%, precision: 97.96%, sensitivity: 97.93%, F1-score: 97.94%).Significance. The proposed method may not only provide valuable assistance for clinicians to assess the tremor severity accurately, but also provides self-monitoring for patients at home and improve the assessment skills of clinicians.

Staging Parkinson's Disease According to the MNCD (Motor/Non-motor/Cognition/Dependency) Classification Correlates with Disease Severity and Quality of Life

BACKGROUND

Recently, a novel simple classification called MNCD, based on 4 axes (Motor; Non-motor; Cognition; Dependency) and 5 stages, has been proposed to classify Parkinson's disease (PD).

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to apply the MNCD classification in a cohort of PD patients for the first time and also to analyze the correlation with quality of life (QoL) and disease severity.

METHODS

Data from the baseline visit of PD patients recruited from 35 centers in Spain from the COPPADIS cohort fromJanuary 2016 to November 2017 were used to apply the MNCD classification. Three instruments were used to assess QoL:1) the 39-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire [PDQ-39]); PQ-10; the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index (EUROHIS-QOL8).

RESULTS

Four hundred and thirty-nine PD patients (62.05±7.84 years old; 59% males) were included. MNCD stage was:stage 1, 8.4% (N = 37); stage 2, 62% (N = 272); stage 3, 28.2% (N = 124); stage 4-5, 1.4% (N = 6). A more advancedMNCD stage was associated with a higher score on the PDQ39SI (p < 0.0001) and a lower score on the PQ-10 (p< 0.0001) and EUROHIS-QOL8 (p< 0.0001). In many other aspects of the disease, such as disease duration, levodopa equivalent daily dose, motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms, and autonomy for activities of daily living, an association between the stage and severity was observed, with data indicating a progressive worsening related to disease progression throughout the proposed stages.

CONCLUSION

Staging PD according to the MNCD classification correlated with QoL and disease severity. The MNCD could be a proper tool to monitor the progression of PD.

Deep phenotyping for precision medicine in Parkinson's disease

A major challenge in medical genomics is to understand why individuals with the same disorder have different clinical symptoms and why those who carry the same mutation may be affected by different disorders. In every complex disorder, identifying the contribution of different genetic and non-genetic risk factors is a key obstacle to understanding disease mechanisms. Genetic studies rely on precise phenotypes and are unable to uncover the genetic contributions to a disorder when phenotypes are imprecise. To address this challenge, deeply phenotyped cohorts have been developed for which detailed, fine-grained data have been collected. These cohorts help us to investigate the underlying biological pathways and risk factors to identify treatment targets, and thus to advance precision medicine. The neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson's disease has a diverse phenotypical presentation and modest heritability, and its underlying disease mechanisms are still being debated. As such, considerable efforts have been made to develop deeply phenotyped cohorts for this disorder. Here, we focus on Parkinson's disease and explore how deep phenotyping can help address the challenges raised by genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. We also discuss recent methods for data collection and computation, as well as methodological challenges that have to be overcome.

The Chinese Parkinson's Disease Registry (CPDR): Study Design and Baseline Patient Characteristics

BACKGROUND

There is a lack of large multicenter Parkinson's disease (PD) cohort studies and limited data on the natural history of PD in China.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to launch the Chinese Parkinson's Disease Registry (CPDR) and to report its protocol, cross-sectional baseline data, and prospects for a comprehensive observational, longitudinal, multicenter study.

METHODS

The CPDR recruited PD patients from 19 clinical sites across China between January 2018 and December 2020. Clinical data were collected prospectively using at least 17 core assessment scales. Patients were followed up for clinical outcomes through face-to-face interviews biennially.

RESULTS

We launched the CPDR in China based on the Parkinson's Disease & Movement Disorders Multicenter Database and Collaborative Network (PD-MDCNC). A total of 3148 PD patients were enrolled comprising 1623 men (51.6%) and 1525 women (48.4%). The proportions of early-onset PD (EOPD, age at onset ≤50 years) and late-onset PD (LOPD) were 897 (28.5%) and 2251 (71.5%), respectively. Stratification by age at onset showed that EOPD manifested milder motor and nonmotor phenotypes and was related to increased probability of dyskinesia. Comparison across genders suggested a slightly older average age at PD onset, milder motor symptoms, and a higher rate of developing levodopa-induced dyskinesias in women.

CONCLUSIONS

The CPDR is one of the largest multicenter, observational, longitudinal, and natural history studies of PD in China. It offers an opportunity to expand the understanding of clinical features, genetic, imaging, and biological markers of PD progression. © 2022 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

[Treatment practice of patients with Parkinson's disease in Saxony : A secondary data-based analysis of utilization in the observation period 2011-2019]

BACKGROUND

The consequences of demographic change are already noticeable in Saxony, the federal state with the highest average age in Germany and predominantly rural areas. In order to improve medical care for patients with Parkinson's disease (PwP), a status quo analysis of current care practice is required.

OBJECTIVE

To what extent does the utilization of medical services by PwP differ a) between urban and rural areas in Saxony and b) between PwP with and without neurologist contact in the observation period from 2011 to 2019?

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The cohort study was based on extensive routine data for Saxony from the health insurance company AOK PLUS from 2010 to 2019. A cohort of 15,744 PwP (n = 67,448 patient-years) was compared to a matched cohort (n = 674,480 patient-years; criteria: year of birth, gender, year of insurance, place of residence: urban/rural) without an ICD-10 coding of a movement disorder.

RESULTS

Overall, there was a steady increase in the number of PwP in the dynamic cohort from 2011 (n = 6829) to 2019 (n = 8254). Urban-rural differences included a smaller proportion of patients being seen by a neurologist in rural areas. The PwP had a 3.5 to 4‑fold higher risk of dying compared to those in the comparison cohort. Changes in drug therapy for Parkinson's disease (i.e., increases in COMT and MAO inhibitors) and in remedy delivery (i.e., increases in occupational therapy and speech therapy) over the observation period were primarily seen in PwP who were seen by a neurologist.

DISCUSSION

The study identified increased morbidity and mortality in PwP who are suitable targets for innovative care concepts. The increasing number of patients and the described differences document the need for this. At the same time, changes in prescription practice show that innovative forms of treatment are being used by neurologists in outpatient care.

Detraining Slows and Maintenance Training Over 6 Years Halts Parkinsonian Symptoms-Progression

Introduction: There are scant data to demonstrate that the long-term non-pharmaceutical interventions can slow the progression of motor and non-motor symptoms and lower drug dose in Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: After randomization, the Exercise-only (E, n = 19) group completed an initial 3-week-long, 15-session supervised, high-intensity sensorimotor agility exercise program designed to improve the postural stability. The Exercise + Maintenance (E + M, n = 22) group completed the 3-week program and continued the same program three times per week for 6 years. The no exercise and no maintenance control (C, n = 26) group continued habitual living. In each patient, 11 outcomes were measured before and after the 3-week initial exercise program and then, at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 months. Results: The longitudinal linear mixed effects modeling of each variable was fitted with maximum likelihood estimation and adjusted for baseline and covariates. The exercise program strongly improved the primary outcome, Motor Experiences of Daily Living, by ~7 points and all secondary outcomes [body mass index (BMI), disease and no disease-specific quality of life, depression, mobility, and standing balance]. In E group, the detraining effects lasted up to 12 months. E+M group further improved the initial exercise-induced gains up to 3 months and the gains were sustained until year 6. In C group, the symptoms worsened steadily. By year 6, levodopa (L-dopa) equivalents increased in all the groups but least in E + M group. Conclusion: A short-term, high-intensity sensorimotor agility exercise program improved the PD symptoms up to a year during detraining but the subsequent 6-year maintenance program was needed to further increase or sustain the initial improvements in the symptoms, quality of life, and drug dose.

What People with Parkinson's Disease Want

Parkinson’s disease is an incurable, progressive neurodegenerative disease. This condition is complicated by the varying symptoms in individuals who differ in age of onset, symptoms, progression of disease, response to treatment and prognosis. In this paper, we focus on quality of life achieved through a combination of comprehensive health care, continuous support, and self care. Determining what people with Parkinson’s disease want is like assembling multiple puzzles simultaneously. While we surmise that patient centered care, support programs, access to comprehensive health care, and relevant symptom control are pieces of this puzzle, more longitudinal studies— which are observational in nature and correlate the impact of symptoms with patients’ reported needs— are necessary.

Probing the Pre-diagnostic Phase of Parkinson's Disease in Population-Based Studies

Parkinson's disease covers a wide spectrum of symptoms, ranging from early non-motor symptoms to the characteristic bradykinesia, tremor and rigidity. Although differences in the symptomatology of Parkinson's disease are increasingly recognized, there is still a lack of insight into the heterogeneity of the pre-diagnostic phase of Parkinson's disease. In this perspective, we highlight three aspects regarding the role of population-based studies in providing new insights into the heterogeneity of pre-diagnostic Parkinson's disease. First we describe several specific advantages of population-based cohort studies, including the design which overcomes some common biases, the broad data collection and the high external validity. Second, we draw a parallel with the field of Alzheimer's disease to provide future directions to uncover the heterogeneity of pre-diagnostic Parkinson's disease. Finally, we anticipate on the emergence of prevention and disease-modification trials and the potential role of population-based studies herein. In the coming years, bridging gaps between study designs will be essential to make vital advances in elucidating the heterogeneity of pre-diagnostic Parkinson's disease.

Validation of Inertial Sensing-Based Wearable Device for Tremor and Bradykinesia Quantification

Neurologists judge the severity of Parkinsonian motor symptoms according to clinical scales, and their judgments exist inconsistent because of differences in clinical experience. Correspondingly, inertial sensing-based wearable devices (ISWDs) produce objective and standardized quantifications. However, ISWDs indirectly quantify symptoms by parametric modeling of angular velocities and linear accelerations nd trained by the judgments of several neurologists through supervised learning algorithms. Hence, the ISWD outputs are biased along with the scores provided by neurologists. To investigate the effectiveness ISWDs for Parkinsonian symptoms quantification, technical verification and clinical validation of both tremor and bradykinesia quantification methods were carried out. A total of 45 Parkinson's disease patients and 30 healthy controls performed the tremor and finger-tapping tasks, which were tracked simultaneously by an ISWD and a 6-axis high-precision electromagnetic tracking system (EMTS). The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) prescribed parameters obtained from the EMTS, which directly provides linear and rotational displacements, were compared with the scores provided by both the ISWD and seven neurologists. EMTS-based parameters were regarded as the ground truth and were employed to train several common machine learning (ML) algorithms, i.e., support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbors (KNN), and random forest (RF) algorithms. Inconsistency among the scores provided by the neurologists was proven. Besides, the quantification performance (sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy) of the ISWD employed with ML algorithms were better than that of the neurologists. Furthermore, EMTS can be utilized to both modify the quantification algorithms of ISWDs and improve the assessment skills of young neurologists.

[Emerging concepts for precision medicine in Parkinson's disease with focus on genetics]

The diverse and highly individual presentations of Parkinson's disease (PD) as a complex combination of motor and non-motor symptoms are being increasingly well characterised not least through large patient cohorts applying deep phenotyping. However, in terms of treatment of PD, the approach is uniform and purely symptomatic. Better stratification strategies with better precision medicine approaches offer opportunities to improve symptomatic treatment, define first causative therapies and provide more patient-centred care. Insight from targeted therapies for monogenic forms of PD aiming at neuroprotection may pave the way for new mechanism-based interventions also for the more common idiopathic PD. Improved stratification of patients may support symptomatic treatments by predicting treatment efficacy and long-term benefit of current pharmacological or neuromodulatory therapies, e.g. in the context of emerging pharmacogenomic knowledge. Based on asymptomatic carriers with monogenic PD or patients with REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), first options for applying preventive treatments emerge. The implications of these treatment strategies in relation to disease progression, and the prospects of their implementation in clinical practice need to be addressed.

Missing heritability in Parkinson's disease: the emerging role of non-coding genetic variation

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. For the stratification of PD patients and the development of advanced clinical trials, including causative treatments, a better understanding of the underlying genetic architecture of PD is required. Despite substantial efforts, genome-wide association studies have not been able to explain most of the observed heritability. The majority of PD-associated genetic variants are located in non-coding regions of the genome. A systematic assessment of their functional role is hampered by our incomplete understanding of genotype-phenotype correlations, for example through differential regulation of gene expression. Here, the recent progress and remaining challenges for the elucidation of the role of non-coding genetic variants is reviewed with a focus on PD as a complex disease with multifactorial origins. The function of gene regulatory elements and the impact of non-coding variants on them, and the means to map these elements on a genome-wide level, will be delineated. Moreover, examples of how the integration of functional genomic annotations can serve to identify disease-associated pathways and to prioritize disease- and cell type-specific regulatory variants will be given. Finally, strategies for functional validation and considerations for suitable model systems are outlined. Together this emphasizes the contribution of rare and common genetic variants to the complex pathogenesis of PD and points to remaining challenges for the dissection of genetic complexity that may allow for better stratification, improved diagnostics and more targeted treatments for PD in the future.

The Bologna motor and non-motor prospective study on parkinsonism at onset (BoProPark): study design and population

Objective

The Bologna motor and non-motor prospective study on parkinsonism at onset (BoProPark) was designed to prospectively characterize motor and non-motor features in patients with a progressive neurodegenerative disease starting with parkinsonism since early disease stage and to investigate their diagnostic and prognostic role in the differential diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease from atypical parkinsonisms. The aim of this paper is to describe the method and population of the BoProPark study.

Methods

Patients referred to our Department with parkinsonism within 3 years from motor onset were recruited. Secondary causes of parkinsonism were excluded. Each patient underwent a comprehensive evaluation of motor and non-motor symptoms, assessed by means of quantitative, objective instrumental tests in addition to scales and questionnaires. The evaluations were performed at enrolment (T0), after 16 months (T1) and after 5 years (T2). Diagnoses were made according to consensus criteria.

Results

We recruited 150 patients, with mean age 61.5 ± 9.8 years and mean disease duration 20 ± 9 months. H&Y stage was 1 in 47.3% and 2 in 46.7% of cases. Mean UPDRS-III was 17.7 ± 9.2. Fifty-four patients were on dopaminergic treatment with median levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD) of 200 mg.

Conclusions

We expect that the prospective nature of the BoProPark study as well as the comprehensive, instrumental evaluation of motor and non-motor symptoms in patients with parkinsonism will provide important new insights for both clinical practice and research. Our data could be used for comparison with other cohorts and shared with national and international collaborators to develop new innovative projects.

New Frontiers in Parkinson's Disease: From Genetics to the Clinic

The greatest unmet therapeutic need in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a treatment that slows the relentless progression of the symptoms and the neurodegenerative process. This review highlights the utility of genetics to understand the pathogenic mechanisms and develop novel therapeutic approaches for PD. The focus is on strategies provided by genetic studies: notably via the reduction and clearance of α-synuclein, inhibition of LRRK2 kinase activity, and modulation of glucocerebrosidase-related substrates. In addition, the critical role of precompetitive public-private partnerships in supporting trial design optimization, overall drug development, and regulatory approvals is illustrated. With these great advances, the promise of developing transformative therapies that halt or slow disease progression is a tangible goal.

Measuring Parkinson's disease over time: The real-world within-subject reliability of the MDS-UPDRS

Background

An important challenge in Parkinson's disease research is how to measure disease progression, ideally at the individual patient level. The MDS‐UPDRS, a clinical assessment of motor and nonmotor impairments, is widely used in longitudinal studies. However, its ability to assess within‐subject changes is not well known. The objective of this study was to estimate the reliability of the MDS‐UPDRS when used to measure within‐subject changes in disease progression under real‐world conditions.

Methods

Data were obtained from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative cohort and included repeated MDS‐UPDRS measurements from 423 de novo Parkinson's disease patients (median follow‐up: 54 months). Subtotals were calculated for parts I, II, and III (in on and off states). In addition, factor scores were extracted from each part. A linear Gaussian state space model was used to differentiate variance introduced by long‐lasting changes from variance introduced by measurement error and short‐term fluctuations. Based on this, we determined the within‐subject reliability of 1‐year change scores.

Results

Overall, the within‐subject reliability ranged from 0.13 to 0.62. Of the subscales, parts II and III (OFF) demonstrated the highest within‐subject reliability (both 0.50). Of the factor scores, the scores related to gait/posture (0.62), mobility (0.45), and rest tremor (0.43) showed the most consistent behavior.

Conclusions

Our results highlight that MDS‐UPDRS change scores contain a substantial amount of error variance, underscoring the need for more reliable instruments to forward our understanding of the heterogeneity in PD progression. Focusing on gait and rest tremor may be a promising approach for an early Parkinson's disease population. © 2019 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Parkinson's disease in the Western Pacific Region

1·8 billion people of diverse ethnicities and cultures live in the Western Pacific Region. The increasing longevity of populations in this region is a major contributor to the exponential increase in Parkinson's disease prevalence worldwide. Differences exist between Parkinson's disease in the Western Pacific Region and in Europe and North America that might provide important insights into our understanding of the disease and approaches to management. For example, some genetic factors (such as LRRK2 mutations or variants) differ, environmental exposures might play differential roles in modulating the risk of Parkinson's disease, and fewer dyskinesias are reported, with some differences in the profile of non-motor symptoms and comorbidities. Gaps in awareness of the disease and inequitable access to treatments pose challenges. Further improvements in infrastructure, clinical governance, and services, and concerted collaborative efforts in training and research, including greater representation of the Western Pacific Region in clinical trials, will improve care of patients with Parkinson's disease in this region and beyond.

More Research Is Needed on Lifestyle Behaviors That Influence Progression of Parkinson's Disease

The variability of symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) suggests the need for individualized treatment. A key aspect of precision medicine is lifestyle risk factor modification, known to be important in the prevention and management of chronic illness including other neurological diseases. Diet, cognitive training, exercise, and social engagement affect brain health and quality of life, but little is known of the influence of lifestyle on PD progression. Given disease heterogeneity, absence of objective outcome measures, and the confounding effects of medication, investigating lifestyle as a potential therapy in PD is challenging. This article highlights some of these challenges in the design of lifestyle studies in PD, and suggests a more coordinated international effort is required, including ongoing longitudinal observational studies. In combination with pharmaceutical treatments, healthy lifestyle behaviors may slow the progression of PD, empower patients, and reduce disease burden. For optimal care of people with PD, it is important to close this gap in current knowledge and discover whether such associations exist.

Descriptive analysis of the French NS-Park registry: Towards a nation-wide Parkinson's disease cohort?

INTRODUCTION

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's. The French clinical research network for PD (NS-Park) has created a national patient registry to i)report medical activity of Parkinson Expert Centers (PECs) to the Ministry of Health, ii)facilitate PD patients pre-screening for clinical trials, iii) provide a source for pharmaco-epidemiology studies.

OBJECTIVE

Assess the French Parkinsonian population at a nation-wide level and discover new clinical characteristics.

METHODS

In this feasibility study, PECs prospectively collected clinical data in a standardized manner. The population main clinical characteristics are described, focusing on motor and non-motor symptoms and treatments, assessing its representativeness. By using an unbiased clustering with multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), we also investigate potential relationships between multiple variables like symptoms and treatments, as clues for future studies.

RESULTS

Between 2012 and 2016, among 11,157 included parkinsonian syndromes, 9454 (85%) had PD. MCA identified various profiles depending on disease duration. Occurrences of motor complications, axial signs, cognitive disorders and Levodopa use increase over time. Neurovegetative symptoms, psychiatric disorders, sleep disturbances and impulse control disorders (ICDs) seem stable over time. As expected, ICDs were associated to dopaminergic agonist use but other associations, such as ICDs and sleep disturbances for instance, or anxiety and depression, were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results report one of the biggest PD registries ever reported and demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a nation-wide registry of PD patients in France, a potent tool for future longitudinal studies and clinical trials' population selection, and for pharmaco-epidemiology and cost-effectiveness studies.

Biomarkers of Parkinson's disease: 20 years later

Despite intensive effort, biomarker research for the detection of prodromal stage, diagnosis and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) falls short of expectations. This article reviews the attempts in the last 20 years to find a biomarker, addresses challenges along the biomarker search and suggests the steps that should be taken to overcome these challenges. Although several biomarkers are currently available, none of them is specific enough for diagnosis, prediction of future PD or disease progression. The main reason for the failure finding a strong biomarker seems to be drastic heterogeneity of PD, which exhibits itself in all domains; from the clinic to pathophysiology or genetics. The diversity in patient selection, assessment methods or outcomes in biomarker studies also limit the interpretation and generalizability of the data. In search of a reliable biomarker, consideration of novel approaches encompassing individual demographic, clinical, genetic, epigenetic and environmental differences, employment of strategies enabling marker combinations, designing multicenter studies with compatible assessment methods, integration of data from preclinical domains and utilization of novel technology-based assessments are necessary.

The clinical heterogeneity of Parkinson's disease and its therapeutic implications

Although Parkinson's disease (PD) is primarily a movement disorder, there are a range of associated nonmotor symptoms, including cognitive impairment, depression and sleep disturbance. These can occur throughout the disease course, even predating the motor syndrome. However, both motor and nonmotor symptoms are variable between individual patients. Rate of disease progression is also heterogenous: although 50% have reached key milestones of either postural instability or dementia within 4 years from diagnosis, almost a quarter have a good prognosis at 10 years. In this review we discuss how a range of different factors including clinical features, pathology and genetics, have been used to describe the heterogeneity of PD. We explore the value of longitudinal studies of incident PD cohorts, based on our own experience in Cambridgeshire, to define differences in rates of disease progression and predictors of outcome, including how such studies have informed the development of prognostic models which can be used at an individual patient level. Finally, we discuss the benefits of better understanding the basis of heterogeneity of PD in terms of implications for the development and trialling of more targeted therapies for different subgroups of patients, including regenerative approaches.