A simple, noninvasive method was developed to early diagnose Parkinson’s disease through an eye examination. With this, treatment to delay the disease may start earlier or be used to monitor your progression.
No ParkinsonEarly diagnosis means intervening to prevent or reduce the destructive course of the disease.
However, most Parkinson’s diagnoses are made Only after the appearance of symptoms.
Now, researchers at Université Laval and the Brain Research Center, both in Canada, have developed a method to early diagnose Parkinson’s disease using a simple and noninvasive eye examination.
“When symptoms appear, the disease has been present for several years and affected neurons have been involved in an irreversible degenerative process,” said the corresponding author of the study, Martin Lévesque.
This is why it is crucial to find biomarkers that detect Parkinson’s disease in an early stage. “An unusual response from the retina to luminous stimuli may be indicative of a pathology that affects the brain”explained the expert.
This conclusion is presented in the May edition of.
Electroretinography is key in the diagnosis
In recent years, the visual deficiencies resulting from the retinal dysfunction They have gained attention as potential Parkinson indicators.
A electroretinography (ERG) It is a technique used to evaluate the electrical activity of the retinal -the light sensitive tissue in the back of the eye -in response to luminous stimulation. As explained by, a device emits flashes or light patterns to the eye, and electrodes placed in the eye and around it measure the electrical responses generated by different types of retinal cells to provide information about its operation.
ERG had already been used to reveal subtle changes in the retinal that correlate with psychiatric disturbances such as schizophrenia, bipolar disturbance and depression now, the researchers have made the hypothesis that distinct deficiencies in ERG could also serve as early indicators of Parkinson’s disease.
The average age of Parkinson’s diagnosis is 65 years. Researchers expect this simple and noninvasive test to be used to start early diagnosis of the disease. “It should be offered a functional examination of the retina from the age of 50,” said Lévesque.
“By detecting the disease early, we could offer interventions that prevent the degeneration of neurons involved in Parkinson’s disease. This approach could also be used to Monitor the progression of the diseaseas well as the effectiveness of the interventions offered to patients, ”added the expert.
