Diagnostic test for Parkinson's may be possible

Scientists in the US have presented the results of a proof-of-concept study they believe highlights the ability to diagnose Parkinson's disease by analysing the plasma in a patient's blood.

Currently, there is no clinical diagnosis for the condition and it is often not until patients present with motor problems that it is identified.

At this point, between 60 and 70 per cent of a patient's dopaminergic neurons are likely to have been lost.

As a result, scientists have been striving for a biological indicator to help identify Parkinson's disease as early as possible.

Scientists at the Centre for Neurodegenerative Science in Michigan believe they have identified a biomarker that is predictive of Parkinson's.

Their research appears in the latest edition of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease.

Speaking about the findings, Dr Patrik Brundin said: "A diagnostic test to determine the status of a patient's disease onset would provide crucial data for more timely, efficient and successful therapeutic interventions."

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