PPMI: Fall Parkinson’s Research Conference Highlights

New ideas and innovative breakthroughs have shaped the fall conference schedule, with critical discussions poised to shape the future of Parkinson's disease research and community. From the International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders (MDS) to Society for Neuroscience (SfN) to The Michael J. Fox Foundation's own Parkinson's Disease Therapeutics Conference, these events brought together thought leaders, innovators and researchers from around the globe to share their latest work.

Research highlights included several advances using data from The Michael J. Fox Foundation's landmark study, the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). These posters showcase some of the latest research and share a focus on biomarkers, particularly around alpha-synuclein and disease progression tracking.

α-Synuclein Seed Amplification Assay Amplification Parameters and Progression in Parkinson's Disease

• Alpha-synuclein is the hallmark protein associated with PD pathology. David Coughlin, MD, presented on the use of the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (SAA) to detect misfolded alpha-synuclein. The data shows that SAA positivity and faster seed amplification in at-risk individuals are associated with a greater probability of developing PD.

Baseline NSD-ISS stage predicts long term progression and survival in sporadic PD: 10-year PPMI data analysis

• Paulina Gonzales Latapi, MD, underlined the utility of the Neuronal Synuclein Disease Integrated Staging System (NDS-ISS) for better understanding of disease progression and developing targeted treatments. This work shows that NSD-ISS stage can predict long term progression and outcomes, emphasizing its potential as a research framework.

Concordance of Neuropathologic Diagnosis of Lewy Body Disease with Baseline Alpha-Synuclein Seed Amplification Assay in PPMI

• Kathleen Poston, MD, presented on the relationship between the neuropathologic diagnosis of Lewy Body Disease (LDB) and baseline alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (SAA) results in a PPMI cohort. In the PPMI cohort, SAA detected/not-detected at enrollment was 100% concordant with the presence/absence of LBD pathology at autopsy.

LRRK2-Associated Parkinsonism With and Without In Vivo Evidence of Pathologic Alpha-Synuclein: Clinical and Biomarker Characterization

• Lana Chahine, MD, presented on LRRK2-associated parkinsonism by comparing clinical and biomarker profiles of patients with and without pathologic alpha-synuclein. The findings aim to reveal how alpha-synuclein presence influences disease progression and response to treatment in people with LRRK2 mutations. The team found clinical and biomarker differences in LRRK2-parkinsonism cases with in vivo evidence of pathologic alpha-synuclein compared to those without, emphasizing the importance of better understanding the intersection of LRRK2 mutations and misfolded alpha-synuclein.

Comparison of olfactory testing and PSG for detection of alpha-synuclein pathology in patients with dream enactment behavior or REM sleep behavior disorder

• Ethan Brown, MD, reported on the comparison of olfactory testing (smell tests) and polysomnography (PSG) for detecting alpha-synuclein pathology in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). This work suggests smell tests as a simpler, non-invasive alternative to PSG for early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease.

Baseline and Longitudinal NSD-ISS Staging of the PPMI Cohort

• Michael Brumm explored how the Neuronal Synuclein Disease Integrated Staging System (NDS-ISS) can be used to stage participants in the PPMI cohort based on baseline and longitudinal data. The study sought to predict disease progression in early Parkinson's disease, showing a high degree of variability within early stages, emphasizing the need for further validation of this system. A better understanding of disease progression arcs is critical for understanding the impact of disease-modifying treatments as they are tested.

View the full list of posters here.

These research advances showcase the power of a long-term, well-characterized cohort like the one found in the PPMI study. If you are interested in learning more about the ways you can use PPMI data for your own research, visit here.

• Karen Wu

  Science Communications Specialist