Brain-derived Extracellular vesicles as biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease
Abstract
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that is projected to increase in prevalence with the aging population. Current diagnosis of PD is based on clinical criteria as there exists no objective biomarker capable of diagnosing the disease. Clinical trials into protein biomarkers of PD have concentrated on analyzing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Although CSF is ideal due to its intimate relationship with cells of the central nervous system, obtaining it is relatively invasive. In contrast, brain-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are found to be in substantial concentrations in systemic circulation, allowing for the possibility of a diagnostic blood test. In this study, we demonstrate that a higher concentration of alpha synuclein (aSyn) and phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181) EVs are present in PD plasma when compared to plasma from HCs. Further research is needed to determine if correlation exists between EV concentration and clinically determined values.