Unveiling early links between idiopathic polyneuropathy and Parkinson's disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder that affects dopaminergic neurons in midbrain and causes movement disorder with motor symptoms. Additionally, non-motor symptoms occur as early manifestations of PD, among them psychiatric, autonomic and gastrointestinal signs that lack of specificity for diagnosing PD. Another early manifestation is peripheral polyneuropathy, with alpha-synuclein deposition in peripheral axons that has been insufficiently explored. The objective of the project is to evaluate multifactorial etiopathogenesis of different idiopathic polyneuropathies and PD. Cohorts of patients will be enrolled, examined clinically, neurophysiologically, and laboratory investigations performed for microbiome profiles of gut and saliva, and biopsies of skin. This serves the aim of identifying a complex set of disease biomarkers for the diagnosis in the prodromal phase of PD, with a focus on peripheral large and small fiber polyneuropathy.