+ Technology/Innovation
Nicholas Gueguen | Aug 15, 2017

Parkinson's biomarker could aid in fighting the disease

University of Florida researchers say diffusion MRI scans may help doctors note differences in levels of fluid in the brain that indicate Parkinson's disease is getting worse, which could help companies in creating new medicines to prevent the disease from getting worse.

Researchers from the University of Florida who specialize in how the brain and the nervous system work confirmed this biomarker in the outcomes of a global test at multiple locations, the outcomes of which have been released in the most recent edition of Brain. 

The outcomes showed the amount of fluid not held in brain tissue, called free water, went up after one year among the over 100 people that just found out they had Parkinson's and had not yet take any drugs to fight it. The researchers could not detect the biomarker in people who did not have Parkinson's.

The researchers also found that the levels of the biomarker kept increasing in people with Parkinson's whom they tested for as long as four years.

The new, broader study confirmed findings of a study two years ago that found free water in the posterior substantia nigra of the brain is specific to Parkinson’s patients. 

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