Author: Jo Sharpe

Parkinson’s disease is a devastating illness that is progressive, incurable, and notoriously difficult to diagnose. It is caused by the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra – an area of the midbrain. Defective dopamine signalling results in severe motor defects in patients, which manifest as tremors, muscle cramps and lethargy, in addition to non-motor symptoms such as depression and anxiety, hallucinations and dementia. The number of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the UK is about 145,000, equivalent to around 1 adult in every 350. Although there are many treatments available for people living with Parkinson’s, there are currently no drugs which slow progression of the disease. In fact, there have been no significant advances in any therapies in the last decade. What’s more, diagnosis is based on physical symptoms alone, which means treatment can only begin when there has been a large degree of neuronal damage. This only exacerbates the problem – at this late stage, there is limited capacity to ameliorate symptoms.

Researchers at Manchester are pioneering new methods to treat and diagnose Parkinson’s. This blog post will give you a whistle-stop tour of three of the most recent projects that showcase the breadth of research into different aspects of Parkinson’s here at Manchester.

Professor Perdita Barran, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology: a new method to diagnose Parkinson’s

The discovery of biomarkers for Parkinson’s would be a huge leap forward towards an effective diagnostic test able to identify those at risk for developing Parkinson’s. Biomarkers are defined by the World Health Organisation as “any substance, structure, or process that can be measured in the body or its products and influence or predict the incidence of outcome or disease”.

Professor Barran and her team have launched a study to extract and analyse small molecule components of sebum, an oily substance secreted by glands in the skin, after a Scottish woman noticed that she could identify those with the disease in a sample of 12 individuals simply by smelling their t-shirts.  Joy Milne became aware that her husband was emitting a “musky odour” years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but only made the link to the disease when she attended a support group with her husband and noticed the same smell. Unsurprisingly, scientists jumped on the idea that the molecules that Joy was detecting could in fact be reliable biomarkers.

Joy Milne (left) and Manchester’s Perdita Barran (right)

Here at Manchester, Professor Barran’s group specialise in developing state of the art mass spectrometry-based methods and instruments, and they are currently working on developing a method to pinpoint the molecular changes taking place in Parkinson’s that lead to the production of unique metabolites that Joy is able to smell.  So far, they have identified 10 small molecules distinctive to Parkinson’s sufferers. It is hoped that this research could pave the way for new non-invasive diagnostic techniques to catch the disease earlier and allow the development of drugs to effectively stop the disease before symptoms occur.

Dr Julio Vega: Using analogue and digital detectives to monitor Parkinson’s

The symptoms associated with Parkinson’s Disease fluctuate within hours or days, but people with Parkinson’s are commonly assessed only every six months, which makes it difficult to monitor disease progression and therefore properly tailor medication to their fluctuating symptoms. Dr Julio Vega and colleagues are developing new methods to improve symptom monitoring in Parkinson’s.

The premise of Dr Vega’s research is to explore different methods of self-reporting symptoms, with the hope of measuring fluctuations day-to-day and during a single day. However, self-reporting using an electronic or a paper diary presents its own set of challenges. Vega and his team trialled different diary-based methods and took feedback from participants. Paper diaries were considered more accessible and robust to all populations than electronic diaries, which can be challenging for some older people to operate and are prone to malfunctions. However, it can be difficult to evaluate the validity of people’s answers with handwritten diaries, and data entry and analysis is likely to be more error prone. 

Self-reporting symptoms is a growing field of research, supported by increased use of personal technologies. Diaries such as these provide a wealth of information, both to the individuals and to health professionals that could help tailor treatments and improve quality of life.

Dr Ellen Poliakoff and Dr Judith Bek: imitation could hold the key to improving movement in Parkinson’s

Have you ever noticed yourself inadvertently mimicking someone’s movements whilst speaking to them? This is known as motor resonance; upon observing a particular movement, the motor system is internally activated, often manifesting  itself as external movement specifically attuned to the movement observed. A recently published study by Dr Ellen Poliakoff and Dr Judith Bek, in the Division of Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology, showed that motor resonance remains intact in people with Parkinson’s, and suggests that imitation could provide a way for people to practice and improve their own movements.

The study involved using a computer based task to investigate the effects of “imitative priming” on 23 people with Parkinson’s, and 24 people without. The participants observed a human finger moving either upwards or downwards, and then pressed a button as quickly as possible. The idea behind this is that when the hand moved downwards, it would match the participant’s own movement. The speed of the participant’s response was recorded. Interestingly, there was no difference in the response between those with the disease and controls, which suggests that the motor resonance remains intact in Parkinson’s.

Imitative priming has implications for therapeutic interventions. The team are collaborating with Professor Paul Holmes from Manchester Metropolitan University to develop an app based on the findings of this study, in which people with Parkinson’s can train their movements by watching a series of videos of everyday actions, such as chopping food. It is hoped that this could provide a convenient and effective way to improve the quality of life of those with Parkinson’s.

As you can see, Manchester is quite literally a hive of Parkinson’s research, paving the way for new treatments and diagnostic tools that could make a real difference to those living with Parkinson’s now and in the future.