Graphical summary Credit score: Neurobiology of Illness (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106872
Might it’s potential to diagnose Parkinson’s illness with the assistance of a easy retinal examination? The concept needs to be significantly thought-about, in keeping with a research revealed within the Might subject of Neurobiology of Illness by researchers from Université Laval who found that the retina of individuals with Parkinson’s illness responds in another way to gentle stimuli than that of wholesome folks.
Parkinson’s illness is normally identified when an individual consults a health care provider due to motor issues equivalent to tremors. “By then, the disease has been present for several years and the affected neurons are already engaged in an irreversible degenerative process. That’s why it’s important to find biomarkers that detect Parkinson’s at an early stage of the disease,” explains research chief Martin Lévesque, professor at Université Laval’s School of Medication and researcher at CERVO Mind Analysis Heart in Québec Metropolis.
“The retina is a direct extension of the central nervous system and, consequently, offers a non-invasive way of exploring the brain,” continues the researcher. “An unusual response of the retina to light stimuli could be indicative of a pathology affecting the brain.”
To discover this avenue, his analysis group recruited 20 individuals who had been identified with Parkinson’s for lower than 5 years. “We placed an electrode on each participant’s lower eyelid and recorded their retinal response to a series of flashes of different intensity, frequency and color. We did the same with people of the same age, but in good health. The results we obtained for people with Parkinson’s had a distinct signature from those in the control group,” explains Professor Lévesque.
Immunofluorescence imaging of rodent retina at 4 months. Eyecup retina dissections have been labeled with the nuclear marker DAPI (blue), a horizontal cell marker Calbindin (white), and p-aSyn (cyan). Confocal immunofluorescence imaging exhibits irregular aSyn phosphorylation (cyan) within the outer M83(ho) retina, which is absent in B6 mice. As this retinal layer is dwelling to interneurons, early retinal modifications within the M83(ho) mannequin of PD might partially contain a synaptic defect within the photo-processing system. † Confocal photos have been captured with 40× and 63× aims with a scale bar representing 10 μm. GCL (ganglion cell layer), IPL (internal plexiform layer), INL (internal nuclear layer), OPL (outer plexiform layer), ONL (outer nuclear layer). (For interpretation of the references to paint on this determine legend, the reader is referred to the online model of this text.). Credit score: Neurobiology of Illness (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106872
The analysis group carried out related exams in transgenic mice overexpressing a human protein related to Parkinson’s illness.
“We used young mice in which no motor signs of the disease were yet observable. Once again, we obtained different responses in Parkinson’s model animals. This suggests that the functional manifestations of Parkinson’s could be detected at an early stage of the disease by retinal examination,” sums up Lévesque.
Parkinson’s illness happens most frequently in folks over the age of 60. “We could offer a functional retinal exam from the age of 50,” continues Lévesque.
“By detecting the disease early, we could offer interventions that prevent the degeneration of the neurons involved in Parkinson’s. This approach could also be used to monitor the progression of the disease, as well as the effectiveness of interventions offered to patients.”
The research’s first writer is doctoral scholar Victoria Soto Linan. The co-authors are Véronique Rioux, Modesto Peralta III, Nicolas Dupré, Marc Hébert and Lévesque.
Extra data:
Victoria Soto Linan et al, Early detection of Parkinson’s illness: Retinal useful impairments as potential biomarkers, Neurobiology of Illness (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106872
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Detecting Parkinson’s illness with a easy retinal examination (2025, Might 1)
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