Abstract

Patients with idiopathic REM-sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) are at substantial risk of progressive neurodegenerative disease of alpha-synuclein pathology. Longitudinal studies have demonstrated that abnormal alpha-synuclein deposition occurs early in the course of disease and may precede the appearance of motor symptoms by several decades. This provides rationale for the use of a reliable biomarker to both follow disease progression and to assess treatment response, once disease-modifying treatments become available. Tissue alpha-synuclein has emerged as a promising candidate, however the utility of alpha-synuclein detection in tissues accessible to biopsy in iRBD remains unclear. This article summarizes the current literature on the role of tissue biopsy in iRBD, with specific focus on its potential role as a biomarker of disease progression and its role in future clinical trials.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101283

View details for PubMedID 32187564