The role of gut microbiota dysbiosis on Parkinson’s pathogenesis
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
In this paper, the role of gut dysfunction and gut dsybiosis in Parkinson’s disease (PD) was investigated. Using literature reviews and published data, many findings were reported. Those of importance to the scope of this paper are (1) Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction was reported in PD patients in statistically significant amounts, (2) pre-clinical data from mice findings showed changes in microbiota such as Prevotellacea when mice were subjected to neurotoxins that mimic PD pathology, (3) fecal tests performed on PD patients showed reductions in short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and other beneficial bacteria and (4) growing evidence for the presence of α-synuclein in the gut early in disease may suggest that PD pathology begins in the GI tract. Other findings such as prodromal constipation (PC) may indicate changes to underlying gut microbiota early in PD manifestation. While it remains unclear whether GI dysfunction causes PD pathogenesis or vice versa (gut-first or brain-first pathology), it is known that GI dysfunction is a clinical symptom present in disease. Prospective twin studies that follow the impact of diet on Parkinsonism may prove beneficial.
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2024