Gut bacteria linked to Parkinson's disease.
Researchers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong have found that the gut microbiome holds Parkinson's disease markers and may indicate a method of early diagnosis. The study found gut microbiota compositions significantly altered in early PD and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) compared with controls and the relative cohort. The observations open the door for future research to go beyond the correlations and seek the early causative path of both diseases in hopes of discovering what could be a pre-clinical diagnostic intervention to prevent Parkinson's from developing in the first place.