A simple blood test could one day reveal the condition at the earliest possible time. signs of parkinson’s disease years before more pronounced symptoms appear, according to new research on DNA repair and cellular stress.

The process by which cells repair their DNA and adapt to stress linked to parkinson’s disease in front. Now, researchers have identified blood biomarkers of these mechanisms in people diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson’s disease, which can last up to 20 years before major symptoms appear.

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the University of Oslo in Norway say the findings could inform new ways to detect Parkinson’s disease before it occurs, and perhaps find ways to prevent it. prevent it from developing.

“We highlighted biomarkers that we think reflect some of the early biology of the disease and showed that they can be measured in the blood.” say Anikka Polster, biostatistician at the University of Oslo.

“This paves the way for widespread screening tests with blood samples, which is a cost-effective and easily available method.”

As Parkinson’s disease progressesthe death of dopamine-producing neurons reduces motor function, thinking, and memory. In recent research, showed It is thought that reduced cellular resilience and problems with DNA maintenance may be behind this damage.

The researchers followed them for three years. gene expression They were obtained from blood samples from 188 healthy control participants, 393 patients with fully advanced Parkinson’s disease, and 58 patients with prodromal Parkinson’s disease (the early stages of the disease in the brain).

By comparing samples from three groups, the study showed that mutations in genes associated with DNA repair and cellular stress responses, and the resulting effects on blood cells, can distinguish between healthy people and those with prodromal Parkinson’s disease, with a high level of accuracy, in some cases up to 91 percent.

Remarkably, no markers of cellular stress were observed in the blood of patients with fully advanced Parkinson’s disease. As if The beginning of Parkinson’s disease It causes an emergency state in the cells that is eventually overcome by the disease.

“This means we have found an important opportunity to detect disease before the motor symptoms of nerve damage to the brain appear.” say Polster.

“The fact that these patterns are only shown at early stages and become deactivated as the disease progresses further makes it interesting to focus on mechanisms to find future treatments.”

Once the typical motor control problems and tremors associated with Parkinson’s disease begin to appear, a significant amount of damage occurs. already done to the brain. Preliminary testing may allow treatment and support to be introduced sooner.

Researchers estimate that it may take about five years for such a blood test to be commercially available, but compared to brain scans and other Parkinson’s disease screening techniques, collecting a blood sample is simple, quick, and uncomplicated. And blood tests don’t stop there. under development.

Now there’s more than that 10 million people There are people all over the world with Parkinson’s disease, but there is still no cure for it. The best chance to change this situation may be to catch the disease before it takes hold.

Related: Missing link between Parkinson’s protein and brain cell damage discovered

“By the time motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease appear, 50 to 80 percent of the brain cells involved are often already damaged or gone.” say Denmark Anwar, a systems biologist at Chalmers University of Technology.

“This research is an important step toward promoting early detection of the disease and stopping it before it progresses to that point.”

This research npj parkinson’s disease.