Parkinson’s Awareness Week: Welsh researchers leading the way in improving diagnostics and future treatments

Researchers in Wales are leading the way in the development of new ways of diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD). They are hoping to use this knowledge to develop a drug to prevent the progression of Parkinson’s disease to Parkinson’s disease dementia.  

Neuroscientists in Wales are conducting a study, supported by Swansea’s Institute of Life Sciences' Joint Clinical Research Facility (JCRF) which receives some funding from Health and Care Research Wales, to observe the behaviour of a stomach hormone called ghrelin which travels to the brain and binds to a specific protein. When food enters the stomach, the walls of the stomach bulge and that stretching effect activates nerve cells that are embedded in the lining of the stomach. When the stomach is empty there are cells in the stomach that release ghrelin, known as the hunger hormone, and it travels to the brain via and activates the feeding centres in the brain that stimulate hunger. 

The level of ghrelin in the blood can be used as a tool or diagnostic biomarker to help provide a definite diagnosis of PDD without the use of MRI or PET scans.   

Dr Jeff Davies, a neuroscientist at Swansea University’s Medical School, said: 

“We have been studying the levels of ghrelin in Parkinson's disease and we've demonstrated the level of this hormone in the blood is altered specifically in Parkinson's dementia patients. By measuring the levels of ghrelin in the blood, we aim to improve diagnosis of PDD.” 

Dr Davies and his team aim to use this knowledge to target the gut-to-brain pathway to slow down the progression of cognitive decline to eventual dementia. To do that, there is a need to target the proteins regulating this process. 

According to one study, up to 70 percent of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease deteriorate and eventually develop PD dementia. There are currently no effective therapies to prevent this progression.  

Dr Davies added: 

“The whole point of a drug would be to slow that decline, that slide, into PD dementia. If we could do that, that would be superb. It would be fantastic for patients and families as very few options are available now.” 

The team is currently trying to determine whether the same results can be replicated in patients diagnosed with other types of dementia. This current study, funded by a research grant from the Galen & Hilary Weston Foundation, is open to people aged 60 or over, generally healthy or diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, or Lewy Body Dementia.  

To find out about other opportunities to help with or take part in research can be seen in our bulletin every week.