Probing the Pre-diagnostic Phase of Parkinson's Disease in Population-Based Studies

Lisanne J. Dommershuijsen, Agnita J.W. Boon, M. Kamran Ikram*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
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Abstract

Parkinson's disease covers a wide spectrum of symptoms, ranging from early non-motor symptoms to the characteristic bradykinesia, tremor and rigidity. Although differences in the symptomatology of Parkinson's disease are increasingly recognized, there is still a lack of insight into the heterogeneity of the pre-diagnostic phase of Parkinson's disease. In this perspective, we highlight three aspects regarding the role of population-based studies in providing new insights into the heterogeneity of pre-diagnostic Parkinson's disease. First we describe several specific advantages of population-based cohort studies, including the design which overcomes some common biases, the broad data collection and the high external validity. Second, we draw a parallel with the field of Alzheimer's disease to provide future directions to uncover the heterogeneity of pre-diagnostic Parkinson's disease. Finally, we anticipate on the emergence of prevention and disease-modification trials and the potential role of population-based studies herein. In the coming years, bridging gaps between study designs will be essential to make vital advances in elucidating the heterogeneity of pre-diagnostic Parkinson's disease.

Original languageEnglish
Article number702502
JournalFrontiers in Neurology
Volume12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by Stichting ParkinsonFonds.

Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 Dommershuijsen, Boon and Ikram.

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