The aim of this study was to investigate the correlations of plasma neurodegenerative proteins and electroencephalography (EEG) dynamic functional network (DFN) parameters with disease progression in early Parkinson’s disease (PD) with different motor subtypes, including tremor-dominant (TD) and postural instability and gait disorder (PIGD).
In our study, 33 patients with PD (21 TD and 12 PIGD) and 33 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL), α-synuclein (α-syn), total-tau (t-tau), β-amyloid 42 (Aβ42), and β-amyloid 40 (Aβ40) levels were measured using an ultrasensitive single-molecule array (Simoa) immunoassay. All the patients with PD underwent EEG quantified by DFN analysis. The motor and non-motor performances were evaluated by a series of clinical assessments. Subsequently, a correlation analysis of plasma biomarkers and EEG measures with clinical scales was conducted.
In the TD group, plasma NfL exhibited a significant association with MDS-UPDRS III and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). A higher Aβ42/40 level was significantly related to a decrease in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) in the PIGD group. In terms of the correlation between EEG characteristic parameters and clinical outcomes, trapping time (
These results provide evidence that plasma neurodegenerative proteins and EEG measures have great potential in predicting the disease progression of PD subtypes, especially for the TD subtype. A combination of these two kinds of markers may have a superposition effect on monitoring and estimating the prognosis of PD subtypes and deserves further research in larger, follow-up PD cohorts.