Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder, being prevalent in 1% of people aged above 65 years. PD is characterized by dopaminergic neurons and the accumulation of alpha-synuclein (α-syn)-rich protein in Lewy bodies. Although aging is the highest risk factor for developing PD, the genetic predisposition and exposure to environmental factors such as herbicides or pesticides can induce oxidative stress, DNA damage, and neuronal death contributing to PD pathogenesis.

To date, there is not a therapy to halt the disease. Many studies have shown multiple altered pathways offering different approaches for developing an effective therapy, however, the current therapies are merely symptomatic, and they include a substitution of dopamine by the administration of Levodopa, the use of catechol-O- O -methyltransferase inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors or Dopamine agonist among others. However, these treatments can only relieve some of the symptoms, they do not slow the progression of the disease and they have limited long-term efficacy.

Researcher focus is shifting towards early-stage diagnosis, as PD generally starts in the premotor phase, affecting various regions of the peripheral and central nervous system and the dopaminergic neurons. Motor symptoms appear late, when 50% of neurons are lost, suggesting premotor markers’ utility in early diagnosis. Non-dopaminergic PD features are largely untreated.

Despite great advances in research, it is still an elusive field of medical science. There is an urgent need to improve therapies that stop the PD progression in the early stages of the disease. However, there is a lack of reliable biomarkers for diagnosis at the initial points when the interventions could be more effective. These challenges present barriers to targeting the disease and developing treatments for PD patients.

The landscape of digital biomarkers (sensors, wearables) in PD is one that is rapidly evolving, yet it is a field that has been ongoing for nearly a decade. Large amounts of data can be used for advanced analytics approaches (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning), potentially to expand on traditional outcomes, although the diversity of variables in the different studies will make it challenging to integrate or harmonize data beyond one study at a time.

This Research Topic aims to collect, an overview of the new studies performed in PD for helping to identify biomarkers and a possible therapy to halt the disease.

Therefore, we seek original research, review, hypothesis-and-theory, clinical trial, case report, and opinion articles that cover but are not limited to, the following topics:

- Potential targets for pharmacological intervention addressing neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, calcium channel activity, a-synuclein accumulation, aggregation, and cell-to-cell transmission.

- Identification of new potential biomarkers for PD progression

- Therapeutical therapies, such as immunotherapy and surgical interventions

We aim to review recent advancements in Parkinson’s disease (PD) research, focusing on elucidating the intricate pathological mechanisms, identifying potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and progression, and exploring novel therapeutic strategies for disease management and progression prevention.

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Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

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