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Parkinson’s disease

An emerging biomarker for dopaminergic cell loss

Nature Aging volume 3, pages 1180–1182 (2023)Cite this article

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A recent publication in Nature Aging suggests that DOPA decarboxylase may serve as an emerging biomarker that can identify neurodegenerative disorders that are characterized by dopaminergic cell loss. Here we discuss how this finding can assist clinicians and researchers in the differential diagnosis of individuals who present with parkinsonism or cognitive decline.

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Fig. 1: The position of emerging biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonism.

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Acknowledgements

The Radboudumc Centre of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders was supported by a center of excellence grant by the Parkinson’s Foundation. M.M.V. and B.R.B. are supported by grants from Stichting Alkemade-Keuls, ParkinsonNL (project P2021-18), the Maag Lever Darm Stichting (project WOO 21-05), the ‘Stichting Woelse Waard’, the Dutch Brain Foundation (MADAM project) and ZonMW (MIGUT project, 09120012110098).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Center of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders, Radboud Alzheimer Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Marcel M. Verbeek & Bastiaan R. Bloem

  2. Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Marcel M. Verbeek

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  1. Marcel M. Verbeek
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  2. Bastiaan R. Bloem
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Correspondence to Marcel M. Verbeek.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Verbeek, M.M., Bloem, B.R. An emerging biomarker for dopaminergic cell loss. Nat Aging 3, 1180–1182 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-023-00501-2

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