Alpha-Synuclein Biomarker Tests in Parkinson Diagnosis: Expert Review

New Era in Parkinson Diagnosis

A comprehensive expert review on commercially available alpha-synuclein biomarker tests for evaluating Parkinson disease and other alpha-synucleinopathies has been published. This represents an important step toward earlier and more accurate diagnosis.

Current Test Methods

• CSF Seed Amplification Assay (SAA): This test shows high sensitivity for alpha-synuclein neurodegenerative disorders compared with clinical diagnoses.
• Skin Biopsy Immunofluorescence Test: A minimally invasive method with similarly high sensitivity.

Important Limitations

The expert panel highlighted that tests cannot distinguish among various alpha-synuclein disorders, and more research is needed on positive test rates in healthy individuals.