Biochemical Characterization of Parkinson's Disease-related Proteins in the Enteric Nervous System as a Proxy for Pathological Changes in the Brain
Parkinson's disease affects all the nerve cells in the body, including the ones in the gut. The gut contains its own nervous system, the enteric nervous system, and can be thought of as a second brain. This second brain can reflect what is going on in the actual brain. This study is being done to look for biomarkers, or early indicators of developing Parkinson's disease, in the microbiome and in the gut tissue taken during routine screening colonoscopy. People aged 45 and over who are due for their routine screening colonoscopy are eligible to participate.
• Age 45-75 years old
• Parkinson's Disease defined by the modified UK Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank criteria, at risk for the development of Parkinson's disease including REM sleep behavior disorder and/or at least one first degree relative with PD or related disorder, and diseases related to Parkinson's disease including the synucleinopathies Lewy Body Dementia and Multiple System Atrophy.
• Baseline Hoehn \& Yahr score 1-4
• No contraindications to undergoing screening colonoscopy
• Able to give informed consent for study participation