Name of Fellow

    Scheperjans Filip

    Institution

    Funder

    Academy of Finland

    Contact information of fellow

    Country

    Finland

    Title of project/programme

    Role of the microbiome-gut-brain axis in prodromal and established Parkinson's disease

    Source of funding information

    Academy of Finland

    Total sum awarded (Euro)

    € 257,907

    Start date of award

    01/09/16

    Total duration of award in years

    4.0

    The project/programme is most relevant to:

    Parkinson's disease & PD-related disorders

    Keywords

    Parkinson's disease | neurology | neurodegenerative disease | microbiota | microbiome | gut-brain-axis | biomarker | metabolomics | inflammation | genotyping | microbiome host interactions | non-motor symptoms | pathogenesis | prospective study

    Research Abstract

    Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects one in hundred persons over the age of 65. Its cause is unknown. Patients do not only suffer from slowness of movements and tremor, the majority is also affected by gut symptoms. Recent research suggests that the gut may actually be the first affected organ in PD. We recently found changes in the amounts of different gut bacteria in PD patients and suspect that they may be involved in the development of PD. In this project we will study the connection between gut bacteria and PD on many levels. We will study whether gut bacteria produce toxic substances or cause inflammation in PD and whether patients have a genetic vulnerability towards such insults. We will also look at how gut bacteria influence brain metabolism and whether gut bacteria can be used to diagnose PD earlier or more accurately than standard methods. We hope that better understanding gut bacteria in PD may eventually lead to new treatments that slow or even prevent the disease.

Types: Fellowships
Member States: Finland
Diseases: Parkinson's disease & PD-related disorders
Years: 2016
Database Categories: N/A
Database Tags: N/A

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