Skin Intraneural Phosphorylated α-synuclein as a Highly Specific Biomarker for Early Parkinson's Disease

A prospective multicentre study of 151 early-stage parkinsonism patients found that detection of phosphorylated α-synuclein in skin nerve fibres achieved 81% sensitivity and 100% specificity for identifying Parkinson's disease versus other parkinsonian disorders. Skin biopsy biomarker analysis, combined with clinical follow-up over 46 months, may help differentiate true PD from mimicking conditions in early diagnostic stages.