MDS 2022 | fMRI and gait analysis characteristics as biomarkers for alpha-synucleinopathies

Elisabetta Sarasso, PT, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy, discusses a preliminary study that assessed the usefulness of gait analysis and functional MRI characteristics in patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) in predicting the conversion from iRBD to clinically manifested alpha-synucleinopathies. The investigators found that iRBD patients presented gait analysis data alterations, particularly asymmetry of spatio-temporal gait parameters. Additionally, patients with iRBD showed increased functional connectivity in the right executive control and decreased functional connectivity of the basal ganglia and cerebellar networks. Although these are preliminary data, these findings suggest that functional MRI and gait analysis characteristics could be promising biomarkers for the early detection of alpha-synucleinopathies. This interview took place at the 2022 International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders in Madrid, Spain.

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