Interrelation between Sarcopenia and the Number of Motor Neurons in Patients with Parkinsonian Syndromes.

Introduction: Pathogenesis in a subgroup of sarcopenic patients seems to be based on a reduced number of motor neurons. This study aimed at investigating the overlap between sarcopenia and neurodegeneration, as reflected by a low number of motor neurons in patients with Parkinsonian syndromes (PS).

Methods: The motor unit number index (MUNIX) of the hypothenar muscle was used to assess the number and size (MUSIX) of motor units (MUs) in patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease (iPD, n = 53), patients with atypical Parkinsonian syndrome (aPS, n = 21), and a control group (n = 30).

Associations between Early Markers of Parkinson's Disease and Sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia and Parkinson's disease (PD) are both common age-related syndromes, and there is preliminary evidence that the probability of the co-occurrence of these syndromes within one individual is higher than expected. However, it is unclear to date whether one of the syndromes induces the other, or whether there may be common underlying causes. This pilot study thus aimed at investigating the association of the features of increased risk for PD with early stage sarcopenia (ESS).