The Cerebrospinal Fluid Profile of Cholesterol Metabolites in Parkinson's Disease and Their Association With Disease State and Clinical Features.

Disordered cholesterol metabolism is linked to neurodegeneration. In this study we investigated the profile of cholesterol metabolites found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. When adjustments were made for confounding variables of age and sex, 7α,(25R)26-dihydroxycholesterol and a second oxysterol 7α,x,y-trihydroxycholest-4-en-3-one (7α,x,y-triHCO), whose exact structure is unknown, were found to be significantly elevated in PD CSF.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Cytokines and Neurodegeneration-Associated Proteins in Parkinson's Disease.

Introduction: Immune markers are altered in Parkinson's disease (PD), but relationships between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma cytokines and associations with neurodegeneration-associated proteins remain unclear.

Methods: CSF and plasma samples and demographic/clinical measures were obtained from 35 PD patients. CSF samples were analyzed for cytokines (together with plasma) and for α-synuclein, amyloid β(1-42) peptide, total tau, and phospho(Thr231)-tau.

Determinants of delayed diagnosis in Parkinson's disease.

The early and accurate diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the first step towards optimal patient management. The aim of this study was to investigate the major determinants of delayed diagnosis in PD. We recruited a population-representative cohort of 239 newly-diagnosed PD patients who underwent clinical and neuropsychological evaluation.

Stem cells and regenerative therapies for Parkinson's disease.

Currently the mainstay of Parkinson's disease (PD) therapy is the pharmacological replacement of the loss of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway using drugs such as dopamine agonists and levodopa. Whilst these drugs effectively ameliorate some of the motor features of PD, they do not improve many of the nonmotor features that arise secondary to pathology outside of this system, nor do they slow the progressive neurodegeneration that is a characteristic of the disease. Regenerative therapies for PD seek to fill this therapeutic gap, with cell transplantation being the most explored approach to date.

Brief report: female-to-male transsexual people and autistic traits.

The 'extreme male brain' theory suggests females with Autism Spectrum Conditions are hyper-masculinized in certain aspects of behavior. We predicted that females with Gender Identity Disorder (who are masculinized) would have elevated Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores. AQ scores from five groups were compared: (1) n = 61 transmen (female-to-male transsexual people); (2) n = 198 transwomen (male-to-female transsexual people); (3) n = 76 typical males; (4) n = 98 typical females; and (5) n = 125 individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS).