Prodromal Markers in Parkinson's Disease: Limitations in Longitudinal Studies and Lessons Learned.

ABSTRACT: A growing body of evidence supports a prodromal neurodegenerative process preceding the clinical onset of Parkinson's disease (PD). Studies have identified several different prodromal markers that may have the potential to predict the conversion from healthy to clinical PD but use considerably different approaches. We systematically reviewed 35 longitudinal studies reporting prodromal PD features and evaluated the methodological quality across 10 different predefined domains. We found limitations in the following domains: PD diagnosis (57% of studies), prodromal marker assessments (51%), temporal information on prodromal markers or PD diagnosis (34%), generalizability of results (17%), statistical methods (accounting for at least age as confounder; 17%), study design (14%), and sample size

SUBMITTER: Heinzel S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4916171 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature