Changes in Gastrointestinal Microbiome Composition in PD: A Pivotal Role of Covariates.

ABSTRACT: Altered gut microbiota may trigger or accelerate alpha-synuclein aggregation in the enteric nervous system in Parkinson's disease (PD). While several previous studies observed gut microbiota alterations in PD, findings like diversity indices, and altered bacterial taxa itself show a considerable heterogeneity across studies. We recruited 179 participants, of whom 101 fulfilled stringent inclusion criteria. Subsequently, the composition of the gut microbiota in 71 PD patients and 30 healthy controls was analyzed, sequencing V3-V4 regions of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene in fecal samples. Our goal was (1) to evaluate whether gut microbiota are altered in a southern German PD cohort, (2) to delineate the influence of disease duration, stage, and motor impairment, and (3) to investigate

SUBMITTER: Cosma-Grigorov A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7538808 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature