Tears and Its role in diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease

Medical researchers are in constantly exploring to find the best solutions for Parkinson’s Disease. It is the time that is opening gates for various treatment and diagnosis processes that help the people with Parkinson’s Disease.  

According to the American Academy of Neurology findings, tears can be used in the diagnostic process of Parkinson’s Disease. However, these are preliminary findings and lot of research need to be conducted on this front. 

If the research proves to be positive about the tears involvement in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease may lead to cost-effective diagnosis process that way lesser than the current costs. In addition, the initial researches have proven that the test results are reliable and can be produced in a short span. 

How it Works? 

Patients of Parkinson’s show the symptoms of Lewy body triggered by the protein alpha-synuclein. It is a protein whose function is yet to determine. Few compelling results show that this is the reason for neurological disorders.  

As a result of the pathological changes due to this degeneration of brain cells, the nerve function will be impacted. The tear glands are stimulated by the nervous system. This leads to the various alterations of the contents that are in the tears.  

As part of the research, the tears of a healthy person and the person with Parkinson’s have been analyzed for the protein level differences. As expected by the scientists the level of non-clumped alpha-synuclein is lower in the Parkinson’s patient than the average levels. However, the level of unhealthy and aggravated alpha-synuclein are higher in Parkinson’s Disease.  

The chronic neurological disorder is characterized by the constant loss of brain cells in the region called substantia nigra. The cells are responsible for producing dopamine that helps the body in motor and non-motor functions. This is the reason why the individual diagnosed with Parkinson’s tend to experience the balance related issues. 

The Uses of This Diagnostic Process - 

• The ease of finding Parkinson’s Disease with the help of tears will simplify the diagnostic procedure. 
• As this process is completely non-invasive, people could easily find if they are suffering from this disorder. 
• The practices in place for diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease take considerably long time and in many cases the disorder could not be found in the initial stages. 
• However, the new innovation may result in the favor of millions of people who are being affected by this neurological disorder.  

The positive news is that so much data on biomarkers is being collected on various fronts. The researches are on a constant drive for finding the clues that lead to the solution we have been longing for. As of now, the progress in curing Parkinson’s Disease still remains unresolved. 

Samples that include DNA, RNA and blood plasma are being collected from the Parkinson’s patients for various tests. This list now includes tears – probably the first sample that is being collected for Parkinson’s diagnosis in a completely non-invasive manner.   

Being diagnosed with Parkinson’s is difficult and any individual alone could not fight this disorder. They require constant medical, physical and moral support to live a normal life despite the disorder.