Ricerc@Sapienza

Autophagy agonists have been proposed to slow down neurodegeneration. Spermidine, a polyamine that acts as an autophagy agonist, is currently under clinical trial for the treatment of age-related memory decline. How Spermidine and other autophagy agonists regulate memory and synaptic plasticity is under investigation.

Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is a 140 amino acid protein, belonging to the synuclein family, expressed in mammalian neurons. Structural alterations of α-syn as well as its overexpression have been related to the onset and the progression of several human neurodegenerative diseases, as Parkinson’s diseases (PD). Indeed, α-syn aggregates are the main component of the Lewy bodies (Lbs), considered as pathological hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases [1-2], known as synucleinopathies.

Introduction: Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) aggregation is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson's Disease (PD). In this study, we measured α-syn total (α-syn total ), oligomeric α-syn (α-syn olig ) and α-syn olig /α-syn total ratio in the saliva of patients affected by PD and in age and sex-matched healthy subjects. We also compared salivary α-syn total measured in PD with those detected in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), in order to assess whether salivary α-syn can be used as a biomarker for PD and for the differential diagnosis between PD and PSP.

Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are two common neurodegenerative diseases of the elderly people that have devastating effects in terms of morbidity and mortality. The predominant form of the disease in either case is sporadic with uncertain etiology. The clinical features of Parkinson's disease are primarily motor deficits, while the patients of Alzheimer's disease present with dementia and cognitive impairment.