PD-Linked Misfolded Alpha-Synuclein Identified in a Subset of ALS Patients CSF

Smith R, Hovren H, Bowser R, Bakkar N, Garruto R, Ludolph A, Ravits J, Gaertner L, Murphy D, Lebovitz R. Misfolded alpha-synuclein in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Implications for diagnosis and treatment. Eur J Neurol. 2024 Jan 25:e16206. doi: 10.1111/ene.16206. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38270442.

Summary

Drs. Richard Smith and Russ Lebovitz lead a team of researchers investigating the role of misfolded alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Researchers used a seed amplification assay to detect toxic α-Syn in the spinal fluid of ALS patients, including familial, sporadic, and Guamanian variants. The presence of α-Syn was identified in a significant subset of ALS cases. This groundbreaking finding suggests that α-Syn may contribute to ALS pathogenesis, opening new avenues for diagnosis and treatment strategies targeting this specific subgroup of ALS patients.

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