Title:miRNAs as Circulating Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease
Volume: 12
Issue: 3
Author(s): Gohar Mushtaq, Nigel H. Greig, Firoz Anwar, Mazin A. Zamzami, Hani Choudhry, Munvar M. Shaik, Ian A. Tamargo and Mohammad A. Kamal
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease, β-amyloid, α-synuclein, biofluids, diagnostic biomarkers, miRNAs, Parkinson’s disease.
Abstract: Detection of biomarkers for neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) within brain tissues of
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients has always been hampered by our inability
to access and biopsy tissue of key brain regions implicated in disease occurrence and progression. Currently, diagnosis
of NDDs is principally based on clinical observations of symptoms that present at later stages of disease progression,
followed by neuroimaging and, possibly, CSF evaluation. One way to potentially detect and diagnose NDDs at a far
earlier stage is to screen for abnormal levels of specific disease markers within the peripheral circulation of patients with
NDDs. Increasing evidence suggests that there is dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) in NDDs. Peripheral blood
mononuclear cells, as well as biofluids, such as plasma, serum, urine and cerebrospinal fluid, contain miRNAs that can be
identified and quantified. Circulating miRNAs within blood and other biofluids may thus be characterized and used as
non-invasive, diagnostic biomarkers that facilitate the early detection of disease and potentially the continual monitoring
of disease progression for NDDs such as AD and PD. Plainly, such a screen is only possible with a clear understanding of
which miRNAs change with disease, and when these changes occur during the progression of AD and PD. Such information
is becoming increasingly available and, in the near future, may not only support disease diagnosis, but provide the
opportunity to evaluate therapeutic interventions earlier in the disease process.
