Faecal microbiota transplant for Parkinson's disease: promises and future directions.
Faecal microbiota transplant for Parkinson's disease: promises and future directions.
Where did the research take place?
The study site has not been established. Author addresses may differ from where the research occurred.
Singapore, SG · Author affiliation
Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Duke NUS Medical School, 169857, Singapore.Location evidence
Stockholm, SE · Author affiliation
Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.Location evidence
MY · Author affiliation · country only
School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Sunway City 47500, Malaysia.Location evidence
Guangzhou, CN · Author affiliation
Department of Neurology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510282, People's Republic of China.Location evidence
Kyoto, JP · Author affiliation
Department of Neurology, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.Location evidence
Innsbruck, AT · Author affiliation
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.Location evidence
Houston, US · Author affiliation
Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic, Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.Location evidence
Toulouse, FR · Author affiliation
Clinical Pharmacology, Toulouse University Hospital, 31000 Toulouse, France.Location evidence
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Original abstract
There is considerable evidence linking alterations in gut microbiome composition with Parkinson's disease, leading to several recent randomized controlled faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) trials in patients with Parkinson's disease targeting gut dysbiosis with the aim to modulate the gut-brain axis. Some FMT trials have observed motor and non-motor symptoms improvements in patients with Parkinson's disease, possibly through microbiota linked enhanced short-chain fatty acid or other metabolite effects and reduced systemic inflammation. While the findings are exciting and can potentially open a new treatment paradigm, crital questions on donor selection, the optimal screening and selection of the donor microbiome, delivery routes and the timing and frequency of transplantation need to be addressed. We suggest that future FMT trials should incorporate blood, metabolites, urine and functional neuroimaging biological markers and to control for dietary, lifestyle comorbidities, medication intake and/or other potential variables to ensure optimal evaluation of interactions between the gut microbes and brain outcomes prospectively over a longer time frame.