Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Parkinson disease

2011; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 77; Issue: 19 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1212/wnl.0b013e318236ef60

1526-632X

Pascal Derkinderen, Tiphaine Rouaud, Thibaud Lebouvier, Stanislas Bruley des Varannes, Michel Neunlist, Roberto De Giorgio,

Dysphagia Assessment and Management

Lewy pathology in Parkinson disease (PD) extends well beyond the CNS, also affecting peripheral autonomic neuronal circuits, especially the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS is an integrative neuronal network also referred to as "the brain in the gut" because of its similarities to the CNS. We have recently shown that the ENS can be readily analyzed using routine colonic biopsies. This led us to propose that the ENS could represent a unique window to assess the neuropathology in living patients with PD. In this perspective, we discuss current evidence which indicates that the presence of ENS pathology may by exploited to improve our understanding and management of PD and likely other neurodegenerative disorders.