Microbiota Dysbiosis in Parkinson’s Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder pathophysiologically manifesting with the loss of substantia nigra neurons and the accumulation of α-synuclein throughout the central nervous system. Several genetic and environmental factors are so far known, however since confirmed genetic forms of the disease can be found in around 10% of patients, environmental factors (such as heavy metals, pesticides, sleep disorders, recurrent traumatic brain injury, etc.) and the interaction between genetic factors and the underlying molecular mechanisms likely play a significant role in development of PD. Known factors like recurrent traumatic brain injury, while intestinal and oral microbiota have also increasingly been observed to be imbalanced in PD patients. Whether the microbial dysbiosis in PD precedes the disease or is a consequence of disturbed neuronal communication at the level of the gut-brain axis, remains to be answered. Furthermore, comprehensive characterization of microbial dysbiosis and its cause and effect in PD is especially important since the microbiome is a factor that can be easily influenced by various interventions such as diet and probiotic supplementation, offering novel targets for possible treatment.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for molecular mechanistic research on Microbiota Dysbiosis in Parkinson’s Disease with a special focus on potential treatments and novel pathogenic pathways involved in relative disease.

Dr. Anja Kovanda
Guest Editor

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• Parkinsons’ disease
• microbiome
• intestinal microbiome
• gut microbiome
• oral microbiome
• microbiota
• dysbiosis
• fatty acids
• genetics
• genomics
• sequencing
• 16S RNA
• microbial diversity