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Brain Sciences
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Clinical Research on Parkinson’s Disease: Opportunities and Challenges (2nd Edition)
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Clinical Research on Parkinson’s Disease: Opportunities and Challenges (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neurodegenerative Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026 | Viewed by 1429

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Santiago Perez-Lloret

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Guest Editor
1. Psychology and Pedagogy Research Center, Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, Buenos Aires C1107AFD, Argentina
2. Department of Physiology, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1121ABG, Argentina
Interests: Parkinson’s disease; neuropsychological disorders; disease-modifying therapies; clinical research; epidemiology; non-motor symptoms; quality of life; technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Matilde Otero-Losada

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Guest Editor
Center for Advanced Studies in Human and Health Sciences, Inter-American Open Uni-versity, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, CAECIHS, UAICONICET, Av. Montes de Oca 745, Buenos Aires C1147AAU, Argentina
Interests: neurodegeneration; metabolic syndrome; diabetes; oxidative stress; inflammation
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Dr. Francisco Capani

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Guest Editor
1. Center for Advanced Studies in Human and Health Sciences, Inter-American Open University, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, CAECIHS, UAI-CONICET, Av. Montes de Oca 745, Buenos Aires C1147AAU, Argentina
2. Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Autonomous University of Chile, Santiago 7500912, Chile
Interests: neurodegeneration-neuroprotection; cell biology-synapses; 3D reconstructions; electron tomography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There are no adequate animal or cellular models of the chronic, insidious development of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) or most non-motor symptoms that affect patients. Therefore, clinical research is essential to better understanding the genesis, progression, and treatment of PD. Furthermore, genetic influences can only be studied using clinical studies. Quality of life is one of the most important aspects for patients; thus, more research about its determinants using observational studies is required. Finally, new treatments for non-motor features and improved therapies for motor symptoms are urgently needed.

This Special Issue includes the most recent and cutting-edge research on clinical aspects of PD, including diagnosis, the assessment of motor and non-motor symptoms, biochemical testing, the evaluation of prognostic factors, the development of machine learning/artificial intelligence algorithms, and the evaluation of treatment efficacy and safety. All types of papers, including original articles, brief reports, opinion articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, are welcome. Authors from all around the world are encouraged to submit high-quality research articles to this Special Issue.

Dr. Santiago Perez-Lloret
Dr. Matilde Otero-Losada
Dr. Francisco Capani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Parkinson’s disease
  • disease-modifying therapies
  • clinical research
  • epidemiology
  • non-motor symptoms
  • quality of life
  • technology
  • observational studies
  • randomized controlled trials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 662 KB  
Article
Association Between Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Parkinson’s Disease in Korean Populations: A Nested Case–Control Study Using a National Health Screening Cohort
by Hyuntaek Rim, Hyo Geun Choi, Jee Hye Wee, Joo Hyun Park, Mi Jung Kwon, Ho Suk Kang, Hoang Nguyen, In Bok Chang, Joon Ho Song and Ji Hee Kim
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(9), 939; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15090939 - 28 Aug 2025
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Abstract
Background: Although several epidemiological studies have suggested a potential association between infections and Parkinson’s disease (PD), relatively few have specifically examined the relationship between upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) and PD, apart from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Objectives: We investigated whether a history [...] Read more.
Background: Although several epidemiological studies have suggested a potential association between infections and Parkinson’s disease (PD), relatively few have specifically examined the relationship between upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) and PD, apart from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Objectives: We investigated whether a history of URI was associated with the diagnosis of PD among Korean individuals aged ≥40 years, using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service–Health Screening Cohort. Methods: A total of 5844 patients newly diagnosed with PD were identified and matched with 23,376 control participants at a 1:4 ratio based on age, sex, income, and geographical region. Conditional logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for PD, adjusting for potential confounders including smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood pressure, comorbidity scores, blood glucose, and serum cholesterol levels. Results: Overall, no significant association was found between a history of URI and PD when considering a two-year exposure window. However, in the one-year window analysis, individuals with a history of URI had a modestly reduced odds of PD (≥1, ≥2, or ≥3 episodes: (adjusted OR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.88–0.97, aOR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.87–0.96 and aOR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.87–0.98, respectively). Subgroup analyses revealed that the inverse association was more pronounced among women, older adults (≥65 years), and those with higher comorbidity scores. No clear dose–response trend was observed across increasing frequencies of URI diagnoses. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the apparent protective association between recent URI history and PD is unlikely to be causal and may instead reflect confounding by medication use or reverse causation related to the prodromal phase of PD. These results should therefore be interpreted with caution and regarded as hypothesis-generating. Further prospective studies incorporating detailed prescription data and long-term follow-up are warranted to clarify the role of infections and anti-inflammatory medications in the pathogenesis of PD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research on Parkinson’s Disease: Opportunities and Challenges (2nd Edition))
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11 pages, 389 KB  
Article
Metabolic Syndrome and Parkinson’s Disease: Two Villains Join Forces
by Lucas Udovin, Sofía Bordet, Hanny Barbar, Matilde Otero-Losada, Santiago Pérez-Lloret and Francisco Capani
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(7), 706; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15070706 - 30 Jun 2025
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Abstract
Background: Metabolic syndrome and Parkinson’s disease have common pathophysiological denominators. This study aimed to investigate how metabolic syndrome contributes to Parkinson’s disease progression, as well as the genetic traits shared by PD and MetS. Methods: Four hundred and twenty-three newly diagnosed drug-naïve PD [...] Read more.
Background: Metabolic syndrome and Parkinson’s disease have common pathophysiological denominators. This study aimed to investigate how metabolic syndrome contributes to Parkinson’s disease progression, as well as the genetic traits shared by PD and MetS. Methods: Four hundred and twenty-three newly diagnosed drug-naïve PD patients were analyzed from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) database. We compared longitudinal changes in the total and subscale scores of the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) between PD patients with and without metabolic syndrome over a five-year follow-up. We assessed the frequency of PD-associated genetic variants in both groups. Results: At baseline, Parkinson’s patients with MetS were typically men (p < 0.01) and older (p = 0.04), with a higher Hoehn and Yahr score (p = 0.01) compared with their counterparts without MetS. They showed higher Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) total scores at baseline and in follow-up years 2, 3, 4, and 5 (all p-values < 0.05) as analyzed by the Generalized Estimating Equation model. These differences were primarily driven by elevated motor scores (MDS-UPDRS Part III) (p < 0.01). MetS was associated with a higher frequency of the ZNF646.KAT8.BCKDK_rs14235 variant and a lower frequency of the NUCKS1_rs823118 and CTSB_rs1293298 variants. Conclusions: PD patients with MetS had worse motor symptomatology. Both conditions appear to share genetic susceptibility, involving genes related to lipid metabolism (BCKDK), autophagy and inflammation (CTSB), and chromatin regulation (NUCKS1). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Research on Parkinson’s Disease: Opportunities and Challenges (2nd Edition))
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