The Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) and the Michael J. Fox Foundation recently announced the discovery of a spinal fluid test that can objectively detect Parkinson’s in the cells of living people. This is a huge step forward and will allow scientists to find out some previously unknown facts about the disease. Things like how early cellular dysfunction begins in brain and body cells, what other aspects of biology are involved in risk, onset and progression, and why Parkinson’s symptoms and disease course are so different in different people.
