Blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in Alzheimers and Parkinson;s diseases

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Biomarkers are biological indicators that permit qualitative study and quantitative evaluation of various conditions, phenomena or biological features. In modern medicine biomarkers are used for precise and relatively easy diagnosis of chronic diseases, and the assessment of likelihood of their occurrence. Nowadays, it is intensively explored research area for new therapies and biochemical, physiological, histological, morphological, or behavioral types of biomarkers are distinguished. The aim was to explain previously poorly explored correlation between biological markers of stress and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and systematization of knowledge. METHODS: PubMed search was used to find the available literature data, key words: biomarkers, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, blood, cerebrospinal fluid. RESULTS: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that involves degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta resulting in impairing the motor skills, cognitive process and other function. However, it has been shown that noradrenergic (NAergic) cells from the locus coeruleus also degenerate in this disease. On the other hand, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is manifested by neocortical and hippocampal atrophy, the deposition of Aβ peptides and the formation of neurofibrillar tangles. AD is a progressive degeneration of cholinergic nuclei in the basal forebrain and of NAergic nuclei in the brainstem. It is considered that neuronal loss is greater in NAergic neurons than cholinergic neurons. CONCLUSIONS: Presented is a succinct review of the role and designation of biological markers in neurodegenerative diseases.