Detection of alpha-synuclein seeding activity in tear fluid in patients with Parkinson’s disease

npj Parkinson s Disease 2026 Open access

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Authors: Sezgi Canaslan, Matthias Schmitz, Fabian Maass, Peter Hermann, Susana Da Silva Correia, Shuyu Zhang, Bastian Popper, Wiebke Möbius, Christoph van Riesen, Piero Parchi, Paul Lingor, Inga Zerr
DOI: 10.1038/s41531-026-01282-2
Cited by: 4
References: 28

Abstract

Detection of alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) seeding activity in tear fluid (TF) offers a promising non-invasive biomarker for Parkinson's disease (PD). α-Syn seeding amplification assay (αSynSAA) detected seeding activity in 67% of PD-TF, while non-synucleinopathy samples remained negative. Electron microscopy of seeding-positive end products revealed fibrillar structures morphologically consistent with results of αSynSAA. αSynSAA effectively distinguished PD from controls and prion diseases based on seeding activity in TF.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments Neurological disorders and treatments Restless Legs Syndrome Research

Publication details

Journal / source
npj Parkinson s Disease
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
12
Issue
1
Publication date
18 February 2026
Language
EN