Elevated Serum α-Synuclein Levels in Huntington's Disease Patients

Recent evidence suggests a potential role for mixed proteinopathies in the development of clinical manifestations in patients with Huntington's disease (HD). A possible cross-talk between mutant huntingtin and alpha-synuclein aggregates has been postulated. Serum alpha-synuclein has been evaluated as a potential biomarker in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We presently sought to investigate serum alpha-synuclein levels in 38 HD patients (34 symptomatic and 4 premanifest) and compare them to 36 controls. We found that alpha-synuclein was elevated in HD patients vs. controls (2.49 +/- 1.47 vs. 1.40 +/- 1.16, p = 0.001). There was no difference in alpha-synuclein levels between symptomatic vs. premanifest HD, nor between HD patients receiving medication vs. treatment-naive. Furthermore, alpha-synuclein levels showed no correlation with CAG2, Unified HD Rating Scale (UHDRS) motor score, age, disease duration or disease burden score. Our results provide evidence for elevated serum alpha-synuclein in HD and lend support to further investigating the role of alpha-synuclein in this disorder. (C) 2020 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.