Development of Parkinson's disease biomarkers

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, affecting over 6 million people worldwide. It is anticipated that the number of affected individuals may increase significantly in the most populous nations by 2030. During the past 20 years, much progress has been made in identifying and assessing various potential clinical, biochemical, imaging and genetic biomarkers for PD. Despite the wealth of information, development of a validated biomarker for PD is still ongoing. It is hoped that reliable and well-validated biomarkers will provide critical clues to assist in the diagnosis and management of Parkinson's disease patients in the near future.