Challenges in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease
A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Neurobiology and Clinical Neuroscience".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 2754
Special Issue Editors
2. Neurology Department, University General Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece
3. Department of Neurosciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
Interests: Parkinson’s disease; movement disorders; neurogenetics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a highly heterogeneous disorder, presenting significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment. While our understanding of the clinical and pathophysiological aspects of PD has deepened, many elements of the disease remain elusive, especially in the early stages when symptoms often overlap with other neurodegenerative conditions. This diagnostic uncertainty frequently leads to delayed treatment, complicating disease management and reducing the potential for optimal patient outcomes. Recent clinical research has focused on refining diagnostic criteria for both PD and prodromal PD. Identifying early clinical, genetic, imaging, laboratory, and digital biomarkers indicative of onset and progression may enhance diagnostic accuracy.
Therapeutically, there is growing interest in strategies that target not only symptom management but also the underlying disease mechanisms, with molecularly informed treatments offering new avenues for intervention. Neuroprotective approaches, including non-pharmaceutical interventions such as exercise, are particularly promising. Equally important are treatment biomarkers that can detect responses to therapy. PD is thought to encompass distinct subtypes, differentiated clinically by motor or non-motor symptom profiles and their pattern of progression. These endophenotypes may be associated with specific genetic substrates or molecular pathways, suggesting underlying differences in disease mechanisms, which could drive personalized treatment approaches. Despite these advancements, significant gaps remain in translating these findings into routine clinical practice. Additionally, although various interventional therapies are available for advanced-stage PD, their management continues to pose challenges for both patients and clinicians.
This Special Issue of Biomedicines highlights clinical research addressing the challenges in diagnosing and treating PD while integrating molecular perspectives where relevant. Key areas of interest include the detection of PD subtypes and the identification of diagnostic, progression, and treatment biomarkers, along with their incorporation into clinical workflows. We also focus on the development of early-stage intervention strategies and diagnostic tools, as well as treatment approaches for both early and advanced-stage PD, including the management of drug-induced complications and updates on novel targeted treatments or interventional therapies.
Our goal is to inspire further research and clinical innovation, ultimately enhancing diagnostic precision, improving treatment outcomes, and supporting the development of personalized approaches to patient care.
Dr. Iro Boura
Prof. Dr. Cleanthe Spanaki
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- Parkinson’s disease
- diagnosis
- treatment
- pathophysiology
- biomarkers
- prodromal
- advanced therapies
- subtypes
- imaging
- genetic
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