Submandibular Gland Needle Core Biopsy and Skin Punch Biopsy as Tissue Biomarkers for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Disease Progression of Parkinson’s Disease and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Scottsdale/Phoenix, AZ
Determine 1) the magnitude of SMG and skin a-syn density change over time, 2) the
improvement in adequate tissue acquisition doing bilateral SMG biopsies, 3) any laterality differences between
SMG gland a-syn density, 4) correlate a-syn density and changes in density between SMG and skin biopsies
Specific Aim 1. Determine, with bilateral submandibular gland (SMG) biopsies in 30 clinically
diagnosed subjects with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and 20 clinically probable REM sleep behavior
disorder (RBD) subjects whether bilateral biopsies improve the rate of acquisition of adequate
glandular tissue, whether alpha-synuclein (a-syn) SMG pathology ...