Precision prevention for neurodegenerative diseases: lessons learnt from Alzheimer’s disease translated into perspectives for Parkinson’s disease

Population ageing is posing significant challenges for healthcare systems and societies worldwide. Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, are among the leading contributors to disability, dependence, and healthcare costs in ageing societies. Prevention offers the most sustainable approach to reducing the burden of neurodegenerative diseases. While Alzheimer’s disease prevention is already advancing through biomarker-based early detection, identification of modifiable risk factors, and multi-domain interventions, efforts are now turning towards Parkinson’s disease, the fastest growing neurodegenerative disorder. Using deeply phenotyped cohorts of patients with Parkinson’s disease and people with prodromal stages of neurodegenerative diseases, novel biomarkers have enabled biological classification for improved diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, including early cognitive impairments. The expanding knowledge of Parkinson’s disease risk factors is now being translated into primary and secondary prevention concepts within integrated care settings to effectively address the burden of neurodegenerative diseases for the people affected. Integrating biomarker-based risk stratification with scalable life-style based programmes offers a realistic pathway toward precision prevention in Parkinson’s disease.