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February 20, 2026npj Parkinson s Disease4 citationsOpen Access

Detection of alpha-synuclein seeding activity in tear fluid in patients with Parkinson’s disease

SCSezgi CanaslanGerman Center for Neurodegenerative DiseasesMSMatthias SchmitzUniversitätsmedizin GöttingenFMFabian MaassRobert Koch Institute

Key Points

  • To evaluate the presence of alpha-synuclein seeding activity in tear fluid as a potential biomarker for Parkinson's disease.
  • Conducted alpha-synuclein seeding amplification assay on tear fluid samples.
  • Analyzed seeding activity in tear fluid from Parkinson's disease patients and controls.
  • Utilized electron microscopy to examine the morphology of seeding-positive end products.
  • Detected seeding activity in 67% of tear fluid samples from Parkinson's disease patients.
  • Non-synucleinopathy samples tested negative for seeding activity.
  • Electron microscopy revealed fibrillar structures consistent with alpha-synuclein results.

Abstract

Abstract Detection of alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) seeding activity in tear fluid (TF) offers a promising non-invasive biomarker for Parkinson’s disease (PD). α-Syn seeding amplification assay (αSynSAA) detected seeding activity in 67% of PD-TF, while non-synucleinopathy samples remained negative. Electron microscopy of seeding-positive end products revealed fibrillar structures morphologically consistent with results of αSynSAA. αSynSAA effectively distinguished PD from controls and prion diseases based on seeding activity in TF.

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Cite This Study

Canaslan et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6997fa90ad1d9b11b3453de2https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-026-01282-2
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