AUTHOR=Zhang Fengjiao , Chen Bin , Ren Wenhua , Yan Yayun , Zheng Xiaoqi , Jin Shuxian , Chang Ying 

TITLE=Association analysis of dopaminergic degeneration and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in Parkinson’s disease

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1377994

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2024.1377994

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=Introduction: Peripheral inflammatory responses are suggested to play a major role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a new recognized biomarker, can reflect peripheral inflammation in PD. However, the association between the NLR and dopaminergic degeneration in PD remains unclear. Methods: In this retrospective study, 101 enrolled PD patients were categorized into early-stage and advanced-stage PD based on the Hoehn and Yahr (HY) scale. We evaluated the clinical characteristics, peripheral immune profile, and 11C-CFT striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) binding levels. Linear regression analyses were employed to assess the associations between NLR and striatal DAT levels at different stages in PD patients. Result: Covariate-controlled regression analysis revealed that higher NLR was significantly associated with lower DAT levels in the caudate (β = -0.27, P = 0.003) and the putamen (β = -0.27, P= 0.011). Moreover, in the early-stage PD subgroup, a similar association was observed (caudate: β = -0.37, P = 0.013; putamen: β = -0.45, P= 0.005). The lymphocytes count was correlated positively with the striatal DAT levels in the Spearman correlation analysis whether in total patients (caudate:  ρ = 0.25, P = 0.013; putamen:  ρ  = 0.22, P = 0.026) or in the early-stage subgroup (caudate:  ρ   = 0.31, P = 0.023, putamen:  ρ  = 0.34, P = 0.011). Conclusion: Dopaminergic degeneration is associated with peripheral inflammation in PD. The NLR, a widely used inflammatory marker, may have the potential to reflect the degree of dopaminergic degeneration in individuals with early-stage PD.