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Parkinson's Disease: The Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Molecular Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Therapy
Xue‐Yao Guo, Dong‐Yan Song, Ming‐Yang Wu, J. Zhang, Jiayi Li, Lin Yuan. MedComm, 2025-12-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a growing global burden. Current pharmacological therapies remain limited to symptomatic management, owning to an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms driving α‑synuclein aggregation and disease progression. This review provides an integrated overview of PD across epidemiological, etiological, pathophysiological, and clinical dimensions. It emphasizes established and emerging risk factors, including environmental toxins, lifestyle variables, and gut microbiota dysbiosis and delineates how peripheral-central pathways such as the gut-brain, erythrocyte-brain, and kidney-brain axes contribute to PD pathogenesis. At the molecular level, we explore key disruptions including proteostatic failure, aberrant phase separation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, iron dyshomeostasis, and impaired cholesterol metabolism. These encompass microbiome‑targeted interventions and blood-based approaches. We further evaluate a spectrum of management strategies ranging from primary prevention and biomarker‑guided early detection to innovative experimental treatments such as cellular therapies, transfusion‑based modalities, and microbial modulation. By integrating recent advances in systemic pathophysiology with translational perspectives, this review highlights how molecular and cellular dysregulations underlie clinical phenotypes. Finally, we discuss promising biomarkers derived from microbial, inflammatory, and erythrocyte pathways that may facilitate early diagnosis and the development of disease‑modifying therapies.
Key findings
- At the molecular level, we explore key disruptions including proteostatic failure, aberrant phase separation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, iron dyshomeostasis, and impaired cholesterol metabolism.
- These encompass microbiome‑targeted interventions and blood-based approaches.
- We further evaluate a spectrum of management strategies ranging from primary prevention and biomarker‑guided early detection to innovative experimental treatments such as cellular therapies, transfusion‑based modalities, and microbial modulation.
- By integrating recent advances in systemic pathophysiology with translational perspectives, this review highlights how molecular and cellular dysregulations underlie clinical phenotypes.
- Finally, we discuss promising biomarkers derived from microbial, inflammatory, and erythrocyte pathways that may facilitate early diagnosis and the development of disease‑modifying therapies.
Why it matters
This review covers Parkinson's disease, not Alzheimer's disease, and reports no findings on treating, curing or preventing Alzheimer's. It notes that current Parkinson's drug therapies are limited to symptom management.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 42/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 40 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 42 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (MedComm) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | MedComm: journal h-index 83 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 23 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 7.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 23 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Lin Yuan holds only 3 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Lund University: institution h-index 1,119 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41394959) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 40 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 40 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 42 out of 100. |
| Total | 42 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Guo, X., Song, D., Wu, M., Zhang, J., Li, J., & Yuan, L. (2025). Parkinson's Disease: The Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Molecular Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Therapy. MedComm. https://doi.org/10.1002/mco2.70540
Vancouver
Guo X, Song D, Wu M, Zhang J, Li J, Yuan L. Parkinson's Disease: The Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Molecular Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Therapy. MedComm. 2025. doi:10.1002/mco2.70540. PMID: 41394959.
BibTeX
@article{guo2025-41394959,
author = {Guo, Xue‐Yao and Song, Dong‐Yan and Wu, Ming‐Yang and Zhang, J. and Li, Jiayi and Yuan, Lin},
title = {{Parkinson's Disease: The Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Molecular Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Therapy}},
journal = {MedComm},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/mco2.70540},
pmid = {41394959},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/mco2.70540}
}
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