Belgian scientists have reported the potential benefit of faecal transplants on motor symptoms, one of the main markers of Parkinson’s disease.
Their study, published in eClinicalMedicine, could pave the way for ‘further research into the role of the gut microbiome on neurodegenerative conditions’, noted medicalnewstoday.com.
The small clinical trial (26 participants with early-stage Parkinson’s disease) at Ghent University Hospital found the ‘motor score’ for 22 patients who received a single dose of a faecal transplant from a healthy donor improved by 5.8 points after 12 months, compared with an improvement of 2.7 points in 24 patients who received their own faecal matter as a placebo transplant.
The faecal transplants for cohorts were delivered via a tube inserted in the jejunum (part of the small intestine) via the nose. Researchers followed up with participants at 3, 6 and 12 months post-transplant, collecting data on gastrointestinal symptoms, non-motor symptoms, depression and anxiety, sleep and fatigue, and cognition.
Significant improvements were also found for an objective measure of constipation (colon transit time), although there was no significant difference in patient-reported scores for constipation.
However, mild gastrointestinal symptoms were a common negative side effect at time of transplant – and were more frequently observed in those who received the donor transplant. Donor transplant recipients were also more likely to have worsened fatigue after 12 months.
Lead author Professor Patrick Santens commented: ‘We don’t have a good explanation, but suspect inflammatory mechanisms may be involved. Fatigue is prevalent in inflammatory gut disorders.’
