Early diagnosis in Parkinson's disease - Limitation of biochemical markers and instrumental methods

Abstract

For most cases of Parkinson's disease (PD) we can estimate the time lag from the first onset of unspecific complaints until diagnosis by case history to be about 2 years. Until now the exact course of neurodegeneration in PD is still unknown. On base of recent knowledge we can discuss different models for the development of PD. There are substantially different possible approaches to recognise PD as soon as possible. The time interval for an earlier diagnosis is different for these methods and depends on the real course of neurodegeneration.