Marta Melis, Sarah Vascellari, Maria Laura Santoru, Valentina Oppo, Margherita Fabbri, Marianna Sarchioto, Daniela Murgia, Maurizio Zibetti, Leonardo Lopiano, Alessandra Serra, Vanessa Palmas, Silvia Pisanu, Daniela Perra, Veronica Madau, Roberto Cusano, Paolo Uva, Alessandra Mereu, Paolo Contu, Micaela Morelli, Luigi Atzori, Maurizio Melis, Aldo Manzin, Giovanni Cossu
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent data suggest that imbalances in the composition of the gut microbiota (GM) could exacerbate the progression of Parkinson disease (PD). The effects of levodopa (LD) have been poorly assessed, and those of LD-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) have not been evaluated so far. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of LD and LCIG, in particular, on the GM and metabolome. METHODS: Fecal DNA samples from 107 patients with a clinical diagnosis of PD were analyzed by next-generation sequencing of the V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene...
April 2021: European Journal of Neurology