According to a recent study published in clinical medicine, fecal transplants can affect the motor symptoms of people with Parkinson’s disease. A small single-center clinical trial found that people with Parkinson’s disease who received a single dose of fecal transplant from a healthy donor had improved symptoms as compared to those who received a placebo. Results suggested that the motor score for people who received a donor transplant had improved by 5.8 points after 12 months, compared with an improvement of 2.7 points in people who received a placebo transplant. 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.
Mild gastrointestinal symptoms were seen as a negative side effect at the time of the transplant, and donor transplant recipients were also more likely to have worsened fatigue after 12 months.In this study, 22 participants with early-stage Parkinson’s disease received transplants from healthy donors, and 24 received their fecal matter as a placebo as part of the trial. The fecal transplant for both the treated and placebo cohorts was delivered via a tube inserted in the jejunum, a part of the small intestine, via the nose.Participants were followed up at 3, 6, and 12 months post-transplant. They collected data on gastrointestinal symptoms, non-motor symptoms, depression and anxiety, sleep and fatigue, and cognition.People who received fecal transplants from healthy donors showed improvements in their motor symptoms and appeared to experience increased fatigue.
One limitation of this study is that a strong placebo effect was observed since the treatment was likely to have been viewed as invasive by the participants. The placebo effect is quite significant due to the nature of the treatment, with enormous expectations. There is also preliminary evidence that fecal transplant with one’s stool might have a limited positive effect, at least on gut function. Therefore, researchers will try a placebo treatment with colored inactive solutions in the following steps.Some researchers think neural connections are critical in the movement of alpha-synuclein ( a small protein that produces cell death in the brain). This is also known as Braak’s hypothesis.
Multiple fecal transplant dosing may necessitate providing the transplant via capsules, which involves processing the fecal matter in a way that might destroy many of the cells, microorganisms, enzymes, and biochemicals that could be beneficial.Previous research examined transplants with fresh, frozen, and freeze-dried fecal matter. Taking into account the findings of this pilot trial, researchers hope to get funding for a larger and multicenter trial. They also look at patient profiles to delineate subgroups that might be optimal candidates for this treatment.
Journal Reference – (N.d.).
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