Enrichment of Gut-Derived Metabolites in a Parkinson’s Disease Subtype with RBD

New research highlights the role of the gut in Parkinson’s disease subtypes.

Using metabolomics, scientists compared blood samples from Parkinson’s patients with and without REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD).

Findings show:

🔎 Gut-derived metabolites (like secondary bile acids & p-cresol sulfate) are enriched in PD patients with RBD.

🔎 Different metabolic patterns appear in PD without RBD, tied more to neuropsychiatric pathways.

🔎 Evidence supports the “body-first” vs. “brain-first” PD hypothesis, with gut-driven processes associated with the RBD subtype.

These gut-linked metabolites could become early biomarkers for diagnosis and guide more personalized treatments for Parkinson’s disease.