# The Gut Microbiome in Parkinson Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL · 2020 · $422,761

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
This is a first R01 application from an early stage, new investigator and current NIEHS K01 awardee.
Parkinson disease (PD) is a disabling neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure. Years before the
diagnosis of PD and the onset of motor symptoms, PD patients develop non-motor symptoms, including,
importantly, constipation and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Constipation affects over 80% of PD patients and is
one of the strongest risk factors for PD. Recent research shows that the enteric nervous system in the gut and
the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve which anatomically links the GI system to the brain, are among
the first and most severely affected by alpha-synuclein pathology characteristic of PD5 leading to the
hypothesis that the gastrointestinal tract might be the site of initiation of PD.
We propose to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the relation between human gut microbiome and PD,
focusing on the pre- onset microbiome. We will do this by building on an ongoing Department of Defense
funded project that has identified participants with pre-parkinson syndrome (PPS - defined as the co-
occurrence of constipation, pRBD (probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder) and hyposmia) that
in a pilot study has been associated with a ~200 fold increase in PD risk. Studying the microbiome among this
group, who are highly likely to develop PD or are already in the premotor state, will give us a unique look at the
microbiome in PD patients prior to any potential disease-associated effects of changes in diet and lifestyle that
may have confounded prior case-control studies. The proposed study will take advantage of 25 years of
prospectively collected data on environmental and dietary exposures and disease outcomes in two prospective
cohorts of men and women.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9844989
- **Project number:** 5R01NS097723-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
- **Principal Investigator:** Natalia Palacios
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $422,761
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-12-17 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9844989

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9844989, The Gut Microbiome in Parkinson Disease (5R01NS097723-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9844989. Licensed CC0.

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