Stress Induced-Salivary Alpha-Amylase Secretion Decreases in Patients with Parkinson's Disease (P06.055)

Objective: To examine whether psychological stress-induced salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) secretion is a biomarker for sympathetic nervous system (SNS) dysfunction in patients with Parkinson9s disease (PD). Background sAA secretion is directly controlled by the SNS and sympathetic nervous-adrenal medullary system and is a reliable SNS biological stress marker. Psychological stress has been reported to induce sAA secretion via the SNS. The autonomic nervous system is impaired in patients with PD. We hypothesized that stress-induced sAA secretion decreases in patients with PD compared with patients with other neurological diseases. Design/Methods: We studied 12 patients with PD and 10 control subjects with other central nervous system diseases. Participants were administered the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), the most frequently administered psychological stress test, and showed increased sAA secretion. We measured sAA secretion before (pre-TSST) and just after the TSST (post-TSST) using restriction enzyme analysis. Results: Post-TSST sAA secretion in patients with PD (II to IV on the Hoehn and Yahr scale) was significantly lower than that in control subjects (145.8±23.5 vs. 98±42.3 p Conclusions: sAA may detect early SNS dysfunction in patients with PD. sAA can be measured using a simple non-invasive procedure and may provide useful diagnostic information to distinguish PD from other parkinsonian disorders. Disclosure: Dr. Kawabe has nothing to disclose. Dr. Yoshii has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kano has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ikeda has nothing to disclose. Dr. Iwasaki has nothing to disclose.