RESEARCHERS have discovered a new way of diagnosing and tracking Parkinson's disease.
Scientists at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals Trust have found a measurable trait on the brain which could be used to diagnose the condition and track progression.
Parkinson's develops when certain nerve cells in the brain die. Current diagnostic imaging tests are costly and cannot be used to monitor disease progression.
In a paper published in the journal Neurology, the Nottingham researchers, led by Penny Gowland, professor of physics, reveal that their discovery could lead to a new diagnostic test.
The researchers will now take their findings and look into how they can be translated into standard MRI scans used in most hospitals.
Dr Nin Bajaj, associate honorary clinical professor in neurology at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "By using highly accurate and sensitive brain imaging techniques for Parkinson's we are able to get an insight into the mechanism that causes the disease for the first time.
"We have been trying to find a biological marker for Parkinson's for many years and the reason is that we need a tool to measure change in the disease in clinical trials in a very sensitive way.
"This discovery is a step change in Parkinson's disease, it's a game changer as they say and the implications are potentially huge."