Does Gut Microbiota Influence the Course of Parkinson’s Disease? A 3-Year Prospective Exploratory Study in de novo Patients

Abstract

In the present exploratory study on de novo PD, we found an association between abnormal distribution of specific bacterial taxa and the progression of motor and non-motor features over a 3-year period. This proof-of-principle study supports the design of a larger observational study aiming to determine whether these differences survive multiple-comparison correction and define microbiota-specific subgroups suitable for therapeutic targeting.