Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a mysterious and deadly neurological disorder, usually goes undiagnosed until after a patient dies and an autopsy is performed. But now, UC San Francisco researchers have found a way to identify the condition while patients are still alive. A study appearing in Neurology on July 3 has found a pattern in the spinal fluid of PSP patients, using a new high-throughput technology that can measure thousands of proteins in a tiny drop of fluid.
Researchers hope the protein biomarkers will lead to the development of a diagnostic test and targeted therapies to stall the disease's fatal trajectory. The disorder crossed the public's radar 25 years ago, when Dudley Moore, the star of "10" and "Arthur," shared his PSP diagnosis. It is frequently mistaken for Parkinson's disease, but PSP develops faster, and patients do not respond to treatments for Parkinson's.
Most PSP patients die within about seven years after their symptoms have started. PSP is believed to be triggered by a buildup of tau proteins that causes cells to weaken and die. It is a type of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) that affects cognition, movement and behavior.
Its hallmark symptoms include poor balance with frequent backward falls and difficulties moving eyes up and down. "Unlike Alzheimer's disease, there are no tau scans, blood tests or MRIs that provide a definitive diagnosis of PSP. For many patients the disease goes unnoticed," said co-senior author Julio Rojas, MD, PhD, of the.
