Evaluation of fecal microbiota transplantation in Parkinson's disease patients with constipationOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Researchers evaluated fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for treating gastrointestinal dysfunction, particularly constipation, in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Constipation affects 70 to 80 percent of PD patients and worsens quality of life.
How was it studied?
In this prospective single-center study, eleven PD patients with constipation received a single fresh FMT via nasoduodenal tube. Fecal samples were sequenced by 16S rDNA before and after treatment, and motor, non-motor, and constipation symptoms were scored using the Hoehn-Yahr grade, UPDRS, NMSS, PAC-QOL, and Wexner constipation score.
What did they find?
After FMT, gut community richness and structure shifted significantly, with increased Blautia and Prevotella and a marked drop in Bacteroidetes. Hoehn-Yahr grade improved in 10 of 11 patients by 12 weeks (p=0.0023), UPDRS, NMSS, PAC-QOL, and Wexner scores all decreased significantly, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth detected by breath test normalized. Adverse events, mainly flatulence and mild abdominal pain, were self-limiting and none required stopping treatment.
Why it matters
These findings suggest FMT can reshape gut microbiota and coincide with improvement in both motor and non-motor PD symptoms, supporting further controlled study of gut-targeted therapy in Parkinson's disease.