Early detection of Parkinson’s disease using canine olfaction ; Détection précoce de la maladie de Parkinson grâce à l'olfaction canine

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder resulting from degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in a specific region of the brain, the substantia nigra. This disease is characterised by motor and non-motor symptoms. Currently, Parkinson’s disease is treated with therapies aiming at replacing dopamin. But this doesn’t cure the disease, it only delays its effects. The exact pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease remains unknown, but it seems that it takes place several years before the onset of the motor symptoms. In 2016, Joy Milne is discovered as being able to describe a specific smell linked to the disease. This can lead us to think that there are substances, on the skin of the people suffering from Parkinson’s disease, that are producing this specific smell. If this scent is detected by a human, it could likely be detected by dogs. Since the disease seems to be present several years before the expression of motor symptoms, we can assume that the odorous molecules, detected by Joy Milne, could also exist long before the onset of motor disorders. Thus, it is believable that dogs could detect the people affected by Parkinson’s disease, several years before the onset of motor symptoms. Here, we evaluate the value of an early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, and we suggest a protocole aiming at demonstrating that it could be achieved using dog’s sense of smell. This protocole is based on studies already performed on the detection of other diseases, using dogs, such as cancers and COVID-19, and on studies already carried in the US and in the UK, on detection of Parkinson’s disease, using canine olfaction. ; La maladie de Parkinson est une affection neurodégénérative qui a pour origine la mort de neurones dopaminergiques présents dans une région particulière du cerveau, la substance noire. Cette maladie se manifeste par des troubles moteurs mais aussi des troubles non moteurs. De nos jours, la maladie de Parkinson est prise en charge par des thérapies de remplacement de la dopamine, mais ceci ne permet pas de ...