New clues found in brain tissue by Auckland and Sydney researchers could soon help doctors tell Parkinson’s disease apart from multiple system atrophy (MSA) much earlier and far more accurately.

Dr Victor Dieriks and Dr James Wiseman from the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research, alongside Professor Glenda Halliday from the University of Sydney, discovered distinct differences in a protein called α-synuclein, found in both diseases.

Scientists at the University of Auckland Centre for Brain Research Dr James Wiseman (left) and Dr Victor Dieriks.

They noticed it clumps differently and in much higher levels in MSA than in Parkinson’s.

This is significant because both conditions share early symptoms and are often misdiagnosed.

“When misdiagnosed, patients with MSA are often given Parkinson’s drugs that don’t help and can even make things worse,” says Dieriks.

Currently, diagnosis is based only on symptoms.

But this new finding could lead to a non-invasive test, such as a nasal swab or urine sample, that picks up the disease long before symptoms appear.

Parkinson’s and MSA affect people on the Hibiscus Coast just like anywhere else, but it’s often a long road to diagnosis.

A test like this could mean quicker answers and better treatment options for our local families.

MSA is rare but fast-moving.

“It can turn active, independent people into full-time care patients in just a few years,” Dieriks says.

Parkinson’s, by contrast, usually progresses slowly over decades.

Now, there’s hope for faster answers and better futures.

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