Sommerauer Group – bonn-neuroscience

Dr. Michael Sommerauer

Early Detection & Intervention in Parkinson's Disease

Center of Neurology

Department of Parkinson’s, Sleep and Movement Disorders
University Hospital Bonn
Venusberg-Campus 1
D-53127 Bonn

and

German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)

Venusberg-Campus 1/99
53127 Bonn

Parkinson’s disease is still diagnosed clinically at a stage when the underlying pathology has already spread extensively throughout the nervous system and approximately 50–70% of dopaminergic neurons are irreversibly damaged. At this point, attempts at neuroprotective therapy are likely too late to alter disease progression.

Our group is dedicated to enabling earlier clinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, with the goal of initiating treatment before significant neurodegeneration occurs. We coordinate a large cohort of individuals with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) – a highly specific clinical marker of prodromal Parkinson’s disease. Building on this cohort, we are developing a multimodal biomarker framework that includes MRI, neuropsychological assessments, quantitative sleep analysis, and comprehensive biobanking, in order to achieve a more precise characterization of the disease.

A central aspect of our work is the detailed phenotyping of early motor changes using a broad range of digital assessment tools and machine learning algorithms. In addition, we are conducting studies on non-pharmacological interventions to intervene as early as possible in the disease process.

<< back to Homepage

<< back to Homepage

Dr. Michael Sommerauer

Early Detection & Intervention in Parkinson's Disease

Send Dr. Michael Sommerauer a Message

Contact

Contact