Clinical, Molecular and Electrophysiological Profiling of Parkinson's Disease: the Role of Non-pharmacological Therapies

In Parkinson's disease (PD), direct evidence linking inflammation to the harmful activities of alpha-synuclein (a-syn) aggregates, the disease onset, and its progression is still lacking. This translational project aims to reveal the causal relationship between a-syn and inflammation. The investigators will also investigate the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of two non-pharmacological approaches, motor exercise and neuromodulation, with particular focus on neuroinflammation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) production. the investigators will investigate the molecular pathways and synaptic alterations underlying disease progression. This will be paralleled by a clinical study, in which clinical assessment will be associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood neurodegeneration and inflammatory biomarkers measures. Then, the investigators will test the hypothesis that intensive exercise and neuromodulation may reduce neuroinflammation and a-syn spreading via the activation of BDNF-related pathways.