[Enteric nervous system and Parkinson's disease]

Abstract

It has become increasingly evident over the last years that Parkinson's disease is a multicentric neurodegenerative disease that affects several neuronal structures outside the substantia nigra, among which is the enteric nervous system. The aims of the present article are to discuss the role of the enteric nervous system lesions in pathology spreading (Braak's hypothesis) and in the gastrointestinal dysfunction encountered in Parkinson's disease. Owing to its accessibility to biopsies, we further discuss the use of the enteric nervous system as an original source of biomarker in Parkinson's disease.