Gut–brain connections in Parkinson's disease
Official title: The Bidirectional Gut-Microbiota-Brain Axis in Parkinson’s disease: integrating mechanistic biomarkers of disease severity and progression
Funded at Rush University Medical Center · NIH-11362899 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project adds gut and brain tests to look for gut-based signs that track Parkinson's disease progression in people living with Parkinson's.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rush University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $214,082 |
| NIH project number | 3U01DK140923-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11362899 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People diagnosed with Parkinson's disease who can visit a consortium clinic and are willing to provide stool and skin samples and undergo gastrointestinal and swallowing tests would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without Parkinson's, those unable to travel to participating centers, or those who cannot undergo biopsies or GI testing are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
This supplement adds extra gastrointestinal and neurological tests to the existing consortium work to better link gut changes with Parkinson's symptoms. You may be asked to provide stool samples and skin biopsies and to undergo tests such as videofluoroscopic swallowing, anorectal manometry with balloon expulsion, and measurements of intestinal transit time. Specialized laboratory analyses will examine the microbiome using culturomics and metabolomics and will measure intestinal barrier integrity. Rush and partner centers will analyze samples from about 200 additional consortium participants to search for gut-based biomarkers tied to disease severity and progression.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new gut-based biomarkers and targets that help diagnose, monitor, or eventually treat Parkinson's disease more effectively.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have suggested links between the gut microbiome and Parkinson's, but translating these findings into reliable clinical biomarkers remains largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Keshavarzian, Ali — Rush University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Keshavarzian, Ali
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Gut microbiome and Parkinson's disease: how gut bugs relate to symptoms and progression
A multi-year study will look at gut bacteria and related markers in people with Parkinson’s disease to understand how the gut-brain connection may influence symptoms and progression.
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Gut-Brain Axis in Parkinson’s Disease: biomarkers and procedures to track progression
A patient-focused program to study how gut health and the brain interact in Parkinson’s disease using biomarkers and clinical procedures.
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Gut microbiome clues for Parkinson’s disease progression
A study looks at how gut bacteria and their chemicals relate to Parkinson’s disease over time to find potential biomarkers and new treatment ideas.
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Gut-brain connections in Parkinson’s disease and how they relate to disease severity and progression
A study at Rush University Medical Center will look at how gut health and brain disease interact in people with Parkinson’s to better understand how the illness grows and gets worse.
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Gut microbiome and Parkinson's disease
This project looks at gut bacteria and the chemicals they make in people with Parkinson's disease over time to find patterns linked to symptoms and progression.
-
Understanding gut bacteria in Parkinson's disease
This research explores how gut bacteria might be connected to Parkinson's disease in people.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.