Objective: The objective of the study is to investigate potential group differences in irisin and LC3B levels in paired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples among patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), atypical Parkinsonism and controls, while adjusting for blood-brain barrier (BBB) function.
Background: Myokine release from skeletal muscle has been proposed as a key mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of physical exercise on brain health, partly mediated through the induction of autophagy. In neurodegenerative diseases, irisin, a proteolytic cleavage product of FNDC5, has emerged as a potential mediator of these effects, while LC3B serves as a widely used marker of autophagy.
Method: We analyzed paired serum and CSF samples from patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD, n = 80), controls (n = 60), and patients with atypical parkinsonism (progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration, n = 33). Levels of irisin and the autophagy marker LC3B were quantified using ELISA and normalized to a reference sample to account for inter-assay batch effects. Group differences were adjusted for age and sex and, in the case of CSF, for the serum-CSF albumin ratio (Qalb) as an indicator of BBB function, applying multiple regression.
Results: In this preliminary analysis, there were no group differences in CSF irisin or LC3B levels between the disease groups and control subjects after adjusting for confounders. In contrast, serum irisin levels were higher in tauopathy patients compared with controls and PD patients, while serum LC3B concentrations were lower in the tauopathy group. In PD and tauopathy patients, CSF irisin was positively associated with CSF LC3B after adjustment for age, sex, and Qalb, whereas no association was observed in controls.
Conclusion: These findings suggest a potential link between myokine signaling and autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases. Future studies should investigate additional myokines that may contribute to exercise-related neuroprotective mechanisms.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
S. Witte, C. van Riesen, M. Bähr, F. Maass. Paired cerebrospinal fluid and serum analysis of irisin and associated LC3B levels in Parkinson’s disease and atypical Parkinsonism [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/paired-cerebrospinal-fluid-and-serum-analysis-of-irisin-and-associated-lc3b-levels-in-parkinsons-disease-and-atypical-parkinsonism/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/paired-cerebrospinal-fluid-and-serum-analysis-of-irisin-and-associated-lc3b-levels-in-parkinsons-disease-and-atypical-parkinsonism/