Pathological Pathways and Alpha-Synuclein in Parkinson's Disease: A View from the Periphery

Alpha-synuclein inclusions are the distinctive trait of brain areas affected by neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Nevertheless, PD is now considered as a multisystemic disorder, since alpha-synuclein pathology has been described also outside the central nervous system. In this regard, the early, non-motor autonomic symptoms point out an important role for the peripheral nervous system during disease progression. On this basis, we propose a review of the alpha-synuclein-related pathological processes observed at peripheral level in PD, starting from molecular mechanisms, through cellular processes to systemic modifications. We discuss their relevance in the etiopathogenesis of the disease, suggesting they are concurrent players in the development of PD, and that the periphery is an easily-accessible window to look at what is occurring in the central nervous system.