Classification of Parkinson’s Disease and idiopathic REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Delineating Progression Markers from the Sebum Volatilome

Caitlin Walton-Doyle; Beatrice Heim; Eleanor Sinclair; Sze Hway Lim; Katherine Hollywood; Joy Milne; Evi  Holzknecht; Ambra  Stefani; Birgit  Högl; Klaus  Seppi; Monty Silverdale; Werner Poewe; Perdita Barran; Drupad Trivedi

doi:10.1038/s41531-025-01026-8

Classification of Parkinson’s Disease and idiopathic REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Delineating Progression Markers from the Sebum Volatilome

Caitlin Walton-Doyle, Beatrice Heim, Eleanor Sinclair, Sze Hway Lim, Katherine Hollywood, Joy Milne, Evi Holzknecht, Ambra Stefani, Birgit Högl, Klaus Seppi, Monty Silverdale, Werner Poewe, Perdita Barran, Drupad Trivedi

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Abstract

Parkinson's Disease (PD) has been associated with a distinct odour, emanating from the skin and
strongest in sebum-rich areas. Here, volatile components from sebum were analysed directly with
Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry. We analysed samples from subjects
with clinically established PD (n=46), controls (n=28) and participants with isolated REM sleep
behaviour disorder (iRBD, n=9) to investigate metabolite changes in probable prodromal PD. We found
55 significant features where abundance from individuals with iRBD was intermediate between PD and
control and assigned putative identifications. Olfactory analysis of the iRBD samples showed three
classified as PD, of which two displayed PD symptoms on clinical follow up. Further, we analysed PD
participants sampled at yearly intervals and investigated features displaying regulation over the visits.
Our findings support the use of sebum as an accessible biofluid, rich with measurable volatile
compounds which alter in abundance in individuals with PD and iRBD.

Original language	English
Journal	npj Parkinson's Disease
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01026-8
Publication status	Published - 15 Jul 2025

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10.1038/s41531-025-01026-8Licence: CC BY

iRBD_PD_Manuscript_DTAccepted author manuscript, 1.47 MBLicence: CC BY

Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Speciality Chemicals
Scrutton, N. (PI), Azapagic, A. (CoI), Balmer, A. (CoI), Barran, P. (CoI), Breitling, R. (CoI), Delneri, D. (CoI), Dixon, N. (CoI), Faulon, J.-L. (CoI), Flitsch, S. (CoI), Goble, C. (CoI), Goodacre, R. (CoI), Hay, S. (CoI), Kell, D. (CoI), Leys, D. (CoI), Lloyd, J. (CoI), Lockyer, N. (CoI), Martin, P. (CoI), Micklefield, J. (CoI), Munro, A. (CoI), Pedrosa Mendes, P. (CoI), Randles, S. (CoI), Salehi Yazdi, F. (CoI), Shapira, P. (CoI), Takano, E. (CoI), Turner, N. (CoI) & Winterburn, J. (CoI)
14/11/14 → 13/05/20
Project: Research

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Walton-Doyle, C., Heim, B., Sinclair, E., Lim, S. H., Hollywood, K., Milne, J., Holzknecht, E., Stefani, A., Högl, B., Seppi, K., Silverdale, M., Poewe, W., Barran, P., & Trivedi, D. (2025). Classification of Parkinson’s Disease and idiopathic REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Delineating Progression Markers from the Sebum Volatilome. npj Parkinson's Disease. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01026-8

@article{1043119890d74c1d83ec93e43ecf5e1c,

title = "Classification of Parkinson{\textquoteright}s Disease and idiopathic REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Delineating Progression Markers from the Sebum Volatilome",

abstract = "Parkinson's Disease (PD) has been associated with a distinct odour, emanating from the skin and strongest in sebum-rich areas. Here, volatile components from sebum were analysed directly with Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry. We analysed samples from subjects with clinically established PD (n=46), controls (n=28) and participants with isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD, n=9) to investigate metabolite changes in probable prodromal PD. We found 55 significant features where abundance from individuals with iRBD was intermediate between PD and control and assigned putative identifications. Olfactory analysis of the iRBD samples showed three classified as PD, of which two displayed PD symptoms on clinical follow up. Further, we analysed PD participants sampled at yearly intervals and investigated features displaying regulation over the visits. Our findings support the use of sebum as an accessible biofluid, rich with measurable volatile compounds which alter in abundance in individuals with PD and iRBD.",

author = "Caitlin Walton-Doyle and Beatrice Heim and Eleanor Sinclair and Lim, \{Sze Hway\} and Katherine Hollywood and Joy Milne and Evi Holzknecht and Ambra Stefani and Birgit H{\"o}gl and Klaus Seppi and Monty Silverdale and Werner Poewe and Perdita Barran and Drupad Trivedi",

year = "2025",

month = jul,

day = "15",

doi = "10.1038/s41531-025-01026-8",

language = "English",

journal = "npj Parkinson's Disease",

issn = "2373-8057",

publisher = "John Wiley \& Sons Ltd",

}

Walton-Doyle, C, Heim, B, Sinclair, E, Lim, SH, Hollywood, K , Milne, J, Holzknecht, E, Stefani, A, Högl, B, Seppi, K, Silverdale, M, Poewe, W, Barran, P & Trivedi, D 2025, 'Classification of Parkinson’s Disease and idiopathic REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Delineating Progression Markers from the Sebum Volatilome', npj Parkinson's Disease. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01026-8

TY - JOUR

T1 - Classification of Parkinson’s Disease and idiopathic REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Delineating Progression Markers from the Sebum Volatilome

AU - Walton-Doyle, Caitlin

AU - Heim, Beatrice

AU - Sinclair, Eleanor

AU - Lim, Sze Hway

AU - Hollywood, Katherine

AU - Milne, Joy

AU - Holzknecht, Evi

AU - Stefani, Ambra

AU - Högl, Birgit

AU - Seppi, Klaus

AU - Silverdale, Monty

AU - Poewe, Werner

AU - Barran, Perdita

AU - Trivedi, Drupad

PY - 2025/7/15

Y1 - 2025/7/15

N2 - Parkinson's Disease (PD) has been associated with a distinct odour, emanating from the skin and strongest in sebum-rich areas. Here, volatile components from sebum were analysed directly with Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry. We analysed samples from subjects with clinically established PD (n=46), controls (n=28) and participants with isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD, n=9) to investigate metabolite changes in probable prodromal PD. We found 55 significant features where abundance from individuals with iRBD was intermediate between PD and control and assigned putative identifications. Olfactory analysis of the iRBD samples showed three classified as PD, of which two displayed PD symptoms on clinical follow up. Further, we analysed PD participants sampled at yearly intervals and investigated features displaying regulation over the visits. Our findings support the use of sebum as an accessible biofluid, rich with measurable volatile compounds which alter in abundance in individuals with PD and iRBD.

AB - Parkinson's Disease (PD) has been associated with a distinct odour, emanating from the skin and strongest in sebum-rich areas. Here, volatile components from sebum were analysed directly with Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry. We analysed samples from subjects with clinically established PD (n=46), controls (n=28) and participants with isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD, n=9) to investigate metabolite changes in probable prodromal PD. We found 55 significant features where abundance from individuals with iRBD was intermediate between PD and control and assigned putative identifications. Olfactory analysis of the iRBD samples showed three classified as PD, of which two displayed PD symptoms on clinical follow up. Further, we analysed PD participants sampled at yearly intervals and investigated features displaying regulation over the visits. Our findings support the use of sebum as an accessible biofluid, rich with measurable volatile compounds which alter in abundance in individuals with PD and iRBD.

U2 - 10.1038/s41531-025-01026-8

DO - 10.1038/s41531-025-01026-8

M3 - Article

SN - 2373-8057

JO - npj Parkinson's Disease

JF - npj Parkinson's Disease

ER -

Classification of Parkinson’s Disease and idiopathic REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Delineating Progression Markers from the Sebum Volatilome

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Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Speciality Chemicals

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