For all our publications see:

Pubmed, Researchgate and Google Scholar

On this page we provide an overview of important publications of the research group:

Selected Publications

*Shared first/last authors, Working group members

1. Heinzel S*, Jureczek J*, Kainulainen V, Nieminen AI, Suenkel U, von Thaler AK, Kaleta C, Eschweiler GW, Brockmann K, Aho VTE, Auvinen P, Maetzler W, Berg D,Scheperjans F., 2024 – Elevated fecal calprotectin is associated with gut microbial dysbiosis, altered serum markers and clinical outcomes in older individuals. Sci Rep. 2024 Jun 12;14(1):13513.

Older adults (n = 745) with high fecal calprotectin levels showed a striking gut microbiota profile: pro-inflammatory bacteria increased, while protective short-chain-fatty-acid producers declined. At the same time, their blood contained higher levels of inflammation markers (IL-17C, CCL-19) and the toxic metabolic product indoxyl sulfate; overweight and heart attacks were also more frequent. Elevated calprotectin could therefore be an early warning signal of common inflammatory and metabolic disorders in later life.

2. Sood M, Suenkel U, von Thaler AK, Zacharias HU, Brockmann K, Eschweiler GW, Maetzler W, Berg D, Fröhlich H*, Heinzel S*, 2023 – Bayesian network modeling of risk and prodromal markers of Parkinson's disease. PLoS One. 2023 Feb 24;18(2):e0280609.

A Bayesian network trained on ten years of TREND cohort data uncovered fine-grained interactions among 18 risk and prodromal markers of Parkinson’s disease—for example, from age to subclinical motor impairment or from depression to sleep and circulatory problems. Subthreshold parkinsonism, sex, and an abnormal transcranial sonography of the substantia nigra were directly linked to a later diagnosis. The model therefore provides a map of marker relationships and enables the generation of realistic synthetic datasets for more precise predictions.

3. Heinzel S, Aho VTE, Suenkel U, von Thaler AK, Schulte C, Deuschle C, Paulin L, Hantunen S, Brockmann K, Eschweiler GW, Maetzler W, Berg D, Auvinen P, Scheperjans F., 2020 – Gut Microbiome Signatures of Risk and Prodromal Markers of Parkinson Disease. Ann Neurol. 2020 Aug;88(2):320-331.

The investigation of 666 older participants showed that Parkinson’s risk factors—such as physical inactivity, occupational solvent exposure, and especially constipation—were linked to lower gut-microbiome diversity and a Firmicutes-rich enterotype, whereas a Prevotella-rich enterotype was associated with less frequent constipation and less subthreshold parkinsonism. By contrast, no microbiome associations could be demonstrated for olfactory dysfunction, depression, orthostatic hypotension, or an abnormal transcranial sonography of the substantia nigra. Overall, the study supports the hypothesis that specific bacterial patterns are involved in Parkinson’s development even in the prodromal phase, but it also underscores the need for prospective (multi)-omics analyses to clarify causal relationships.

4. Dankowski T, Kastner L, Suenkel U, von Thaler AK, Mychajliw C, Krawczak M, Maetzler W, Berg D, Brockmann K, Thiel A, Eschweiler GW, Heinzel S, 2023 – Longitudinal dynamics of depression in risk groups of older individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Front Epidemiol. 2023 Feb 13;3:1093780.

Among older adults (about n=900), the share with clinically relevant depression rose only slightly from before the pandemic to three months after its onset. However, in risk groups characterized by low resilience, loneliness, high stress levels, or a history of depression, prevalence nearly doubled. These increases emerged early and persisted for 20 months. Prevention and counseling initiatives should therefore be specifically tailored to these particularly vulnerable older individuals.

5. Hobert MA, Nussbaum S, Heger T, Berg D, Maetzler W, Heinzel S, 2019 – Progressive Gait Deficits in Parkinson's Disease: A Wearable-Based Biannual 5-Year Prospective Study. Front Aging Neurosci. 2019 Feb 13;11:22.

In a five-year sensor study with semi-annual assessments, early-stage Parkinson’s patients showed a steady rise in step count and stride-time variability during normal walking, while controls remained almost stable. In later disease stages or at faster walking speeds, these measures changed less meaningfully. Wearable sensors can therefore capture everyday gait characteristics as sensitive long-term markers of disease progression. 

6. Heinzel S, Berg D, Binder S, Ebersbach G, Hickstein L, Herbst H, Lorrain M, Wellach I, Maetzler W, Petersen G, Schmedt N, Volkmann J, Woitalla D, Amelung V, 2018 – Do We Need to Rethink the Epidemiology and Healthcare Utilization of Parkinson's Disease in Germany? Frontiers in Neurology. 2018;9:500.

Using health-insurance records from 3.7 million beneficiaries, the authors found a markedly higher prevalence and incidence of Parkinson’s disease than previously assumed (age-standardised prevalence ≈ 511 per 100 000; incidence ≈ 84 per 100 000). Affected individuals had more comorbidities (e.g., dementia, depression) and nearly twice as many physician visits, hospital admissions, and prescriptions as age-matched controls—pointing to a previously underestimated need for healthcare resources and associated costs.