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Glossary of key terms in PSP
Grasping PSP's intricacies hinges on understanding key definitions and concepts. Familiarity with these principles will help you navigate its complexities.
p-tau217
p-tau217 is a phosphorylated form of the tau protein at threonine residue 217, and it serves as a highly specific and sensitive biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Measurement of p-tau 217 in plasma or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) reflects abnormal tau phosphorylation associated with neurofibrillary tangle formation. Compared to other phosphorylated tau isoforms (such as p-tau181), p-tau 217 demonstrates superior diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing AD from non-AD neurodegenerative disorders, including progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).
Parkinsonism
Clinical syndrome characterized by bradykinesia plus rigidity, tremor, or postural instability.
Patient journey
The sequence of patients’ experiences and perspectives through stages of care - from symptom onset to diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing disease management.
PET scan
An imaging technique using positron emission tomography (PET) to visualize and measure metabolic or molecular activity in tissues, often applied in neurology to assess brain function or pathology.
Pharmacodynamics (PD)
The biological and physiological effects of drugs on the body, including the mechanism of action at the target site. (It answers the question: "What does the drug do to the body?").
Pharmacokinetic profile (PK)
The characterization of how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated by the body over time. (It answers the question: "What does the body do to the drug?).
Phase 1 study
The first stage of clinical research in humans, primarily assessing a drug’s safety in a small group of healthy volunteers or patients.
Phase 2 study
The second stage of a clinical trial aimed to evaluate a drug’s efficacy and short-term safety in patients.
Phase 3 study
The last stage of a clinical trial before licensing. A large-scale clinical trial designed to confirm a drug’s efficacy and safety to support regulatory approval.
Phenotype
The set of observable characteristics (symptoms, clinical signs) that define different forms of a disease. In PSP, several variants have been described: PSP-RS, PSP-P, PSP-PGF, PSP-CBS, PSP-SL, PSP-PI, PSP-OM, PSP-F, PSP-C, PSP-PLS.
Phosphorylation
A post-translational modification in which a phosphate group is added to a protein or other molecule, regulating its activity, function, or signaling properties.
Photophobia
Extreme sensitivity to light.
Placebo
An inactive substance designed to resemble the experimental treatment, used as a control to measure the true effect of the active drug.
Placebo-controlled
Trial design in which the effects of an active treatment are compared with those of an inactive substance (placebo) to assess the true efficacy of the intervention.
Post-translational modifications (PTMs)
Chemical or structural changes made to proteins after their synthesis, altering their function, stability, or interactions.
Postsynaptic striatal dopaminergic degeneration
Loss or dysfunction of dopamine-receiving neurons in the striatum, leading to impaired motor signaling.
Preclinical
Research conducted before testing in humans, using laboratory and animal studies to evaluate the pharmacological, toxicological, and pharmacokinetic properties of a drug.
Presymptomatic
Stage where the disease is already present in the brain, but no symptoms are visible yet.
Prevalence
The total number of cases of a disease in a population at a specific point in time or over a defined period.
Prion-like propagation
Process in which abnormal proteins (e.g., NFTs) spread from cell to cell, converting healthy proteins into the same harmful form and spreading the disease throughout the brain.
Prognosis
The predicted outcome of a disease, including likelihood of recovery or recurrence.
Progressive (disease)
A disease that worsens over time in terms of extent or severity.
PROSPER
PROSPER is an ongoing multinational, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of FNP-223 administered orally at a dose of 300 mg three times a day in adults aged 50–80 years with early-stage possible or probable PSP-RS.
Protein aggregation
Process in which misfolded proteins clump together, forming toxic deposits in the brain, like tau in tauopathies.
Referenzen
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EU Clinical Trials Register. Glossary [Internet]. [cited 2025 Nov]. Available from: https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/doc/EU_Clinical_Trials_Register_Glossary.pdf
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Höglinger GU, Respondek G, Stamelou M, et al. Clinical diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy: the movement disorder society criteria. Mov Disord. 2017;32(6):853-864. doi:10.1002/mds.26987
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Boxer AL, Yu JT, Golbe LI, Litvan I, Lang AE, Höglinger GU. Advances in progressive supranuclear palsy: new diagnostic criteria, biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches. Lancet Neurol. 2017;16(7):552-563. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30157-6
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Grogan S, Preuss CV. Pharmacokinetics. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 [cited 2025 Nov]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557744/
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ClinicalTrials.gov. PROSPER (NCT06355531) [Internet]. [cited 2025 Nov]. Available from: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06355531
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Tapia-Rojas C, Cabezas-Opazo F, Deaton CA, Vergara EH, Johnson GVW, Quintanilla RA. It's all about tau. Prog Neurobiol. 2019;175:54-76. doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2018.12.005
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Zhang Y, Wu KM, Yang L, Dong Q, Yu JT. Tauopathies: new perspectives and challenges. Mol Neurodegener. 2022;17(1):28. doi:10.1186/s13024-022-00533-z
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Leuzy A, Janelidze S, Mattsson-Carlgren N, et al. Comparing the clinical utility and diagnostic performance of CSF P-Tau181, P-Tau217, and P-Tau231 assays. Neurology. 2021;97(17):e1681-e1694. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000012727
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Respondek G, Breslow D, Amirghiasvand C, et al. The lived experiences of people with progressive supranuclear palsy and their caregivers. Neurol Ther. 2023;12(1):229-247. doi:10.1007/s40120-022-00420-1
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ScienceDirect Topics. PET scanner [Internet]. [cited 2025 Nov]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/pet-scanner
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ScienceDirect Topics. Post-translational modification [Internet]. [cited 2025 Nov]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/posttranslational-modification
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ScienceDirect Topics. Preclinical study [Internet]. [cited 2025 Nov]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/preclinical-study
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ScienceDirect Topics. Prevalence [Internet]. [cited 2025 Nov]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/prevalence
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Kammula SV, Tripathi S, Wang N, et al. Unraveling the tau puzzle: a review of mechanistic targets and therapeutic interventions to prevent tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease. Ageing Neur Dis. 2023;3(4). doi:10.20517/and.2023.20
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ScienceDirect Topics. Prognosis [Internet]. [cited 2025 Nov]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/prognosis
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National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). MedGen: Progressive disease [Internet]. [cited 2025 Nov]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/medgen/277534