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Parkinson's disease is a brain disorder. It occurs when certain nerve cells (neurons) in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra die or become impaired. When approximately 80 percent of neurons are damaged, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease appear. Parkinson's disease affects 1 in 100 people over the age of 60, with the average age of onset being 60 years. The risk of developing Parkinson's disease increases with age. In the United States, it is estimated that 60,000 new cases of Parkinson's disease are diagnosed each year, with 1.5 million Americans currently living with the disease.
Merck updates on preladenant clinical program for treatment of Parkinson's disease

Merck updates on preladenant clinical program for treatment of Parkinson's disease

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today provided an update on the clinical program for preladenant, Merck's investigational adenosine A2A receptor antagonist for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. [More]
Common type of childhood asthma is not related to allergens and inflammation

Common type of childhood asthma is not related to allergens and inflammation

Little is known about why asthma develops, how it constricts the airway or why response to treatments varies between patients. Now, a team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, Columbia University Medical Center and SUNY Downstate Medical Center has revealed the roots of a common type of childhood asthma, showing that it is very different from other asthma cases. [More]
Researchers reveal roots of a common type of childhood asthma

Researchers reveal roots of a common type of childhood asthma

Little is known about why asthma develops, how it constricts the airway or why response to treatments varies between patients. Now, a team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, Columbia University Medical Center and SUNY Downstate Medical Center has revealed the roots of a common type of childhood asthma, showing that it is very different from other asthma cases. [More]
Research finds number of links between dental health and overall health

Research finds number of links between dental health and overall health

If the eyes are the windows to your soul, then your mouth is the gateway to your overall health. Research has found a surprising number of links between the state of your dental health and your overall health. [More]

Cognoptix' SAPPHIRE II eye test identifies Alzheimer's disease patients via Ab signature in the eyes

Cognoptix, an emerging medical device company, announced today that its SAPPHIRE II eye test identified Alzheimer's disease patients via a beta amyloid ("Ab") signature in their eyes in a 10-subject proof-of-concept clinical trial. [More]

Research findings reveal promising new anti-addiction drug

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have unraveled the molecular foundations of cocaine's effects on the brain, and identified a compound that blocks cravings for the drug in cocaine-addicted mice. [More]
Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College wins AWSM Award for Excellence

Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College wins AWSM Award for Excellence

Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University, is the winner of a prestigious award from a group of female scientists from The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research dedicated to celebrating outstanding women in science and medicine. [More]
Emory University researchers identify a protein that stimulates orphan receptors in the brain

Emory University researchers identify a protein that stimulates orphan receptors in the brain

Researchers at Emory University have identified a protein that stimulates a pair of "orphan receptors" found in the brain, solving a long-standing biological puzzle and possibly leading to future treatments for neurological diseases. [More]
Nutritional supplement improves functioning of genes involved in degenerative brain disorders

Nutritional supplement improves functioning of genes involved in degenerative brain disorders

Widely available in pharmacies and health stores, phosphatidylserine is a natural food supplement produced from beef, oysters, and soy. Proven to improve cognition and slow memory loss, it's a popular treatment for older people experiencing memory impairment. [More]
XenoPort's Arbaclofen placarbil fails to meet co-primary endpoints in Phase 3 clinical trial

XenoPort's Arbaclofen placarbil fails to meet co-primary endpoints in Phase 3 clinical trial

XenoPort, Inc. announced today top-line results from its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of arbaclofen placarbil for the treatment of patients with spasticity due to multiple sclerosis. [More]

Television actor hosts latest free patient education DVD and guidebook on epilepsy

Television actor and "Dancing with the Stars" winner John O'Hurley is the host of Epilepsy: A Guide for Patients and Families, the latest free patient education DVD and guidebook produced by the American Academy of Neurology and its foundation, the American Brain Foundation. [More]
Neupro reduces PLMS and total NSBP elevations in patients with RLS, study finds

Neupro reduces PLMS and total NSBP elevations in patients with RLS, study finds

UCB today announced data from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study that found that Neupro (Rotigotine Transdermal System) reduced total nocturnal systolic blood pressure elevations associated with periodic limb movements during sleep and total PLMS in patients with idiopathic moderate-to-severe Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease. [More]

Berlin scientists plan to research on neurodegenerative diseases

Now, both have signed a cooperation agreement to seal their close scientific collaboration. The objective is to combine existing expertise and to bring new outstanding researchers to Berlin. [More]

Research: People with skin cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease

People who have skin cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research published in the May 15, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The link does not apply to melanoma, a less common but more aggressive type of skin cancer. [More]

New research shows dysfunctional mitochondria in brain cells can lead to learning disabilities

Neuroscientist Patrik Verstreken of VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and KU Leuven has shown for the first time that dysfunctional mitochondria in brain cells can lead to learning disabilities. [More]
Research breakthrough: Human skin cells becomes embryonic stem cells

Research breakthrough: Human skin cells becomes embryonic stem cells

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. [More]
Kinesia ProView™ launched to visualize motor symptom severity response to deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson’s patients

Kinesia ProView™ launched to visualize motor symptom severity response to deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson’s patients

Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies announced today the product launch of Kinesia ProView™ to visualize motor symptom severity response during programming of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s disease. Kinesia ProView provides a standardized platform to quantitatively assess how symptoms such as tremor, bradykinesia, and dyskinesias change in response to specific DBS settings during outpatient programming procedures. [More]
Inhibiting powerful protein with new agents may supply broad benefit for lymphoma patients

Inhibiting powerful protein with new agents may supply broad benefit for lymphoma patients

A soon-to-be-tested class of drug inhibitors were predicted to help a limited number of patients with B-cell lymphomas with mutations affecting the EZH2 protein. [More]
Research findings may pave way to new treatment for Alzheimer's disease in humans

Research findings may pave way to new treatment for Alzheimer's disease in humans

A drug developed by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, known as J147, reverses memory deficits and slows Alzheimer's disease in aged mice following short-term treatment. [More]
Researchers successfully test new anti-cocaine vaccine in primates

Researchers successfully test new anti-cocaine vaccine in primates

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have successfully tested their novel anti-cocaine vaccine in primates, bringing them closer to launching human clinical trials. [More]