Movement disorders News and Research

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Researchers take a step forward in unravelling the causes of inherited intellectual disability

University of Adelaide researchers have taken a step forward in unravelling the causes of a commonly inherited intellectual disability, finding that a genetic mutation leads to a reduction in certain proteins in the brain.

14 Nov 2013

Professor receives $1.3M EUREKA grant to explore communication between cytoplasm and nucleus

University of Massachusetts Medical School Professor and Vice Chair of Neurobiology Vivian Budnik, PhD, has received a four-year, $1.3 million EUREKA (Exceptional Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration) grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to explore a novel mechanism of communication between the cytoplasm and the nucleus, called nuclear envelope budding, that may lead to new understandings for various tissue dystrophies and aging disorders.

8 Oct 2013

Omeros' OMS824 gets FDA orphan drug designation for treatment of Huntington's disease

Omeros Corporation announced that OMS824, its phosphodiesterase 10 inhibitor, has received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Huntington's disease.

30 Sep 2013

LCT successfully implants first patient with potential Parkinson's disease treatment

Living Cell Technologies Limited today announced that the first patient has been successfully implanted in the Phase I clinical trial of the regenerative cell therapy NTCELL – a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease.

20 Sep 2013

Scientists find link between early-onset Parkinson's and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and University Health Network (UHN) have found a new link between early-onset Parkinson's disease and a piece of DNA missing from chromosome 22. The findings help shed new light on the molecular changes that lead to Parkinson's disease.

10 Sep 2013

Identifying changes in handwriting could lead to early diagnosis of Parkinson's

Today's primary tool for diagnosing Parkinson's disease is the diagnostic ability of the physician, who can generally identify the clinical symptoms only when the disease is at a relatively advanced stage. A new joint study by researchers at the University of Haifa and Rambam Hospital that compared the handwriting of 40 sick and healthy subjects suggests an innovative and noninvasive method of diagnosing Parkinson's at a fairly early stage.

10 Sep 2013

University of Leeds to study mechanism of Prana’s PBT434 in animal models of Parkinson’s disease

Prana Biotechnology today announced that Parkinson’s UK has awarded £150,000 (AU$260,000) to The University of Leeds to study the mechanism of action of PBT434.

4 Sep 2013

Research team examines link between genetics and memory problems in Parkinson's patients

A research team at University of Virginia School of Medicine led by Matthew Barrett, MD, MSc, will use a state grant to examine the link between genetics and memory problems in Parkinson's disease patients. Barrett hopes the research will eventually lead to customized treatments for Parkinson's disease patients.

30 Aug 2013

Five things every person should know about Parkinson's disease

Michael J. Fox is back in the spotlight this fall in a new sitcom "The Michael J. Fox Show" and spreading awareness about Parkinson's disease, a condition both he and his TV character have in common. Fox has been an outspoken advocate for Parkinson's disease research and awareness since disclosing his condition to the public in 1998.

30 Aug 2013

Alzheimer’s drug trial: an interview with Geoffrey Kempler, Chairman & CEO Prana Biotechnology

Approval for the IMAGINE trial was granted by the Austin Health Research Ethics Committee in November 2011, with the first patients dosed in March the following year. However, well before the trial was approved, PBT2 had already shown promise in significantly changing Abeta levels in spinal fluid while improving cognition in a previous 12-week trial conducted in 2006.

28 Aug 2013

Comprehensive test of biomarkers have prognostic and diagnostic value in Parkinson's disease

Perelman School of Medicine researchers at the University of Pennsylvania report the first biomarker results reported from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), showing that a comprehensive test of protein biomarkers in spinal fluid have prognostic and diagnostic value in early stages of Parkinson's disease.

27 Aug 2013

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals signs SPA agreements with FDA for NAV5001 Phase 3 program

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on precision diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals, today announced that it has reached agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for two special protocol assessments for the Company's pivotal Phase 3 program with NAV5001 as an aid in the differential diagnosis of Parkinsonian Syndromes from non-Parkinsonian tremor.

23 Aug 2013

Neurologist writes "explosion of new and innovative" therapies for neurologic conditions

There has been an "explosion of new and innovative" therapies for neurologic conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson disease and multiple sclerosis, Loyola University Medical Center neurologist Dr. Jose Biller writes in the August issue of the journal Neurologic Clinics.

16 Aug 2013

Research suggests Huntington's disease might begin in synapses

The synapses in the brain act as key communication points between approximately one hundred billion neurons. They form a complex network connecting various centres in the brain through electrical impulses. New research from Lund University suggests that it is precisely here, in the synapses, that Huntington's disease might begin.

13 Aug 2013

Vanderbilt University scientists discover new approach to treating mood, anxiety disorders

Chemically modified inhibitors of the COX-2 enzyme relieve anxiety behaviors in mice by activating natural "endocannabinoids" without gastrointestinal side effects, Vanderbilt University scientists will report next week.

5 Aug 2013

Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies receives patent for Parkinson’s disease monitoring technology

Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies announced today they have received allowance of claims from the U.S. Patent Office for an application covering their system and method of stimulating the brain during sleep to treat movement disorder symptoms.

22 Jul 2013

Orlando Health and UF health partner to expand neurosurgery program

Orlando Health and the University of Florida department of neurosurgery have partnered to expand the neurosurgery program at Orlando Health with the opening of a specialized practice, UF Health Neurosurgery — Orlando Health.

10 Jul 2013

Scientists use brain-tracing technique to untangle circuitry that guides brain function

The power of the brain lies in its trillions of intercellular connections, called synapses that together form complex neural "networks." While neuroscientists have long sought to map these individual connections to see how they influence specific brain functions, traditional techniques have been unsuccessful.

28 Jun 2013

Experts report lasting benefits of deep brain stimulation in patients with hereditary dystonia

In what is believed to be the largest follow-up record of patients with the most common form of hereditary dystonia - a movement disorder that can cause crippling muscle contractions - experts in deep brain stimulation report good success rates and lasting benefits.

20 Jun 2013

Safinamide improves responder rates in fluctuating Parkinson's patients in Phase III study

Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. ("Newron"), a research and development company focused on novel CNS and pain therapies, and its partner Zambon S.p.A., a pharmaceutical company strongly committed to the respiratory, primary care and CNS therapeutic areas, presented results from SETTLE Phase III study with safinamide at the 17th International Congress of Parkinson's disease and Movement Disorders, taking place from June 16 to 20, 2013, at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney, Australia.

19 Jun 2013