Lewy Bodies News and Research

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Twin brains reveal similar progressions of neuropathological changes

Despite widespread use of a single term, Alzheimer's disease is actually a diverse collection of diseases, symptoms and pathological changes.

3 Mar 2014

Mutation in alpha-synuclein gene causes increased vulnerability to pesticides, leading to Parkinson's

A team of researchers has brought new clarity to the picture of how gene-environmental interactions can kill nerve cells that make dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination.

27 Nov 2013

Study: Speaking a second language may delay onset of three types of dementias

In the largest study on the topic to date, research shows that speaking a second language may delay the onset of three types of dementias. The research is published in the November 6, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Nov 2013

Study discovers biomarker that helps doctors to accurately diagnose Parkinson's at earlier stage

Although Parkinson's disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the U.S., there are no standard clinical tests available to identify this widespread condition.

8 Oct 2013

Promising early findings from Parkinson’s biomarker study

Early results from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative suggest that some cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers hold diagnostic and prognostic promise.

18 Sep 2013

Biogen Idec, Amicus Launch Parkinson's Collaboration

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10 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

Computerized cognitive testing plays a key role in therapy development for dementia, AD

Computerized cognitive testing is increasingly playing a key role in therapy development for dementia and Alzheimer's disease. This week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Keith Wesnes Ph.D., Practice Leader of Bracket and founder of the CDR System-, discussed new data for novel therapies at two poster presentations at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference.

19 Jul 2013

Study: Different strains of alpha-synuclein may contribute to different types of brain diseases

It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch, and the same may be true of certain proteins in the brain. Studies have suggested that just one rogue protein (in this case, a protein that is misfolded or shaped the wrong way) can act as a seed, leading to the misfolding of nearby proteins.

4 Jul 2013

Scientists find that mice develop age-related progressive motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease

The presence of Lewy bodies in nerve cells, formed by intracellular deposits of the protein α-synuclein, is a characteristic pathologic feature of Parkinson's Disease (PD). In the quest for an animal model of PD that mimics motor and non-motor symptoms of human PD, scientists have developed strains of mice that overexpress α-synuclein.

10 Jun 2013

New animal model provides insight into early stages of Parkinson's disease

At the present, no cure exists for Parkinson's disease, although symptomatic intervention, including treatment with dopamine agonists, can alleviate patients' motor impairment. Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, after Alzheimer's disease; it is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 patients are affected by Parkinson's disease in Germany alone.

28 May 2013

Mouse study shows leukemia halts accumulation of toxic proteins linked to Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have used tiny doses of a leukemia drug to halt accumulation of toxic proteins linked to Parkinson's disease in the brains of mice. This finding provides the basis to plan a clinical trial in humans to study the effects.

10 May 2013

MIT scientists model structure of alpha synuclein protein associated with Parkinson's

Clumps of proteins that accumulate in brain cells are a hallmark of neurological diseases such as dementia, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Over the past several years, there has been much controversy over the structure of one of those proteins, known as alpha synuclein.

2 Apr 2013

Study: Protein clumps in nerve cells are pathologies of Parkinson's disease

Clumps of α-synuclein protein in nerve cells are hallmarks of many degenerative brain diseases, most notably Parkinson's disease.

29 Mar 2013

Two researchers awarded grants to develop indicators, biomarkers for dementia with Lewy bodies

The Lewy Body Dementia Association and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation have awarded $100,000 each to Omar El-Agnaf, PhD, of United Arab Amirates University and Michelle Mielke, PhD, of Mayo Clinic Rochester to provide one year of support for their research projects focused on developing indicators, or biomarkers, for dementia with Lewy bodies.

26 Mar 2013

Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital present research works at AAN meeting

The following research from Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is being presented at the 65th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, March 16-23, 2013, in San Diego.

18 Mar 2013

Researchers discover how LRRK2 mutations in familial Parkinson's damage brain cells

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), with collaborators at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, have discovered how the most common genetic mutations in familial Parkinson's disease damage brain cells.

6 Mar 2013

TSG might be novel compound for treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia with Lewy body

Administration of the active compound tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside (TSG) derived from the Chinese herbal medicine Polygonum multiflorum Thunb, reversed both overexpression of α-synuclein, a small protein found in the brain, and its accumulation using a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

16 Feb 2013

Emory receives NINDS grant for biomarker research on Parkinson's

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), awarded a three-year, $900,000 grant to the Center for Biomedical Imaging Statistics at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health.