Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Implanting dopamine generators in brain cells improves Parkinson's in monkeys

Implanting dopamine generators (dopaminergics) in brain cells has produced improvement in the symptoms in Parkinson's, according to the results of tests carried out with monkeys by the Navarra University Hospital, led by Dr Mar'a Rosario Luquin Piudo, neurologist at the Hospital and at the other Navarra University-based medical centre, CIMA (the Research Centre for Applied Medicine).

17 May 2007

Exercise shows beneficial effects in patients with Parkinson's disease

A new study from researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) shows that treadmill exercises may benefit patients with Parkinson's Disease and those with similar movement disorders.

16 May 2007

Patch to treat Parkinson's gets FDA green light

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has given it's approval for the first patch for Parkinson's disease.

14 May 2007

Genetic component to autism

Using an innovative statistical approach, a research team from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of California, Los Angeles, has identified two regions of DNA linked to autism.

10 May 2007

FDA approves skin patch designed to treat symptoms of early Parkinson's disease

Rotigotine is a drug not previously approved in the United States. Neupro is the first transdermal patch approved for the treatment of symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

10 May 2007

Electroconvulsive therapy helps patients with severe depression who don't respond to other treatments

Electroconvulsive therapy has been shown to be a highly effective, safe, and even life-saving treatment for persistent and severe depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

8 May 2007

Phase III data on Safinamide in Parkinson's disease

Merck Serono S.A. has announced that Phase III data on safinamide, a new agent in Phase III development for the treatment of Parkinson's disease symptoms, were presented by Professor Fabrizio Stocchi at the American Academy of Neurology 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

4 May 2007

Submission of NDA for Istradefylline(KW-6002), an investigational anti-Parkinson's disease drug

Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. has announced that Kyowa Pharmaceutical, Inc., its wholly owned U.S subsidiary, submitted on April 25, 2007 a new drug application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Istradefylline(KW-6002), its investigational drug for Parkinson's disease.

30 Apr 2007

Drugs that adjust dopamine levels in the brain greatly affect how people react to success and failure

In a first-of-its-kind study on humans, researchers measured how dopamine-related drugs affect the striatum, a part of the brain that is stimulated by rewards.

27 Apr 2007

Avicena files composition of matter patent application for treatment of Parkinson's disease

Avicena Group, Inc. has announced that it has filed a composition of matter patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to cover potential treatments for Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease.

27 Apr 2007

New theory of addiction as a disease of learning and memory

Morphine, as little as a single dose, blocks the brain's ability to strengthen connections at inhibitory synapses, according to new Brown University research published in Nature.

26 Apr 2007

New understanding of schizophrenia

New research helps bridge an important gap in understanding schizophrenia, providing the best evidence to date that defects in the brain's white matter are a key contributor to the disease, which affects about 1 percent of people worldwide.

24 Apr 2007

Online gambling adds new risks for gamblers with Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease sufferers could be adversely affected by the growth of betting on the web because they are more likely to become gambling addicts, says a doctor writing in the British Medical Journal.

20 Apr 2007

Jefferson participates in global study to extend effectiveness of drug for Parkinson's

After Parkinson's disease patients use the drug levodopa or L-dopa for several years as a treatment for restoring the cellular communication that controls muscle movement by replacing lost dopamine, they begin to experience motor complications that include a shortened response to each dose of L-dopa.

19 Apr 2007

Stroke damage in a brain region known as the putamen is strongly linked to motor neglect

Scientists have untangled two similar disabilities that often afflict stroke patients, in the process revealing that one may be treatable with drugs for Parkinson's disease.

4 Apr 2007

Protein alpha synuclein plays important role in regulation of dopamine function

SNCA mutations can lead to significant problems, such as the neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson's disease, which is caused by a substantially reduced production of dopamine.

3 Apr 2007

New treatment possibilities for Huntington's disease

Howard Florey Institute have opened up new treatment possibilities for Huntington's disease by proving a scientific theory incorrect.

3 Apr 2007

Withdrawal of Pergolide products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that manufacturers of pergolide drug products, which are used to treat Parkinson's disease, will voluntarily remove these drugs from the market because of the risk of serious damage to patients' heart valves.

29 Mar 2007

Researchers look at whether creatine slows progression of Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are leading one of the largest clinical trials ever for Parkinson's disease.

25 Mar 2007

Circadian genes may be involved in bipolar disorder

Disrupt the gene that regulates the biological clocks in mice and they become manic, exhibiting behaviors similar to humans with bipolar disorder, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

25 Mar 2007