Dopamine News and Research

Latest Dopamine News and Research

Study finds no support for primary pathogenic role of LBs in PD

The pathology of Parkinson's disease is characterized by a loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the pars compacta of the substantia nigra (SN), an area of the brain associated with motor control, along with the development of α-synuclein (αS) protein in the form of Lewy bodies (LB) in the neurons that survive. The spread of LB pathology is thought to progress along with the clinical course of Parkinson's disease, although recent studies suggest that they are not the toxic cause of cell death.

10 Jan 2012

Positive topline results from Civitas' CVT-301 Phase 1 trial on PD

Civitas Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held pharmaceutical company developing transformative therapeutics using the ARCUS(TM) respiratory delivery platform, announced today positive topline results from a Phase 1 clinical trial for CVT-301, an inhaled formulation of levodopa (L-dopa) for the rapid relief from motor fluctuations associated with Parkinson's disease.

7 Jan 2012

New information about how early ESCs develop and form primate species

Newly published research by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University provides significant new information about how early embryonic stem cells develop and take part in formation of the primate species.

6 Jan 2012

Ipsen, Oncodesign partner to discover and develop LRRK2 kinase inhibitors against PD

Oncodesign, a Drug Discovery company and Oncology pharmacology service provider, and Ipsen, a global specialty-driven pharmaceutical company, announced today that the two companies have entered into a research collaboration to discover and develop innovative LRRK2 kinase inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents against Parkinson's Disease and for potential additional uses in other therapeutic areas.

5 Jan 2012

RGS9-2 gene plays a role in regulating body weight

Abraham Kovoor was studying a brain protein, called RGS9 2, that he had previously related to the involuntary, random and repetitive body movements that are side effects of drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

5 Jan 2012

Advice for newly-diagnosed Parkinson's patients

After 12 years with Parkinson's disease (PD), 57-year old Bill Schmalfeldt has this advice for newly-diagnosed Parkinson's patients.

17 Dec 2011

NACP and MAPT polymorphisms interact to influence rate of Parkinson's progression

Parkinson's disease is marked by the abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein and the early loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain. A polymorphism in the promotor of α-synuclein gene known as NACP-Rep1 has been implicated as a risk factor for the disease.

16 Dec 2011

Researchers convert astrocytes directly into dopamine-producing neurons

In efforts to find new treatments for Parkinson's Disease (PD), researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have directly reprogrammed astrocytes, the most plentiful cell type in the central nervous system, into dopamine-producing neurons.

14 Dec 2011

New exercise and memory study for Parkinson's disease patients

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Baltimore VA Medical Center have launched a study of exercise and computerized memory training to see if those activities may help people with Parkinson's disease prevent memory changes. The type of memory that will be examined is known as "executive function;" it allows people to take in information and use it in a new way.

13 Dec 2011

Euthymics presents EB-1020 preclinical data on ADHD at ACNP annual meeting

Euthymics Bioscience, Inc. today announced that it has presented preclinical data demonstrating that EB-1020, a next-generation product candidate for adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may be effective for treating ADHD without the burden of drug abuse liability.

8 Dec 2011

EnVivo presents positive EVP-6124 Phase 2b trial data on schizophrenia at 50th ACNP meeting

EnVivo Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to developing a broad range of novel central nervous system (CNS) therapies, announced today that it is presenting the comprehensive analysis of a recently completed Phase 2b clinical trial of EVP-6124, a novel, orally bioavailable nicotinic alpha-7 agonist, in schizophrenia at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 50th Anniversary Annual Meeting.

5 Dec 2011

Preliminary top-line results from XenoPort's XP21279 Phase 2 trial for advanced Parkinson’s disease

XenoPort, Inc. announced today preliminary top-line results of a Phase 2, randomized, crossover clinical trial that compared optimized treatment with either Sinemet (immediate-release levodopa/carbidopa) or XP21279 co-formulated with carbidopa (279/CD) in advanced Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations.

5 Dec 2011

Study shows new biochemical disturbances in the brains of children with ADHD

A new study at örebro University in Sweden shows that children with ADHD have nearly 50 percent less of a protein that is important for attention and learning. The finding may mean that there are other biochemical disturbances in the brains of individuals with ADHD than was previously believed.

5 Dec 2011

Enrollment complete in Ceregene's CERE-120 Phase 2b trial for Parkinson's

Ceregene, Inc. reported today that it has completed enrollment in its Phase 2b trial of CERE-120, a gene therapy product expressing the neurturin (NRTN) gene for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

1 Dec 2011

Ferrer introduces citicoline oral solution medical food

Ferrer Therapeutics, the U.S. subsidiary of the international pharmaceutical group, Ferrer Grupo, is introducing CerAxon- Oral Solution to the U.S. market, the first and only oral solution medical food containing citicoline, a nutrient naturally produced by the body and found in the brain.

29 Nov 2011

Rare syndrome's workings could help explain how brain wiring goes awry

Potential clues to how autism miswires the brain are emerging from a study of a rare, purely genetic form of the disorders that affects fewer than 20 people worldwide. Using cutting-edge "disease-in a-dish" technology, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have grown patients' skin cells into neurons to discover what goes wrong in the brain in Timothy Syndrome.

28 Nov 2011

Most people with Timothy syndrome mutation have autistic symptoms

Neuroscientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have homed in on potential differences in autistic people's brain cells by studying brainlike spheres grown in an elaborate process from skin cells.

28 Nov 2011

FDA accepts Otsuka's aripiprazole depot formulation NDA for review

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and H. Lundbeck A/S announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has determined that a new drug application (NDA) for Otsuka's investigational once-monthly aripiprazole depot formulation for the indication of maintenance treatment of schizophrenia in adults is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review.

22 Nov 2011

Specific gene variant may increase risk of premature death in people with alcohol dependency

People who are alcohol-dependent and who also carry a particular variant of a gene run an increased risk of premature death. This is a recent finding from the interdisciplinary research at the Department of Psychology and the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

15 Nov 2011

Occupational chemical exposure raises for Parkinson's

A new research report contributes to the increasing evidence that repeated occupational exposure to certain chemical solvents raises the risk for Parkinson's disease. Researchers analyzed the occupational histories of twins in which one of the pair developed the neurodegenerative disorder, and assessed that twin's likelihood of exposure to six chemicals previously linked to Parkinson's.

14 Nov 2011