Parkinson's Disease

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.

What is Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the brain. It affects parts of the brain that are associated with normal movement and balance.

Parkinson's Disease Pathophysiology

Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis

Parkinson's Disease Treatment

Parkinson's Disease Prognosis

Parkinson's Disease History

Parkinson's Disease Research

Parkinson's Disease Support

Herpes Virus and Parkinson's Disease

Physiotherapy for Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Compared to Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)

VPS35 Gene and Parkinson's Disease

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Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Highly sensitive dopamine detector can aid in early diagnosis of several disorders

A supersensitive dopamine detector can help in the early diagnosis of several disorders that result in too much or too little dopamine, according to a group led by Penn State and including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and universities in China and Japan.

7 Aug 2020

Study: Individuals who feel dizzy when they stand up may have an increased risk of dementia

Some people who feel dizzy or lightheaded when they stand up may have an increased risk of developing dementia years later, according to a new study published in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Aug 2020

Climate change and disruption of ecosystem affect allergies, respiratory disorders

Climate change and disruption of the ecosystem have the potential to profoundly impact the human body. Xue Ming, professor of neurology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, who recently published a paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health on the effects of climate change on allergies, autoimmunity and the microbiome -; the beneficial microorganisms that live on and inside the human body -; discusses how the delicate balance of the environment affects conditions such as allergies, autism, and immune disorders.

6 Aug 2020

GADL1 enzyme may be linked to athletic performances, shows study

Carnosine and its precursor beta-alanine increases muscle strength, and have recently become extremely popular as dietary supplements in competitive sports.

5 Aug 2020

Broad range of therapeutics are being evaluated for Parkinson's disease

A review of currently registered clinical trials of agents targeting Parkinson's disease (PD) reveals that there is a broad pipeline of both symptomatic and potentially disease-modifying therapies currently being evaluated.

4 Aug 2020

Artificial intelligence can increase effectiveness of drug repurposing for psychiatric disorders

Artificial intelligence can increase the effectiveness of drug repositioning or repurposing research, according to a study published in Translational Psychiatry.

3 Aug 2020

High-speed atomic force microscopy reveals diverse amyloid structures and dynamics

In the human body, proteins sometimes occur in fibrillar aggregates called amyloids. Although certain amyloids are known to have a biological function, amyloid formation is often associated with pathologies, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

3 Aug 2020

UOttawa's Faculty of Medicine awards 58 clinical research chairs to top clinician-scientists

The Faculty of Medicine has awarded 58 clinical research chairs to top clinician-scientists in a five-year, $40 million investment to drive clinical research excellence and enhance health and patient care.

30 Jul 2020

Sniffer dogs detect COVID-19 infections with 94 percent accuracy

Dogs have an acute sense of smell. They have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, compared to six million in humans, making their smell receptors up 10,000 to 100,000 more powerful than humans.

28 Jul 2020

Study uncovers how the gut communicates with spinal cord and brain

You're faced with a big decision so your second brain provides what's normally referred to as 'gut instinct', but how did this sensation reach you before it was too late?

24 Jul 2020

Journal Of Parkinson's Disease announces recipients of first Parkinson Prize

The Journal of Parkinson's Disease and its publisher IOS Press are proud to announce the two articles that have won the first Parkinson Prize, recognizing these outstanding contributions to the advancement to Parkinson's disease research.

23 Jul 2020

Study points to an important role for white blood cells in brain development

Whether white blood cells can be found in the brain has been controversial, and what they might be doing used to be complete mystery.

22 Jul 2020

A new method for mechanical stimulation of neural cells

In addition to responding to electrical and chemical stimuli, many of the body's neural cells can also respond to mechanical effects, such as pressure or vibration.

20 Jul 2020

Study could accelerate drug development to reduce age-related diseases

Genes linked to ageing that could help explain why some people age at different rates to others have been identified by scientists.

16 Jul 2020

Dopaminergic neurones behave differently in different animals, shows study

Animals have an innate preference for certain scents and tastes. Attractive scents are linked to things like good food.

16 Jul 2020

Dopamine therapy improves cognitive function in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's

A study supported by the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and published today in JAMA Network Open provides the first evidence that rotigotine, a drug that acts on dopamine transmission in the brain, improves cognitive function in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

15 Jul 2020

Salmonella biofilm protein can cause autoimmune responses, arthritis in animals

Scientists from the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre at the University of Saskatchewan and Temple University have demonstrated that a Salmonella biofilm protein can cause autoimmune responses and arthritis in animals.

10 Jul 2020