Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Dopamine neuron transplants controlled by designer drug may fight Parkinson's disease in mice

A University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist has inserted a genetic switch into nerve cells so a patient can alter their activity by taking designer drugs that would not affect any other cell. The cells in question are neurons and make the neurotransmitter dopamine, whose deficiency is the culprit in the widespread movement disorder Parkinson's disease.

29 Apr 2016

Study examines benefits of exercise, behavioral therapy in MS patients

Groundhog Day 1994 is one Linda Friedrich will never forget. That's the day a neurologist told her, "You have multiple sclerosis and there's nothing we can do."

28 Apr 2016

People with TBI may have long-term sleep disturbances

People who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) may still have sleep problems a year and a half after being injured, according to a study published in the April 27, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. In addition, people with TBI may also be unaware of just how much their sleep is disturbed.

28 Apr 2016

New study reveals increased risk of dementia in patients with rosacea

A new study has uncovered an increased risk of dementia--in particular Alzheimer's disease--in patients with rosacea. Importantly, the risk was highest in older patients and in patients where rosacea was diagnosed by a hospital dermatologist. The findings are published in the Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society.

28 Apr 2016

Two London students make innovative medical devices to improve lives of people with Parkinson’s disease

Two London students, who have invented separate pieces of medical technology that could help revolutionise the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease, could soon see their innovative devices available to millions of sufferers after they were shortlisted for a prestigious award.

27 Apr 2016

Scientists unravel mystery of disrupted communication between brain cells in Parkinson's patients

A possible cause has been found for the disrupted communication between brain cells exhibited by Parkinson's patients. Bettina Schwab, a researcher at the University of Twente in The Netherlands, discovered that this group of patients have increased concentrations of a certain type of protein. Ms Schwab defended her doctoral dissertation on Friday 22 April.

27 Apr 2016

Researchers test potential positive effects of micro-injury in mice modeled with AD

Researchers testing the potential positive effects of "micro-injury" by brief insertion of a small needle into the hippocampal region of mice modeled with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have found that the procedure not only stimulated the hippocampus into regenerative activity, but also reduced β-amyloid plaques, a hallmark of AD.

27 Apr 2016

Innovative strategy can reverse symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease are the two most common neurodegenerative disorders worldwide and cause untold suffering to millions of patients and their families. Treatments for these diseases are limited, and no cures exist. Now, a new study describes an innovative strategy that reverses symptoms in these neurodegenerative diseases - at least in fruit flies which had been genetically altered to model the diseases.

26 Apr 2016

Brain chemical dopamine plays key role in representing or encoding movement

Princeton University researchers have found that dopamine - a brain chemical involved in learning, motivation and many other functions - also has a direct role in representing or encoding movement. The finding could help researchers better understand dopamine's role in movement-related disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

26 Apr 2016

Lab-grown mini-brains shed light on health crisis posed by Zika virus in fetal brains

Studying a new type of pinhead-size, lab-grown brain made with technology first suggested by three high school students, Johns Hopkins researchers have confirmed a key way in which Zika virus causes microcephaly and other damage in fetal brains: by infecting specialized stem cells that build its outer layer, the cortex.

25 Apr 2016

Fructose common in western diet can damage brain genes

A range of diseases -- from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, and from Alzheimer's disease to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- are linked to changes to genes in the brain. A new study by UCLA life scientists has found that hundreds of those genes can be damaged by fructose, a sugar that's common in the Western diet, in a way that could lead to those diseases.

25 Apr 2016

Wellderly study finds link between cognitive decline genes and healthy aging

An eight-year-long accrual and analysis of the whole genome sequences of healthy elderly people, or "Wellderly," has revealed a higher-than-normal presence of genetic variants offering protection from cognitive decline, researchers from the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) reported today in the journal Cell.

22 Apr 2016

FAU's clinical trial to evaluate efficacy of RVT-101 tablet for Lewy body dementia

Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is spearheading the South Florida site for the first U.S. clinical trial for Lewy body dementia (LBD), the second-most common dementia after Alzheimer's disease. The HEADWAY-DLB is a phase 2b multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate an investigational medicine, RVT-101, for dementia with Lewy bodies.

22 Apr 2016

Study aims to determine how aches, pains before and after concussion play role in recovery

Athletes who have medical complaints, like aches and pains, that have no known physical cause may take longer to recover after a concussion, according to a study published in the April 20, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

21 Apr 2016

Caltech researchers map out pathways of neurons responsible for Parkinson's motor impairments

Because billions of neurons are packed into our brain, the neuronal circuits that are responsible for controlling our behaviors are by necessity highly intermingled. This tangled web makes it complicated for scientists to determine exactly which circuits do what. Now, using two laboratory techniques pioneered in part at Caltech, Caltech researchers have mapped out the pathways of a set of neurons responsible for the kinds of motor impairments--such as difficulty walking--found in patients with Parkinson's disease.

21 Apr 2016

Novel method could help analyze GWAS results for sporadic diseases

Using a novel method, Whitehead Institute researchers have determined how a non-coding mutation identified in genome-wide association studies can contribute to sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). The approach could be used to analyze GWAS results for other sporadic diseases with genetic causes, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and cancer.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists discover CD2AP protein that plays key role in nervous system

University of Louisville researchers have discovered that a protein previously known for its role in kidney function also plays a significant role in the nervous system. In an article featured in the April 13 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, they show that the adaptor protein CD2AP is a key player in a type of neural growth known as collateral sprouting.

21 Apr 2016

AAN’s updated guideline on botulinum toxin use covers four neurologic disorders

The American Academy of Neurology has updated its 2008 guidelines on the use of botulinum toxin for spasticity, cervical dystonia, blepharospasm and migraine headache, based on recent research.

19 Apr 2016

Innovative wristwatch tool could improve quality of life for Parkinson's patients

An innovative new tool that resembles a wristwatch could improve the quality of life for patients with Parkinson's disease and better inform neurologists who treat them.

19 Apr 2016

Study shows children with rare eye disease have greatest benefit from gene therapy

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University's Casey Eye Institute and Baylor College of Medicine's Cullen Eye Institute published findings from a two-year Phase I clinical trial in the journal Ophthalmology, which showed that children had the greatest benefit from gene therapy for treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) or severe early childhood onset retinal degeneration (SECORD).

18 Apr 2016

Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Dopamine neuron transplants controlled by designer drug may fight Parkinson's disease in mice

Study examines benefits of exercise, behavioral therapy in MS patients

People with TBI may have long-term sleep disturbances

New study reveals increased risk of dementia in patients with rosacea

Two London students make innovative medical devices to improve lives of people with Parkinson’s disease

Scientists unravel mystery of disrupted communication between brain cells in Parkinson's patients

Researchers test potential positive effects of micro-injury in mice modeled with AD

Innovative strategy can reverse symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases

Brain chemical dopamine plays key role in representing or encoding movement

Lab-grown mini-brains shed light on health crisis posed by Zika virus in fetal brains

Fructose common in western diet can damage brain genes

Wellderly study finds link between cognitive decline genes and healthy aging

FAU's clinical trial to evaluate efficacy of RVT-101 tablet for Lewy body dementia

Study aims to determine how aches, pains before and after concussion play role in recovery

Caltech researchers map out pathways of neurons responsible for Parkinson's motor impairments

Novel method could help analyze GWAS results for sporadic diseases

Scientists discover CD2AP protein that plays key role in nervous system

AAN’s updated guideline on botulinum toxin use covers four neurologic disorders

Innovative wristwatch tool could improve quality of life for Parkinson's patients

Study shows children with rare eye disease have greatest benefit from gene therapy

eBook: Advancing neurodegenerative research with iPSC-derived microglia models eBook

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

eBook: Advancing neurodegenerative research with iPSC-derived microglia models eBook

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

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