Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Cell death in sparrow brains may provide clues in age-related human diseases

A remarkable change takes place in the brains of tiny songbirds every year, and some day the mechanism controlling that change may help researchers develop treatments for age-related degenerative diseases of the brain such as Parkinson's and dementia.

18 Sep 2007

Researchers look at role of oxidative stress in human diseases

Oxidative stress is known to underlie many human diseases including atherosclerosis, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

17 Sep 2007

Proteins Nox1 and Nox2 play important role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

University of Iowa researchers investigating the basic biology of cell signaling have made a discovery that may have therapeutic implications for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases.

13 Sep 2007

Women undergoing IVF to donate eggs for stem cell research in return for reduced treatment costs

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is to fund a research proposal from a team at the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) for a project to find ways of improving the efficiency of therapeutic cloning - a technique which would allow scientists to create patient-specific stem cells and develop regenerative therapies for many debilitating conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and Parkinson’s disease.

13 Sep 2007

New Rensselaer tools speed stem cell research

Engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed tools to help solve two of the main problems slowing the progress of stem cell research - how to quickly test stem cell response to different drugs or genes, and how to create a large supply of healthy, viable stem cells to study from only a few available cells.

13 Sep 2007

American life expectancy reaches an all-time high of 78

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a child born in the United States in 2005 can expect to live nearly 78 years.

12 Sep 2007

Embryonic stem cell strategy advanced with UCSF finding

UCSF scientists are reporting what they say is a significant improvement in the technique for genetically reprogramming mouse cells to their embryonic state, a process that transforms the cells, in essence, into embryonic stem cells.

12 Sep 2007

No evidence that Aspartame non-nutritive sweetener causes cancer

A sweeping review of research studies of aspartame says there is no evidence that the non-nutritive sweetener causes cancer, neurological damage or other health problems in humans.

12 Sep 2007

Link between nicotine and atherosclerosis

It's well known that smoking cigarettes increases risk for a host of serious health problems from cancer to heart disease. Now a new study from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City looks at how they do their dirty work by contributing to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. The evidence points to nicotine, the addictive chemical in cigarettes.

11 Sep 2007

Halting rabies in the brain

While rabies, an ancient scourge that still kills 70,000 every year in developing countries worldwide can be combated with a series of vaccines today, it nearly is always fatal when it reaches the brain.

5 Sep 2007

3D fruit fly images to benefit brain research

The fragile head and brain of a fly are not easy things to examine but MRC scientists have figured out how to make it a little simpler. And they hope their research will shed light on human disease.

5 Sep 2007

New and very different schizophrenia drug shows promise

Scientists at Eli Lilly say the first human trial of a new schizophrenia drug shows promise for sufferers of the debilitating mental illness.

3 Sep 2007

Early surgical removal of the ovaries increases a woman's risk of neurological disorders

New research suggests that premenopausal women who have their ovaries removed have an increased risk of developing neurological disorders such as dementia and Parkinsonism.

30 Aug 2007

Ovary removal before menopause leads to memory and movement problems

Women who have their ovaries removed before menopause are at an increased risk of developing memory problems or dementia and movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, according to two studies published August 29, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

30 Aug 2007

New form of estrogen shows potential as multiple sclerosis drug

UCLA scientists have found the first evidence that a specific form of estrogen can protect the brain from degeneration yet not increase the risk for estrogen-induced cancers of the breast and uterus.

28 Aug 2007

Zinc and macular degeneration link

A team of scientists, including three researchers at George Mason University, found that the mineral zinc could play a role in the development of macular degeneration.

28 Aug 2007

Binding up iron in the brain to combat Parkinson's and Alzheimer's

Duke University chemists are developing ways to bind up iron in the brain to combat the neurological devastation of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

24 Aug 2007

Cannabis for allergic contact dermatitis

Administering a substance found in the cannabis plant can help the body's natural protective system alleviate an allergic skin disease (allergic contact dermatitis), an international group of researchers from Germany, Israel, Italy, Switzerland and the U.S. has found.

17 Aug 2007

New insight into fragile X tremor/ataxia syndrome

Researchers have reported new insight into the pathology underlying a recently identified neurological disorder that strikes middle-aged adults that is caused by alterations in the same gene that causes fragile X syndrome.

17 Aug 2007