Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Cigarette smoking associated with reduced risk for developing Parkinson's disease

A pooled analysis of data from previous studies suggests that cigarette smoking appears to be associated with a reduced risk for developing Parkinson's disease, with long-term and current smokers at the lowest risk, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Neurology.

10 Jul 2007

Scientists identify two brain networks in Parkinson's

The disease that causes tremors, rigidity and slowed movements in a million Americans also targets another brain network that regulates cognitive thought and the ability to carry out everyday tasks.

10 Jul 2007

People with early Parkinson's more likely to develop hallucinations, sleepiness and swelling

People with early Parkinson's disease report a higher than anticipated development or worsening of hallucinations, sleepiness, and swelling.

10 Jul 2007

New gene mutation linked to frontotemporal dementia

Researchers have identified a new gene mutation linked to frontotemporal dementia, according to a study published in the July 10, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Jul 2007

Depression in Parkinson's disease under diagnosed

While depression appears to be common in early Parkinson's disease (PD), it is often not treated or diagnosed, according to newly released research.

10 Jul 2007

New skin patch offers help for Alzheimer's victims

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has given approval for the first skin patch to treat Alzheimer's disease.

9 Jul 2007

Potential new treatment pathway for Parkinson's

In the vast majority of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, the disorder arises not because of a genetic defect, but because some external insult triggers the death of dopamine-producing neurons.

9 Jul 2007

New insight into neural stem cells

Scientists have discovered that adult neural stem cells, which exist in the brain throughout life, are not a single, homogeneous group.

9 Jul 2007

Key finding on ALS related protein

Chemists from UCLA and the University of Florence in Italy may have solved an important mystery about a protein that plays a key role in a particular form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disorder that strikes without warning.

28 Jun 2007

An active mind in old age reduces risk of Alzheimer's disease

How often old people read a newspaper, play chess, or engage in other mentally stimulating activities is related to risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published June 27, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Jun 2007

Early exposure to iron and later exposure to herbicide paraquat may accelerate age-related neurodegeneration

Exposure to iron during the first weeks of life in combination with exposure later in life to a common herbicide may contribute to the subsequent degeneration of brain cells associated with the onset of Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a new study in mice.

28 Jun 2007

Embryonic stem cell in rodents could lead to treatment for Parkinson's

Scientists in Britain have discovered a new type of embryonic stem cell in mice and rats that could accelerate research into degenerative brain diseases such as Parkinson's.

27 Jun 2007

Role of environmental factors in the development of Parkinson's disease

Scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research have shown that combining two environmental toxic substances accelerated age-related degeneration in neurons associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in mice.

27 Jun 2007

National Organization for Acoustic Neuroma Tumor Patients to celebrate 25th anniversary

The national Acoustic Neuroma Association (ANA), will mark its 25th anniversary at its 18th annual symposium in Philadelphia.

26 Jun 2007

New gene therapy technique for Parkinson's

According to a new study a novel gene therapy technique is safe and may be effective at staving off the worsening symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

25 Jun 2007

Gene therapy for Parkinson's disease is safe and some patients benefit

A novel gene therapy technique is safe and may be effective at staving off worsening symptoms of Parkinson's disease, according to the first scientific review of a dozen patients who have received the treatment over the last three years.

23 Jun 2007

New drug target for the treatment of Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MGH-MIND) have identified a potential new drug target for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and possibly for other degenerative neurological disorders.

23 Jun 2007

Link between levels of urate in the blood and risk of Parkinson's disease

In a new, large-scale, prospective study exploring the link between levels of urate in the blood and risk of Parkinson's disease, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that high levels of urate are strongly associated with a reduced risk of the disease.

23 Jun 2007

Costs of disorders of the brain in Europe

In 2004 there were about 46 million cases of neurological diseases such as epilepsy, migraines, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and stroke among the 466 million inhabitants of the EU (excluding the two new members Romania and Bulgaria, but including the non-members Iceland, Norway and Switzerland).

20 Jun 2007

Medical standards in 21 states based on local rule, not national standards

Although most patients don't know it, 21 U.S. states follow some form of an 1880 ruling that says the standard of care physicians must meet by law depends on where the doctor practices, even if, in some cases, it is a small town with only two doctors.

20 Jun 2007