Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Better understanding of deep brain stimulation

Brain "pacemakers" that have helped ease symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders seem to work by drowning out the electrical signals of their diseased brains.

1 Jun 2007

MRI effective method for revealing anatomical details of soft tissues

Contrast agents can help to make these images even clearer and allow physiological processes to be followed in real time. Conventional gadolinium complexes currently used as MRI contrast agent cannot reveal anatomic structures.

1 Jun 2007

Parkinson's disease linked to pesticide exposure

Researchers in Britain have discovered that high levels of exposure to some pesticides may be bad for peoples' health.

31 May 2007

Pesticide exposure and head trauma increases risk for Parkinson's disease

Exposure to pesticides and traumatic head injury may have a causative role in Parkinson's disease, according to a study published online ahead of print in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

30 May 2007

Personality test could help doctors detect dementia with Lewy bodies

The study found that even before diagnosis, people with dementia with Lewy bodies displayed passive personality changes, such as diminished emotional response, disinterest in hobbies, repetitive behaviors, and growing apathy, or lack of interest, more often than those with Alzheimer's.

30 May 2007

Reversal of coma with an injection of glue

Neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center injected a biosynthetic “glue” to seal off a spinal fluid leak and restore a comatose patient to consciousness.

28 May 2007

New patented method for transporting medicine across the blood-brain barrier

Researchers at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute have patented a new way of safely transporting medicine across the blood-brain barrier.

24 May 2007

Novel preclinical gene therapy approach for treating Niemann-Pick disease

Genzyme Corp. has announced the publication of a new study in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describing a novel preclinical gene therapy approach for treating Niemann-Pick disease.

24 May 2007

Parkin protein protects neurons from stress induced cell death

Parkinson’s disease, also known as shaking palsy, is one of the most frequent diseases of the nervous system.

22 May 2007

CoQ10 may not provide benefits to individuals with Parkinson's disease

These findings contradict results from earlier studies involving a high purity CoQ10 supplement, Vitaline(R) CoQ10. Richard M. Delany, M.D., FACC, and founder of Personalized Preventive Medicine, finds that a closer review of this latest study design reveals important weaknesses, including the use of a short study duration (3 months) and a low daily dosage (300 mg), and failure to use the clinically proven CoQ10 product, Vitaline CoQ10.

22 May 2007

Ulcerative colitis disruptive in relationships

Nearly three out of four ulcerative colitis (UC) sufferers (73 percent) responding to a new nationwide survey say not feeling well has become a normal part of life.

18 May 2007

Link between extreme sleep disorder and onset of parkinsonism or dementia

Mayo Clinic researchers and a group of international collaborators have discovered a correlation between an extreme form of sleep disorder and eventual onset of parkinsonism or dementia.

17 May 2007

Implanting dopamine generators in brain cells improves Parkinson's in monkeys

Implanting dopamine generators (dopaminergics) in brain cells has produced improvement in the symptoms in Parkinson's, according to the results of tests carried out with monkeys by the Navarra University Hospital, led by Dr Mar'a Rosario Luquin Piudo, neurologist at the Hospital and at the other Navarra University-based medical centre, CIMA (the Research Centre for Applied Medicine).

17 May 2007

Link between Parkinson's and narcolepsy

Parkinson's disease is well-known for its progression of motor disorders: stiffness, slowness, tremors, difficulties walking and talking.

17 May 2007

Project aims to develop stem cell lines that genetically match human patients

These lines would allow scientists to better study conditions ranging from diabetes to Parkinson's disease, and they would provide the basis for potential patient-specific stem cell treatments.

17 May 2007

Testosterone gel helps men multiple sclerosis

Close on the heels of a large-scale clinical trial just underway to confirm that the female hormone estriol combats the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) in women, a just completed pilot study at UCLA now shows promise for the use of testosterone to combat its effects in men.

16 May 2007

Exercise shows beneficial effects in patients with Parkinson's disease

A new study from researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) shows that treadmill exercises may benefit patients with Parkinson's Disease and those with similar movement disorders.

16 May 2007

Coenzyme Q10 does not improve Parkinson's disease symptoms

Small doses of the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 appear to increase blood levels of this naturally occurring compound in patients with Parkinson's disease, but does not improve Parkinson's disease symptoms, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the July 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 May 2007

Patch to treat Parkinson's gets FDA green light

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has given it's approval for the first patch for Parkinson's disease.

14 May 2007

FDA approves skin patch designed to treat symptoms of early Parkinson's disease

Rotigotine is a drug not previously approved in the United States. Neupro is the first transdermal patch approved for the treatment of symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

10 May 2007