Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Deep brain stimulation can lower blood pressure

The possibility of a patient lowering their blood pressure at the flick of a switch has been raised by research led by Oxford University, which shows that stimulating parts of the brain with electrodes can change a patient’s blood pressure.

20 Oct 2005

South Korea opens controversial international stem cell bank

South Korea has opened a bank in Seoul that will create and supply new lines of embryonic stem cells for research around the world.

19 Oct 2005

Study of the effects of aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine and risperidone, in elderly patients with dementia

Some newer antipsychotic medications may be associated with a small increased risk of death when used to treat elderly dementia patients, psychiatrists at Johns Hopkins warn.

18 Oct 2005

Discovery could lead to tests for the clinic or battlefield to diagnose ailments with just a few drops of blood

A way to detect fragments of broken brain cells that leak into the bloodstream may help doctors more quickly and precisely treat people with severe head injuries or brain diseases, say researchers at the University of Florida's McKnight Brain Institute.

17 Oct 2005

Liver services in the United Kingdom need better funding and better staffing

Mortality from liver disease is increasing in the UK. In 2000 liver disease killed more men than Parkinson's disease and more women than cancer of the cervix. Deaths from alcoholic liver disease has doubled in the past 10 years, while liver disease arising from hepatitis C infection is expected to treble by 2020.

13 Oct 2005

$Older men with Parkinson's disease at increased risk of bone fractures$

Older men with Parkinson's disease at increased risk of bone fractures

Researchers found that Parkinson’s disease (PD) in older men is associated with lower bone mineral density and suggested that physicians should consider screening older male patients with PD for osteoporosis.

12 Oct 2005

Natural cancer killing cells from the human embryonic stem cells

For the first time, stem cell researchers at the University of Minnesota have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to create cancer-killing cells in the laboratory, paving the way for future treatments for various types of cancers (or tumors).

11 Oct 2005

Fear of falling gait

The patient came into the doctor's office in a wheelchair, weighted down by a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, taking medication for the disorder and insisting she was unable to stand or walk. Thirty minutes later, after jogging down the hallway, she strolled out the door.

9 Oct 2005

Researchers have successfully combined computer modeling and experimental results in folding studies for small proteins

In unprecedented new research, scientists at Rice University have combined theory and experiment for the first time to both predict theoretically and verify experimentally the protein-folding dynamics of a large, complex protein.

3 Oct 2005

Organosilicon compounds help improve lithium battery technology

With the help of new silicon-based compounds, scientists -- and patients -- are getting a significant new charge out of the tiny lithium batteries used in implantable devices to help treat nervous system and other disorders.

3 Oct 2005

Simulator helps stroke patients learn to drive again

A high-fidelity simulator that allows people to practice driving on a computer-generated course can help stroke patients learn to drive again, researchers have found.

27 Sep 2005

Scientists reverse memory loss in mice with Alzheimer's

In mice, that had been genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease, scientists were able to reverse the rodents' memory loss by reducing the amount of an enzyme that is crucial for the development of Alzheimer's disease.

26 Sep 2005

Neurologix announces positive interim results of gene therapy clinical trial for patients with Parkinson's disease

Neurologix has announced positive interim results of its landmark gene therapy clinical trial for patients with Parkinson's disease. Neurologix's 12-patient, dose-escalating Phase I trial is the world's first study to use a viral vector (the non-pathogenic adeno-associated virus, or AAV) for the treatment of an adult neurological disease.

26 Sep 2005

New information about how the brain directs the body to make movements

A University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) study has revealed new information about how the brain directs the body to make movements. The key factor is "noise" in the brain's signaling, and it helps explain why all movement is not carried out with the same level of precision.

26 Sep 2005

Parkinson's dark period can be minimized or alleviated with the right kind of care

Some people call it "the dark time," the period between when a person is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and when treatment with medication begins.

26 Sep 2005

Botox helps explain possible causes of nerve diseases

Botox, used by Hollywood stars to smooth out facial wrinkles, is playing an important role in UQ research to understand how nerve cells communicate with each other.

22 Sep 2005

First clinical guidelines to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of people with normal pressure hydrocephalus

An international team of medical experts led by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher has established the first clinical guidelines to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of people with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a debilitating condition in the brain that often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

21 Sep 2005

Key neural system at risk from prenatal exposure to alcohol

In a study of adult monkeys who were exposed to moderate amounts of alcohol in utero, scientists have found that prenatal exposure to alcohol - even in small doses - has pronounced effects on the development and function later in life of the brain's dopamine system, a critical component of the central nervous system that regulates many regions of the brain.

21 Sep 2005

Prions rapidly 'remodel' good protein into bad

Two Brown Medical School biologists have figured out the fate of healthy protein when it comes in contact with the infectious prion form in yeast: The protein converts to the prion form, rendering it infectious. In an instant, good protein goes bad.

19 Sep 2005

First large-scale whole genome map of genetic variability associated with Parkinson's disease

Mayo Clinic researchers in collaboration with scientists at Perlegen Sciences, Inc. and funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research have produced the first large-scale whole genome map of genetic variability associated with Parkinson's disease.

19 Sep 2005