Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

New research gives further evidence that autoimmunity plays a role in Parkinson's disease

A new study adds increasing evidence that Parkinson's disease is partly an autoimmune disease.

20 Apr 2020

New gene promoters could improve treatments for neurological diseases

A recently developed system for switching on the activity of genes could improve treatments for a broad range of neurological diseases.

18 Apr 2020

Study reveals molecular causes of brain asymmetry

Scientists may have solved one of the most puzzling and persistent mysteries in neuroscience: why some people are "right-brained" while others are "left-brained."

15 Apr 2020

Mutated ATP1B gene a risk factor for Parkinson’s

The brain consists of about 100 billion neurons that form a complex and interconnected network in our brain, allowing us to generate complex thought patterns and actions. These neurons or nerve cells are the functional units of the nervous system that process and transmit information around the body. Neurodegenerative diseases develop with the progressive loss of these neurons.

14 Apr 2020

New 3D imaging technique helps researchers watch neural activity in real time

Our ability to study networks within the nervous system has been limited by the tools available to observe large volumes of cells at once.

13 Apr 2020

Toxic cell atlas can guide discovery of new drugs for neurodegeneration

A common thread in many inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), is damage caused by oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when cells produce toxic substances known as reactive oxygen species, which are damaging nerve cells and other cells in the body.

13 Apr 2020

Inhibition of sphingolipid metabolism and neurodegenerative diseases

Disrupting production of sphingolipids in neurons improved neurodegeneration symptoms and increased survival in a mouse model.

13 Apr 2020

Researchers identify new risk gene for Parkinson's disease

Screening DNA of Parkinson's patients in the Christine Van Broeckhoven laboratory (VIB-UAntwerpen Center for Molecular Neurology) identified a new risk gene for Parkinson's disease. Mutations in ATP10B resulted in loss of ATP10B protein.

12 Apr 2020

COVID-19 crisis threatens beleaguered assisted living industry

David Aguirre jumped in his truck and drove toward the hospital in the predawn darkness the minute he got the news: His 91-year-old mom was being rushed from her Texas assisted living facility to the emergency room.

9 Apr 2020

New form of magnetic brain stimulation relieves symptoms of severe depression

A new form of magnetic brain stimulation rapidly relieved symptoms of severe depression in 90% of participants in a small study conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

7 Apr 2020

Study suggests targeted cancer therapy could help with rare neurologic disease

A targeted therapy currently studied for treatment of certain cancers may be beneficial in treating other neurologic diseases.

6 Apr 2020

‘You pray that you got the drug.’ Ailing couple gambles on trial for COVID-19 cure

For 10 days last month, they lay in side-by-side isolation units in a Seattle-area hospital, tethered to oxygen and struggling to breathe as the coronavirus ravaged their lungs.

6 Apr 2020

Experts highlight the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on patients with Parkinson’s disease

While much attention has focused on the potential for severe respiratory complications and unfavorable outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), the impact extends beyond these threats.

5 Apr 2020

MRI sensor reveals how dopamine drives brain activity

Using a specialized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sensor, MIT neuroscientists have discovered how dopamine released deep within the brain influences both nearby and distant brain regions.

1 Apr 2020

Scientists model human CMV-induced microcephaly using brain organoids

A City of Hope scientist is one step closer to discovering what weakens a pathogen that appears to cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads.

30 Mar 2020

MIT engineers develop soft, flexible neural implants

The brain is one of our most vulnerable organs, as soft as the softest tofu. Brain implants, on the other hand, are typically made from metal and other rigid materials that over time can cause inflammation and the buildup of scar tissue.

30 Mar 2020

Global scientific collaboration produces first genetic map of the cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex is the relatively thin, folded, outer "gray matter" layer of the brain crucial for thinking, information processing, memory, and attention.

27 Mar 2020

FDA approves immune-modulating therapy for treatment of multiple sclerosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved ozanimod, an immune-modulating therapy invented at Scripps Research, for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

26 Mar 2020

Jumping genes help make functional brain cells in a lab dish

The process of making functional brain cells in a lab dish requires the precise activation of selfish genetic elements known as LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposons.

26 Mar 2020