Alice Melão,  —

Changes to the serotonin system in the brain occur years before the development of motor symptoms in Parkinson’s — and may be an important early warning signal for the disease, a study suggests. “Therefore, brain imaging of the serotonin system could become a valuable tool to detect individuals at…

Analysis of a natural motor event called “mirror activity” has revealed that the long contraction of muscles in one hand can cause frequent involuntary reactions from the muscles in the opposite hand. These findings provide detailed evidence on how brain-body connectivity works and regulates muscle behavior, which may help identify…

Using stem cells, researchers have recreated the complexity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) — a critical protective brain structure — in a chip roughly the size of an AA battery. This personalized BBB experimental model, which combines stem cell research with Emulate’s Organ-Chip technology, will allow scientists to better…

Data collected through Global Kinetics Corporation’s wearable device called Personal KinetiGraph (PKG) can help clinicians identify Parkinson’s patients who may benefit from deep-brain stimulation (DBS) or other device-assisted therapies. This finding was reported in the study, “The Use of Data from the Parkinson’s KinetiGraph…

A single dose of Axovant’s gene therapy candidate AXO-Lenti-PD continues to improve motor function and has been well-tolerated after six months in two patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease, according to early results of an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial. “We continue to be encouraged by the consistency of the…

Acupuncture may be beneficial to alleviate motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease, according to data collected from mouse studies. The findings were published in the study, “Does Acupuncture Protect Dopamine Neurons in Parkinson’s Disease Rodent Model?: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,”…

Low levels in saliva of a molecule called substance P may help predict the development of swallowing problems in people with Parkinson’s disease, a small pilot study in Germany found. Since this molecule works as communication signal between nerve cells in the body, this discovery suggests that impaired substance…

Once-daily opicapone can prolong the time during which treatment with levopoda, a standard therapy, effectively prevents motor symptom fluctuations in people with Parkinson’s disease, results from two international Phase 3 studies show. The findings, “Once-Daily Opicapone Increases ON-Time in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: Results from Two Phase…

An active form of vitamin B12 can reduce the effects of dopamine loss in Parkinson’s disease caused by genetic mutations in the LRRK2 gene, a study suggests. These finding means that this form of vitamin B12 could be used as the basis for developing new therapies for…

Evaluation of two specific proteins circulating in the blood, called alpha- and beta-globin, may help monitor treatment efficacy and risk of side effects among patients with Parkinson’s disease, a study suggests. The study, “2D-DIGE as a strategy to identify serum protein biomarkers to monitor pharmacological efficacy in dopamine-dictated…