Alice Melão,  —

A new tool to measure fear of falling may help improve patients’ personalized care, reduce the risk of falls, and enhance physical and social activity among patients with Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. The study, “Differentiating cognitive or motor dimensions…

A newly identified small molecule compound, called SynuClean-D, can prevent the formation of toxic alpha-synuclein aggregates, disrupt the propagation of amyloid fibrils, and rescue nerve cells from alpha-synuclein-induced death in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease, a study shows. Given this particular activity, SynuClean-D may be a promising candidate…

Grape skin extract improves muscle function and extends the lifespan of flies with Parkinson’s disease, a study shows. The neuroprotective effect of grape skin extract was due to its potential to rescue mitochondria — cells’ powerhouses — from defects caused by the disease. The study, “Skin extract improves muscle…

Olfactory deficits — a diminished sense of smell — affected 95% of Parkinson’s disease patients in a small study, but such problems did not appear to be linked to cognitive impairment or disease-related dementia. The study, “Association between olfactory loss and cognitive deficits in Parkinson’s disease,” was…

Using dance as a therapeutic strategy may benefit patients with Parkinson’s disease by improving their motor function, results of a pilot study suggest. The study, “ ‘Dance Therapy’ as a psychotherapeutic movement intervention in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine. Parkinson’s disease…

Drinking hydrogen-enriched water does not provide therapeutic benefits to patients with Parkinson’s disease, results from a Japanese clinical trial revealed. The study,“Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter Trial of Hydrogen Water for Parkinson’s Disease,” was published in the journal Movement Disorders. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by reduced levels of…

Use of sensor-based methods to evaluate gait can improve individual assessments of Parkinson’s disease patients who are undergoing dopaminergic treatment, researchers suggest. The study with that finding, “Sensor-based gait analysis of individualized improvement during apomorphine titration in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the Journal of Neurology.

Tiny fatty vesicles that naturally circulate in the blood can effectively carry medications into the central nervous system, including into the brain, an early study in mice suggests. These blood vesicles, called exosomes, were able to successfully deliver dopamine directly to specific areas of the brain affected by Parkinson’s disease. The…

Antibody fragments, known as nanobodies, may be an efficient strategy to reduce abnormal alpha-synuclein protein aggregates and preserve motor function in Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, a rat study suggests. The study, “Proteasome-targeted nanobodies alleviate pathology and functional decline in an α-synuclein-based Parkinson’s disease model,”…

Treatment with Xadago (safinamide) or cannabinoids and opioids may the best therapeutic options to effectively manage pain in patients with Parkinson’s disease, researchers suggest. The study, “Comprehensive Examination of Therapies for Pain in Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” was published in the journal…