Catarina Silva, MSc,  —

Low vitamin D serum levels have been associated with Parkinson’s disease, but the lack of standardized data makes it difficult to determine vitamin D’s exact role in Parkinson’s pathology, according to a recent review article. The study, “Standardized measurement of circulating vitamin D [25(OH)D] and its putative role…

Propranolol, a beta-blocker therapy for high-blood pressure, may be associated with an increased risk of developing parkinsonism — any condition that causes a combination of the movement abnormalities seen in Parkinson’s disease, according to a large database study. Scientists also correlated five medications with a reduced risk…

Bacterial infections in the intestines may trigger Parkinson’s progression by altering the immune system and damaging dopaminergic neurons, according to an early study supporting a “gut-brain” connection in this disease. The findings, “Intestinal infection triggers Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms in Pink1−/− mice,” were published as a letter in…

Oxidative stress may be a trigger for Parkinson’s and can promote its progression by facilitating the spread of toxic alpha-synuclein protein across cells, researchers report. Their study, “Oxidative stress in vagal neurons promotes parkinsonian pathology and intercellular α-synuclein transfer,” was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Parkinson’s is…

Parkinson’s disease patients with either depression or psychiatric symptoms such as hallucinations, confusion, or illusion may have higher levels of the mineral zinc in their hair, researchers report. Their study, “Higher zinc concentrations in hair of Parkinson’s disease are associated with psychotic complications and depression,” was published in…

People with generalized pain related to their Parkinson’s are prone to disturbed nighttime sleep, a reason these two disease symptoms — central parkinsonian pain and poor sleep — are common together and may imply shared mechanisms, a study reports. The study, “Sleep disturbances in Parkinson’s disease are associated with…

Early atrophy of a speech-related brain area called temporal lobe and progressive degeneration of a cognitive one (frontal lobe) might be warning signs for Parkinson’s mild cognitive impairment later on, researchers report. Their study, “Progressive brain atrophy in Parkinson’s disease patients who convert to mild cognitive impairment,” was…

A protein that has sugar molecules attached to it, called neurexin 1-beta, helps alpha-synuclein enter and accumulate within neurons contributing to the progression of Parkinson’s disease, a study has found. The study, “Identification of N-linked glycans as specific mediators of neuronal uptake of acetylated α-Synuclein,” was published in…

Small amounts of a particular form of alpha-synuclein, known as beta-sheet, may cause a significant loss of dopamine-releasing neurons by recruiting more alpha-synuclein molecules, leading to Parkinson’s-like symptoms and disease progression, according to a recent lab study. The study, “Defining α-synuclein species responsible for Parkinson disease phenotypes…

Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals announced that two of its cannabinoid-derived candidates — CBGA-Q and CBGA-Q-Na Salt — showed anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. However, these benefits were not superior to those obtained from treatment with the company’s already patented EHP-102 compound. The findings,…