Forest Ray PhD,  —

People living with Parkinson’s disease report disruptions in care and worsening symptoms due to complications related to COVID-19, according to an online survey conducted by The Michael J. Fox Foundation. The Foundation, in collaboration with leading Parkinson’s researchers, conducted the survey through the online Fox Insight study,…

Parkinson’s disease may affect more than 1.6 million people in the United States by 2037, at an estimated annual economic burden of $79 billion, according to a recent study. The study, “Current and projected future economic burden of Parkinson’s disease in the U.S.,” was published in…

A new technique shows that alpha-synuclein, the protein at the heart of Parkinson’s disease, affects cell membranes differently, based on their composition. This discovery sheds light on how alpha-synuclein clumps known as amyloids might disrupt cellular membranes, potentially helping to design therapies that might slow or stop…

Preliminary results from the PD GENEration study demonstrate that comprehensive genetic testing and counseling, and the identification of rare genetic mutations linked to Parkinson’s disease, is feasible for the Parkinson’s community at large. Launched in 2019 through the Parkinson’s Foundation and supported partly by Biogen, the study…

Sedentary behavior during waking hours is linked to poorer attention spans in people with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease, a small pilot study in patients reports. The study, “Sedentary Time is Associated with Worse Attention in Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study,” was published in the Journal…

An infusion of levodopa/carbidopa to the intestines may be a therapeutic option for Parkinson’s disease patients who develop freezing of gait following deep brain stimulation, according to a recent study. The study, “Intestinal Levodopa/Carbidopa Infusion as a Therapeutic Option for Unresponsive Freezing of Gait after…

Acadia Pharmaceuticals announced it has submitted a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new indication for Nuplazid (pimavanserin) in the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with dementia-related psychosis. Dementia affects approximately 8 million people in the U.S. and is…

The Open Wearables Initiative (OWEAR) is making public its software and database for wearable sensors and other related-health technologies to assist clinical research, Shimmer Research announced. “We are proud to announce the release of the OWEAR database, which includes the organization’s initial index of open source software and datasets, together…

COVID-19 infection appears to worsen some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, requiring adjustments to therapy, according to a recent case study. The study, “Effects of COVID-19 on Parkinson’s disease clinical features: a community-based case-control study,”  was published in the journal Movement Disorders. SARS-CoV-2, the strain of coronavirus…

A variant of the apolipoprotein (APOE) protein, called APOE4, has been shown to directly affect Lewy body dementias, such as Parkinson’s disease. Two separate studies, published simultaneously, found that APOE4 directly regulates levels of alpha-synuclein, which clumps  to form the nerve-damaging Lewy…