An oral medicine approved to treat pseudobulbar affect — involuntary outbursts of laughing or crying — in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or multiple sclerosis is most often prescribed to treat those with Parkinson’s disease or dementia, a study based on U.S. health databases reports. The study “Assessment of Use…
Four organizations are teaming up with the goal of studying two neurodegenerative diseases — Parkinson’s disease and primary progressive multiple sclerosis — in space. Researchers from the Summit for Stem Cell Foundation labs in California and the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute in New York…
Dopaminergic medication (i.e., levodopa) for Parkinson’s disease appears to bring sensitivity to negative outcomes in learning down to normal levels, a new study shows. The study, “Dopaminergic medication reduces striatal sensitivity to negative outcomes in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal bioRxiv. The ability to learn from trial…
The time between diagnosis and implementation of symptomatic treatment is critical in the effort to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease. However, many early Parkinson’s patients wait too long before seeking medical attention, leaving researchers with a small group of candidates for clinical trials, says Robert A. Hauser,…
Parkinson’s patients with non-motor symptoms during “wearing-off” periods — when symptoms return as their medication wears off — have a significantly worse quality of life compared to patients who only experience the return of motor symptoms, a new study shows. The study, “Motor and non-motor wearing-off and its impact…
Thinning of the eye’s retina appears to be associated with Parkinson’s and, possibly, with disease severity, a study reports, suggesting that an eye scan might be used at some point to detect Parkinson’s in its earliest stages, before motor symptoms begin. The study, “Retinal thinning associates with nigral dopaminergic loss in…
Biomarkers responsible for extreme exhaustion in cancer patients are also associated with fatigue in Parkinson’s disease, a study reveals. The study, “Inflammation and fatigue in early, untreated Parkinson’s Disease,” was published in the journal Acta Neurologica Scandinavia. Fatigue is one of the most common and disabling symptoms…
Aptinyx has launched a Phase 1 clinical trial of NYX-458, a potential treatment for cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease patients. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will be conducted in roughly 62 healthy volunteers to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of the compound. Pharmacokinetics refers to a drug’s…
Athletes playing contact sports for longer than eight years are six times more likely to develop Lewy body disease — a neurodegenerative disorder causing Parkinson’s-like symptoms — compared to those playing football, ice hockey or boxing for fewer years, a study reports. Its authors suggest that years of continual injury…
The traditional Chinese compound Zishenpingchan can be used as an add-on treatment to levodopa for improvements in motor symptoms and quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease, according to researchers. The study, “Zishenpingchan granules for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial,” was…
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