Iqra Mumal, MSc,  —

An anticonvulsant medication called methsuximide may be a new approach for treating a neurodegenerative diseases that include Parkinson’s, because it shows a potential to be neuroprotective at low doses, early research reports. Specifically, this epilepsy treatment’s active molecule — α-methyl-α-phenylsuccinimide — eased movement difficulties, extended lifespans, and showed itself to…

Cleveland Clinic researchers have developed a new model that accurately predicts whether quality of life would improve in Parkinson’s disease patients after deep brain stimulation, a new study shows. The tool may help select those who will benefit the most from the procedure, guiding patients and physicians in the…

Canadian researchers have gained new insight into the activation of a protein that plays an important role in the genetic form of Parkinson’s disease. Findings were published in the study, “Mechanism of parkin activation by phosphorylation,” published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative…

A new method that allows imaging of all brain areas can help researchers monitor the success of gene therapy in the treatment of neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s. The study, “A Novel Positron Emission Tomography Reporter Gene/Reporter Probe for the Central Nervous System,” was presented recently during the SNMMI 2018…

Increased levels of certain lipids in the brain may be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and could help identify patients at risk, as well as provide opportunities for early treatment, a study has found. The study, “Glycosphingolipid levels and glucocerebrosidase activity are altered in…

LTS Lohmann Therapie-Systeme will manufacture a new capsule formulation of  the Parkinson’s therapy levodopa for Intec Pharma, the companies announced. The formulation, known as Accordion Pill Carbidopa/Levodopa (AP-CD/LD), is for people with advanced Parkinson’s disease. LTS will manufacture the capsules using Intec’s proprietary Accordion Pill production technology at a facility in…

Non-dopaminergic treatments might be beneficial for Parkinson’s disease patients whose tremor is associated with a dysfunction of the serotonergic system, an area of the brain directly connected to serotonin interactions. A study with that finding, “Progression of tremor in early stages of Parkinson’s disease: a clinical and neuroimaging study,”…

An independent review board has found Herantis Pharma’s Parkinson’s therapy safe, paving the way for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in Sweden to continue. The board based its decision on the safety results seen in the first few patients treated with cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor, or CDNF, at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm.

Medical cannabis is a safe and effective way for older people to alleviate symptoms of Parkinson’s, cancer and other diseases, particularly pain, a study shows. The study in the European Journal of Internal Medicine also reported that after six months more than 18 percent of patients surveyed had either reduced…

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have developed an accurate test for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s. The new NIH test is a refinement of one that detects protein clumping involved in these disorders. It diagnosed Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies from 60 cerebral spinal…