Scientists have found that berberine, a natural plant compound that has been used in China as an over-the-counter medicine for diarrhea, can promote the production of l-dopa, a precursor of the brain chemical dopamine that is missing in patients with Parkinson’s disease, in the gastrointestinal tracts of mice. The…
Five genes appear to be involved in the onset and development of Lewy body dementia (LBD), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by toxic protein clumps, known as Lewy bodies, inside brain cells, a study by a branch of the National Institutes of Health reported. Some of these genes are also associated…
People with low levels of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, may be at higher risk of Parkinson’s disease later in life, a large database study reports. While noting that low white blood cell counts may be a consequence of early Parkinson’s or of a yet unknown cause —…
YTX-7739, a potential disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson’s disease, was safe, well-tolerated, and found to have a favorable pharmacological profile when given to a group of healthy volunteers. Yumanity Therapeutics provided those early findings from a recently completed single ascending-dose (SAD) Phase 1 clinical trial. Based on the results, Yumanity…
The Imperial College Investment Fund (ICIF) has invested £205,000 (about $283,000) in Charco Neurotech to support the development of CUE1, a non-invasive wearable device that uses controlled vibration to ease stiffness and slowness of movement in people with Parkinson’s disease. According to Lucy Jung, former student at…
Scientists at Cognition Therapeutics have found that compounds that are able to dampen the activity of sigma-2 receptors — receptors that are part of a network that controls the destruction of misfolded proteins — are highly effective at preventing molecule trafficking defects driven by the presence of misfolded alpha-synuclein inside…
Neurocrine Biosciences announced that it is stopping its work with Voyager Therapeutics to further develop VY-AADC (NBIb-1817) as a potential one-time gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease. The therapy, by Voyager and being advanced with Neurocrine’s support, is in a Phase 2 clinical trial (…
Scientists have developed a new method of noninvasive electrical stimulation that can suppress tremors in people with essential tremor syndrome by interfering with the abnormal brain waves that trigger them. According to the research team, if proven effective in larger studies this new method may be adopted as a way…
Gocovri (amantadine) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an add-on therapy for off episodes in people with Parkinson’s disease. Adamas Pharmaceuticals, which developed the therapy, announced its approval in the U.S. for Parkinson’s patients currently taking levodopa and/or carbidopa. Off…
Scientists have found that the Hoffmann reflex — a test often used to evaluate reflexes in the upper extremities — can be used as a biomarker to assess the correct placement of electrodes during deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease. This reflex test,…
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