Joana Fernandes, PhD,  —

Mutations in the LRRK2 gene, which have been associated with a high risk of Parkinson’s disease, may affect neurons by promoting cell death through the activation of a protein called PIG3, according to results of a study presented at the recent Society for Neuroscience 2016 meeting in San Diego. The study’s…

Several factors contribute to the outcome of patients with Parkinson’s disease who undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS), according to a new study. The research paper, “Short-term Adverse Outcomes Following Deep Brain Stimulation Treatment in Parkinson’s Disease Patients,” was published in the journal World Neurosurgery. DBS is a…

Brain inflammation suffered by athletes in contact sports like football appears to be directly linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a cause of dementia, and may lead to neurological diseases like Parkinson’s, according to a study in the journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications. Indeed, the authors argue that American football players and others with a history of repetitive…

Though alpha-synuclein, the dysfunctional protein in Parkinson’s disease that can be found in skin nerve fibers, has been shown to be a reliable biomarker of the condition that could lead to early treatment, more research is needed to standardize diagnostic techniques using biopsies, according to recent study perspective published in …

A new technology to deliver stem cell therapy to patients with neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s was developed by San Antonio scientists, according to a new study. The study, “MRI Guided Delivery of Neural Stem Cells into the Basal Ganglia of Nonhuman Primates Reveals a Pulsatile Mode of Cell…

Treating Parkinson’s disease patients with high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on both sides of the brain’s motor cortex improves bradykinesia (slow movement) and rigidity, according to a clinical trial analysis presented at the Fourth World Parkinson Congress, in Portland, Ore. The finding resulted from the analysis of a subset of patients from…

Researchers have developed a new “cell-free” approach — one derived from stem cells — that may treat Parkinson’s disease while avoiding the immune system risks of other stem cell therapies, according to two studies conducted by researcher Leo Behie, from the University of Calgary, in Canada, and collaborators in Portugal. The newly developed…

Researchers may have found a test to diagnose neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease earlier, according to a new study published in the journal Physical Review Applied. The study, “Fluctuations in Protein Aggregation: Design of Preclinical Screening for Early Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Disease,” was conducted by Giulio Costantini, from…

Recent research has shed light on the pathology of Parkinson’s disease by explaining how alpha-synuclein, a protein closely related to the disease, functions in a normal human brain. Findings may contribute to the design of future novel and appropriate therapies for Parkinson’s disease. The study, “Structural Basis Of Synaptic Vesicle Assembly…

A recent study suggests that a genetic mutation that disrupts a protein involved in the degradation of biological material within neurons allows waste products to accumulate, contributing to the pathology of Parkinson’s disease. Mutations in this protein, Vps35, have been associated with Parkinson’s disease, but until now, it was not…