José Lopes, PhD, managing science editor —

Charles River Laboratories International and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) extended their collaboration to accelerate the discovery of Parkinson’s disease therapies. The extension covers grants from MJFF to characterize two animal models of Parkinson’s — one where mice do not express alpha-synuclein (knockout), and another…

Insightec has treated the first patient in a pivotal study of its non-invasive ultrasound therapy, ExAblate Neuro, for patients with advanced Parkinson’s who have not responded to medication. The device uses focused ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to destroy a target deep in the brain — the Vim…

Improved understanding of Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP) and a unified approach for its clinical evaluation are key for developing new therapeutics, a review study suggests. The research, “Treating Hallucinations and Delusions Associated With Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis,” was published in the journal Current Psychiatry Reports. PDP has been…

Nearly lightning strikes might affect the systems used for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson’s patients and possibly the implants themselves, and particular safety measures should be taken, a case study suggests. The research, “Lightning may pose a danger to patients receiving deep brain stimulation: case report,” appeared in…

New nanoparticles containing a specific part of the rabies virus may improve brain-targeting therapy in Parkinson’s patients, study suggests. The research, “Targeted Brain Delivery of Rabies Virus Glycoprotein 29-Modified Deferoxamine-Loaded Nanoparticles Reverses Functional Deficits in Parkinsonian Mice,” was published in the journal ACS Nano. A common feature…

A mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), including a concussion, can increase a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by more than 50 percent, a study conducted in U.S. military veterans reports. The study, “Mild TBI and risk of Parkinson disease: A Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium Study,”…

A molecule created by the brain burning fat for fuel can accumulate in some people and turn toxic, playing a key role in their possibly developing Parkinson’s disease,  researchers at Purdue University report. These findings, in the study “Acrolein-mediated neuronal cell death and alpha-synuclein aggregation: implications for Parkinson’s…

People with Parkinson’s disease show better motor control, longer “on” periods, and an improved quality of life when treated with a recently approved deep brain stimulation system, one-year results from a clinical trial show. The research, “INTREPID: A Prospective, Double Blinded, Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation with…

Anavex Life Sciences is planning to open a Phase 2 clinical trial testing Anavex 2-73, a potential oral treatment for patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD), this year. Anavex 2-73 aims to treat PDD by binding to the sigma-1 receptor, located in a cellular structure called the endoplasmic reticulum…

Nuplazid (pimavanserin) is well-tolerated and can lead to clinical improvement in people with Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP), according to the results of studies into its real-life use. Acadia will present these data at the 2018 American Academy of Neurology ANN Annual Meeting, taking place in Los Angeles from…