Lindsey Shapiro, PhD,  science writer—

Gene enhancers may play an important role in neuronal development and neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, a study found. Enhancers work to turn on the activity of their target genes. Experiments showed that mutations previously linked to Parkinson’s were found within these enhancer regions, and that the enhancers…

Supernus Pharmaceuticals is on track to make Onapgo (apomorphine hydrochloride) — its newly approved medication for treating motor fluctuations in advanced Parkinson’s disease — available to patients in the U.S. by summer. That’s according to Jonathan Rubin, MD, chief medical officer at Supernus, who said that, by…

People with tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease experience a higher burden of nonmotor symptoms than people with essential tremor (ET), according to a recent report. Overall nonmotor symptom severity, urinary symptoms, and loss of smell are among the factors that most clearly diverged between the two conditions. Researchers believe the…

The diabetes medication exenatide did not slow motor symptom progression in treated Parkinson’s patients relative to those given a placebo, failing at the main goal of a Phase 3 study. Exenatide — sold in the U.S. under brand names including Byetta and Bydureon BCise, and used to help…

A study found a link between the likely presence of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in people with Parkinson’s disease and greater frequency and severity of other nonmotor symptoms (NMS) that characterize the neurodegenerative disease. The researchers said the results link RBD to a Parkinson’s subtype called…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Onapgo (apomorphine hydrochloride) for the continuous treatment of motor fluctuations in adults with advanced Parkinson’s disease, making it the first subcutaneous, or under-the-skin, apomorphine infusion device approved for this indication. The application from Supernus Pharmaceuticals was the developer’s fourth…

Several promising strategies for developing therapeutics capable of crossing or bypassing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) offer potential for treating neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease, but more work is needed to establish their benefits in clinical trials, a review study suggests. Strategies such as direct brain delivery, focused ultrasound, and…

Treatment with the anti-seizure medication levetiracetam led to a worsening of Parkinson’s disease symptoms for a woman in Saudi Arabia, according to a case report. The woman was given levetiracetam to prevent seizures after she fell and hit her head, but she soon after experienced deteriorating neurological and motor…

Blood levels of the fibronectin protein could be used as a predictor of disability in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study. Lower levels of the protein, referred to as plasma fibronectin (pFN), associated with a shorter time to reaching the start of a disability milestone like…

Scientists have developed a nanoparticle drug delivery system designed to enhance brain delivery of levodopa, the mainstay treatment for Parkinson’s disease, while also lowering a type of cellular damage called oxidative stress that’s implicated in the neurodegenerative condition. The system was able to improve motor function in a…