Lindsey Shapiro, PhD, science writer —

The risk of developing Parkinson’s disease is double in adults older than 50 with anxiety relative to those without it in a recent U.K. study. Other Parkinson’s-associated symptoms, such as sleep issues, constipation, and tremors, were also associated with an elevated Parkinson’s risk in people with anxiety. “By understanding…

UB-312, a therapeutic vaccine candidate from Vaxxinity, safely led to antibodies being produced that could target toxic clumps of the alpha-synuclein protein in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to final published data from a Phase 1 clinical trial. Having detectable antibody levels against alpha-synuclein in the cerebrospinal fluid…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected for the second time AbbVie’s application of ABBV-951 (foscarbidopa/foslevodopa) for treating motor fluctuations in adults with advanced Parkinson’s disease. In a complete response letter to AbbVie, the FDA said the decision is based on observations from an inspection…

Gut microbes may play an important role in driving the low-grade inflammation that naturally occurs with aging and is exacerbated in conditions like Parkinson’s disease, according to research in mice. Older mice were found to have a distinct immune signature reflective of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract that was…

Preventing the growth of gut bacteria that cause levodopa (L-dopa) to be broken down before it reaches the brain could help boost its therapeutic effects in Parkinson’s disease, according to recent preclinical research. A family of molecules called mitochondrial-targeted drugs (MTDs) were found to inhibit the levodopa-metabolizing bacteria Enterococcus…

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) was able to safely improve postural problems for people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a very small trial in China. Among the six patients who had the procedure, some gains in aspects of motor function were observed, although the findings were variable, but the researchers…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has awarded $9.75 million to researchers working on validating new biomarkers for tracking Parkinson’s disease progression. The funds are split across five different research teams, each of which is looking for quantitative biomarkers that will be ready for use…

Researchers have developed an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize the emotional states of people with Parkinson’s disease based on physiological data collected from a smartwatch. The approach could ultimately be used to help clinicians accurately track emotions in their patients and guide treatment decisions, the researchers…

The presence of sleep disorders in the earliest stages of Parkinson’s disease correlated with blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of neurodegeneration, in a study. “This finding underscores the potential of sleep disorders as a robust clinical indicator of neuronal degeneration, closely linked with PD [Parkinson’s…

A Phase 1 clinical trial testing the investigational stem cell-based therapy STEM-PD in people with Parkinson’s disease has advanced to a higher dose following positive findings about the safety of the lower dose, according to a press release from Lund University. Four patients will receive the high dose…