Lindsey Shapiro, PhD, science writer —

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…

TreeFrog Therapeutics’ investigational cell therapy restored motor function in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent presentation. The therapy, designed to replace the dopamine-producing nerve cells lost in Parkinson’s, involves transplanting a three-dimensional “microtissue” that contains the cells directly into the brain. Kevin Alessandri, PhD,…

A widening of tiny, fluid-filled spaces in certain brain regions could be used as an imaging marker of levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in people with Parkinson’s disease, a study showed. Perivascular spaces, or PVSs, were larger in Parkinson’s patients with LID — a condition in which standard Parkinson’s medications…

A 3D-printed, high-resolution model of the brain has been developed that will offer a promising tool for advancing research into neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. Dubbed a “brain phantom,” the models were made to mimic the small structural details of nerve cells in the brain, but they aren’t…

Increasing levels of a gut metabolite — a molecule that results from the digestion of certain foods — eased neurodegeneration and improved motor function in a worm model of Parkinson’s disease, a study found. Researchers identified a feedback loop in which nerve cell accumulation of alpha-synuclein, the protein that…