Author Archives: Magdalena Kegel

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) does not appear to treat depressive symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease, although it may improve motor symptoms, an analysis of nine clinical trials found. But the study included relatively few patients, so the researchers, with Guangxi University of Science and Technology in China, said that their conclusions warrant further exploration…

Even though 60 percent of Parkinson’s Disease patients develop psychotic symptoms, it was only in 2016 that a treatment for the condition was approved. Nuplazid (pimavanserin) employs an entirely different mechanism to control psychotic symptoms compared to the bulk of antipsychotic medications on the market. The review, “…

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) may be safe for Parkinson’s disease patients who have dementia, according to a small clinical trial by University College London scientists. The study, “Bilateral Deep Brain Stimulation of the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert for Parkinson Disease Dementia — A Randomized Clinical Trial,” was published…

Throughout the past year, Parkinson’s News Today has brought you news on Parkinson’s disease treatment development, clinical trials, research, and events. As we look forward to bringing you more news in 2018, we would like to sum up 2017 by bringing you the Top 10 Parkinson’s disease stories that…

An implanted wireless device that is smaller than a cubic millimeter may be the future for deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease. A team of engineers at the non-profit Draper Laboratory built such a device, then tested it in animals to prove that it works. Draper’s team and collaborators at…

Researchers have uncovered how aggregates of the Parkinson’s disease-associated protein alpha-synuclein damages nerve cells. The discovery offers scientists a road map to strategies for developing new treatments for the disease. The study is also a breakthrough in Parkinson’s research. Even though researchers have long known that alpha-synuclein protein…

Deep brain stimulation surgery, used to treat the effects of Parkinson’s disease, is performed better when patients are asleep rather than awake, researchers from the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) suggested in a recent study comparing the two surgical settings. The study could influence how the procedure is…

Ultrasound therapy can reduce the tremors of Parkinson’s patients who fail to respond to medication, a small clinical trial suggests. While the results were encouraging, larger studies are needed to confirm the technique’s effectiveness, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine said. The study raises the possibility that…

People with diabetes who use a group of drugs called glitazones are 28 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, report researchers from the University of Bergen (UiB) in Norway. But the study, published in the journal Movement Disorders, did not offer any insights into why that might be,…

In an unexpected finding, researchers demonstrated that certain asthma drugs might protect from developing Parkinson’s disease by lowering the production of the disease-linked protein alpha-synuclein. But researchers caution against attempting to medicate with such drugs before clinical trials establish they are safe in this patient group, and that they really…