Magdalena Kegel,  —

Georgetown University will conduct a clinical trial of Novartis’ cancer therapy Tasigna (nilotinib) as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. The Phase 2 trial follows a report last year that Tasigna can improve both cognitive and movement symptoms in Parkinson’s patients. Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers will perform the trial…

Lowering the level of a certain protein can prevent PINK1 gene mutations from triggering an inherited type of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a study. The research may provide new insights into the role of fat molecules in neurons — particularly those inside energy-creating mitochondria — in Parkinson’s. The disease is a progressive…

Apomorphine infusion, delivered by a portable device, helps to treat Parkinson’s disease and allows reduced use of other medications that may cause symptom fluctuations and treatment side effects. But in the long run, few patients are able to stay on the treatment for more than a few years, an Australian study shows. The study,…

An optimal Parkinson’s disease treatment would need to target both accelerator and brake functions in the brain to be effective without producing side effects like the jerky movements associated with L-dopa treatment. Using an advanced method to manipulate the activity in the two brain pathways that act as the accelerator…

Administering a naturally occurring growth factor to a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease reduced inflammation and prevented neurons from dying, suggesting that such factors have the potential to stop or slow the progression of disease. The study, “Activin A Inhibits MPTP and LPS-Induced Increases in Inflammatory Cell Populations…

Parkinson’s disease patients who are treated with deep brain stimulation may require fewer surgeries to replace the batteries in their stimulation devices thanks to a more energy-efficient stimulation approach developed by Duke University scientists. The optimized stimulation could be also used to develop patterns that are tailored to treat specific…

A Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT01227655) in Parkinson’s disease patients on levodopa treatment showed that Bial’s Ongentys (opicapone) reduced the fluctuations in drug effect that are a hallmark of levodopa treatment, according to a recent study that evaluated trial data. Patients who received Ongentys had less off-time, meaning…

Researchers used brain stimulation to improve the time-assessment skills of mice whose dopamine  neurotransmitter had been removed, raising the possibility that such stimulation could be used to improve Parkinson’s disease patients’ time judgment. The study, “Optogenetic Stimulation of Frontal D1 Neurons Compensates for Impaired Temporal Control of Action…

Researchers have discovered that midbrain dopamine neurons — the neurons that die in patients with Parkinson’s disease — control how the passage of time is perceived, explaining the inability of Parkinson’s patients to properly judge time. The study, “Midbrain dopamine neurons control judgment of time,” was published…

A point mutation in a gene involved in dopamine synthesis is linked to Parkinson’s disease characteristics but only in younger patients, suggesting that age modifies the impact of the gene. This finding may provide new leads in the search for mechanisms causing Parkinson’s disease, particularly in patients who fall ill at…