Magdalena Kegel,  —

Researchers identified a gene that makes cognitive problems much more likely in people with Parkinson’s disease. The findings not only help to explain why some patients develop memory problems, but may also support trials leading to a more personalized treatment approaches. The study, “Specifically neuropathic Gaucher’s mutations accelerate cognitive…

Patients with Parkinson’s disease who also have postural hypotension — a drop in blood pressure when standing — experience difficulty thinking when upright, but not when lying down. So while a patient may seem to have normal mental function during an examination — which is often performed seated or lying…

Once thought to be merely a cap holding the brain in place, scientists have now discovered that the membranes covering the precious organ contain stem cells, offering news ways of thinking about brain regeneration. While the discovery may open up new research into therapeutic applications of these stem cells for Parkinson’s disease and…

International Stem Cell Corporation discussed advance work, leading to the first clinical trial to explore parthenogenetic stem cell transplants for patients with Parkinson’s disease, at the ongoing Society for Neuroscience 2016 Annual Meeting in San Diego. The presentation, “Transplantation of neural stem cells for parkinson’s disease, an update of the first-in-human clinical…

Low selenium intake may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease in people carrying a particular genetic mutation, according to a study on environmental and genetic interactions and their impact on Parkinson’s disease (PD) development. The research demonstrated that cataloging knowledge of gene-environment interactions is indispensable for leveraging knowledge from…

Researchers have discovered a factor that controls the accumulation of both alpha-synuclein and tau, two proteins that drive neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. The findings bring not only a new understanding of how the two conditions may be linked, but also offer possibilities for the development of new treatment…

Researchers using a new system with real-time imaging to guide transplants of neurons into the brains of non-human primate models with Parkinson’s Disease not only allowed better oversight of the procedure, but also improved cell survival. The research report, “Real-Time Intraoperative MRI Intracerebral Delivery of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons,” published in…

The key factor that deals the final death blow to nerve cells exposed to all sorts of injuries, including neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease, has been identified. The factor’s finding, and the molecular pathway leading to its activation, may open up new research into ways of stopping or mitigating such events and preserving neurons.

Researchers have synthesized two compounds that resemble caffeine and prevent the misfolding of alpha-synuclein — the culprit of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease. These compounds were shown to effectively prevent the cells from dying. The findings by researchers from University of Saskatchewan in Canada advance the understanding of processes that…

People carrying the most common Parkinson’s disease-related mutation in the LRRK2 gene may start showing symptoms at an earlier age if they also have a mutation in another gene. The findings prompted researchers to suggest that tests for this newly identified mutation could be valuable for genetic counseling of LRRK2…