Margarida Azevedo, MSc,  —

Contrary to recent evidence, new research has found no positive correlation between anticholinergic medication intake and a higher risk for dementia in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. The study is titled “Anticholinergic Load: Is there a Cognitive Cost in Early Parkinson’s Disease?” and appears in the Journal…

University of Nebraska Medical Center and Longevity Biotech researchers demonstrated that LBT-3627, a novel drug candidate developed by the company, prevented nerve cell damage and protected dopamine-producing cells in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. The research paper, entitled “Selective VIP Receptor Agonists Facilitate Immune Transformation for Dopaminergic Neuroprotection in…

A novel physiological role for mitochondria with implications in the study of age-related diseases such as Parkinson’s has been described. Researchers found that mitochondrial dysfunction in proliferating human cells induces senescence growth arrest and causes cells to secrete distinct secretory phenotypes. The research paper, titled “Mitochondrial Dysfunction Induces Senescence with a Distinct…

A new study links a pesticide used prior to the early 1980s and milk consumed by adults during those years to substancia nigra neuronal death that is a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. The research paper, titled “Midlife milk consumption and substantia nigra neuron density at death,” was published in Neurology, the journal…

In a recent Medical Minute, a weekly health news feature from Penn State’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Dr. James McInerney discusses developments in Parkinson’s disease research and the different approaches to symptom management, with special focus on deep brain stimulation (DBS). Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive and…

Researchers at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo have uncovered a key protein, p53, as the key factor underlying the conversion from one cell type to another, such as skin cells to dopamine neurons. The research, which might have profound implications in the treatment…

Researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute and Johns Hopkins University have discovered that salicylic acid, the primary product from aspirin breakdown, binds to and blocks an enzyme thought to play a major role in neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease. The research paper, titled “Human GAPDH Is a Target of Aspirin’s Primary…

Researchers have identified a specific protein involved in the functional upkeep of synaptic activity and detailed the process behind optimal neurotransmission — an activity whose breakdown is a defining feature of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The research paper, entitled “Hsc70-4 Deforms Membranes to Promote Synaptic Protein Turnover by Endosomal Microautophagy” was published…

Scientists have identified a new strategy to attenuate one of the side effects — uncontrolled movement — caused by levodopa, the most effective treatment in the management of Parkinson’s disease symptoms. The study, entitled “M4 Muscarinic Receptor Signaling Ameliorates Striatal Plasticity Deficits in Models of L-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesia,” was published…

Boston University School of Medicine and Northeastern University researchers have proposed a molecular mechanism by which only certain mutations in human apoA-1 protein cause familial amyloidosis while others do not. The research paper, entitled “Structural Stability and Local Dynamics in Disease-Causing Mutants of Human Apolipoprotein A-I: What Makes the…