Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

Aging interferes with the way neurons, or nerve cells, respond to stress, making them more susceptible to damage and more likely to contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, according to a study in cells and brain tissue. “It’s the neuronal equivalent of being so stressed that you catch…

Researchers in Texas have discovered a promising therapeutic target for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Using a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, they found that blocking the stress sensor GADD45G in astrocytes, which are star-shaped cells that support neurons, reduced the buildup of toxic proteins…

Stimulating nerve cells in a region of the brain involved in processing sound and emotions may help ease motor symptoms such as those caused by Parkinson’s disease, without unwanted side effects on emotional response, according to a study in rats. While it’s still early to understand if these…

People with Parkinson’s disease who have mild cognitive changes before deep brain stimulation (DBS) are not more likely to develop dementia later in life than those whose cognitive function was normal before the surgery, a Danish study has found. Instead, the researchers observed that dementia was more likely…

The first patient has been dosed in a pivotal Phase 2/3 clinical trial testing BHV-8000, a brain-penetrant oral small molecule that Biohaven Therapeutics is developing as a disease-modifying therapy for neuroinflammatory conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The clinical trial (NCT06976268) is evaluating the effectiveness and safety of BHV-8000…

A gene therapy tool dubbed AAV-DB-3, being developed by Latus Bio to deliver therapeutic genetic material into cells, is able to reach deep structures in the brain — among them ones that become damaged in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease — a study in mice, monkeys, and lab-grown…

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) can mean restless nights for people with Parkinson’s disease and their partners, and add to symptoms, such as cognitive impairment and problems with blood pressure or digestion, that make daily life more difficult for both, a study shows. To ease any tension, couples often…

Risvodetinib, an experimental oral small molecule Abli Therapeutics is developing for people with untreated Parkinson’s disease, may be one step closer to Phase 3 clinical testing, following a meeting with U.S. regulators. The end-of-Phase 2 meeting’s main goal with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was to…

A small molecule that blocks the interaction between two proteins could help protect nerve cells from premature death in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, a study found. Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Australia discovered that a newly identified small molecule, WEHI-3773, prevents the protein…

Hillhurst Biopharmaceuticals said it’s been awarded $6.3 million to fund a Phase 2a clinical study to test the efficacy of HBI-002, its low-dose liquid formulation of carbon monoxide, in preserving dopaminergic neurons, those that are lost to Parkinson’s disease, with the goal of slowing or stopping disease progression. The…