Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

Taking levodopa, the mainstay of treatment for Parkinson’s disease, results in two key brain regions for movement strongly connecting and easing resting tremor, a study finds. The study led by Ann-Maree Vallence, PhD, of Murdoch University’s Centre for Healthy Ageing in Australia, offers an avenue to target the…

The use of medical cannabis in the U.S. has grown as more states legalize it, and programs listing Parkinson’s disease-related conditions, including muscle cramps, anxiety, and pain, have expanded from 28 states to 36 in just five years. Yet a survey found many doctors are not aware of the…

Lactulose — a synthetic (lab-made) sugar used to soften stools — may ease symptoms of constipation in people with Parkinson’s disease, lowering a need for rescue laxatives, a pilot study found. While these findings come from a small number of patients, they offer grounds for further research into lactulose’s…

Recognizing cognitive decline and low sex drive in people with Parkinson’s disease and depression could aid the early diagnosis and better management of the disease, according to researchers in Iran. While it’s not known if treating depression may ease other nonmotor symptoms, “these findings could be beneficial for…

Aside from easing motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, deep brain stimulation (DBS) may also slow disease progression by keeping misfolded forms of alpha-synuclein from building up in the brain and harming nerve cells, a preclinical study involving rat brain cells suggests. If the findings hold true in humans, they…

Low to moderate doses of CAP-003, a gene therapy in the pipeline from Capsida Biotherapeutics, increased levels of glucocerebrosidase (GCase), an enzyme that’s missing or faulty in some people with Parkinson’s disease, in the brain of nonhuman primates. Given as a one-time infusion into the vein, or intravenously,…

NE3107, now known as bezisterim, eased both motor and nonmotor symptoms when used in combination with a standard carbidopa/levodopa regimen in people with Parkinson’s disease, study data showed. Twice-daily dosing with the anti-inflammatory small molecule being developed by BioVie resulted in better motor function upon waking, more restful…

Genetic variations along with exposure to environmental factors, such as pesticides, may increase Parkinson’s disease in a sex-dependent manner, a study of French farmworkers suggests. “Most cases of Parkinson’s disease don’t arise from a single factor, but rather … a combination of a person’s genes, lifestyle, and what they’re…

A diagnostic panel of four biomarkers that combines the blood levels of a molecule called N-acetylputrescine (NAP) with three clinical features often present in Parkinson’s disease — loss of smell, depression, and acting out dreams — may help identify the disease at its earlier stages, a study found. The…

The protein CD163, which is involved in the immune response, may play a protective role in Parkinson’s, particularly in females, by regulating how immune cells react to the toxic clumps of alpha-synuclein protein that lead to the disease’s symptoms, a study in mice finds. The study, led by Marina…