Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) may not put people with advanced Parkinson’s disease at a greater risk of excessive drooling, a common non-motor symptom also known as sialorrhea, according to a yearslong study of patients by researchers in Italy. Male sex, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), and more severe disease, however, were…

Certain genetic mutations may help determine the length of survival in Parkinson’s disease patients, according to findings by a team of researchers from four institutes in Paris. Patients with Parkinson’s who carried a mutation in either the LRRK2 or the PRKN genes were found to live longer than those…

Antibodies against certain components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which helps to control blood pressure, are present at higher levels in people with Parkinson’s than in those without the disease and may drive progression, a study found. These elevated levels of autoantibodies — which make nerve cells more vulnerable…

About 1 in 3 Parkinson’s disease patients in two Phase 3 trials experienced an “off” episode before going to sleep, and most of those who woke up during the night were in an “off” state upon awakening, researchers reported. These findings were pulled from a new analysis of data obtained…

Stem cells in the lab were turned into nerve cells (neurons) that can make dopamine — the chemical that is lacking in patients with Parkinson’s disease — and transferred into the brain of rats with a form of parkinsonism, where they worked to restore lost motor function, a study…

UCB, a global pharmaceutical company, is looking for men and women with early-stage Parkinson’s disease who want to take part in a Phase 2 clinical study that will test UCB0599, an investigational small molecule that prevents alpha-synuclein protein from folding into a wrong shape and building up to…

AbbVie has submitted a new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ABBV-951 (foscarbidopa/foslevodopa), its investigational under-the-skin formulation of carbidopa/levodopa for the treatment of motor fluctuations in advanced Parkinson’s disease. If approved, ABBV-951 will provide patients in the U.S. with a first-of-its-kind, 24-hour, continuous…

A research grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) will allow Asceneuron to advance work on ASN51, a potential oral therapy for Parkinson’s disease. The unspecified financial award, the foundation’s second to the company, will be used to move ASN51 into a preclinical study of a genetic model…

Gb Sciences is initiating a dose-ranging study of its investigational cannabinoid-based formulations in a rodent model of Parkinson’s disease next month as a step toward a first-in-human study. The study will determine the dose range of active ingredients to be used in human trials and potential side effects.

A just-launched wellness program is offering a two-week, inpatient rehabilitation experience tailored to the needs of people with Parkinson’s disease. Its goal is to maximize patients’ independence. The program is being offered by the Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, in Edison, New Jersey. “In our new program, patients…