Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

A compound naturally found in turmeric essential oil, called aromatic turmerone (ar-turmerone), and its derivatives were seen to protect dopaminergic neurons in a tissue culture model of Parkinson’s, researchers report. These findings support the already known role of ar-turmerone in reducing the inflammatory response caused by activated microglia —…

Training to dance to music on a weekly basis may slow the progression of both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a three-year study has found. Results from this pilot study suggest that dance training could be used as a strategy to slow the progression of Parkinson’s in…

Therapeutic Solutions International has filed a patent for the use of a type of immune cell, called a dendritic cell, to potentially treat Parkinson’s disease. The patent application includes data, obtained in an animal model, showing that dendritic cells obtained from umbilical cord blood have the potential to…

Smoking history may not influence the severity of symptoms in Parkinson’s disease, a small study suggests. Moreover, in some individuals, exposure to cigarette smoke may worsen motor symptoms, which could lead patients to quit smoking and explain why smoking is more common among people without the disease. The study,…

Servier and Oncodesign have selected a LRRK2 inhibitor as their partnership program’s lead candidate for Parkinson’s disease and plan to start regulatory preclinical safety studies soon. A Phase 1 clinical trial is expected to begin in 2022. “We are particularly pleased with, and proud of, these results obtained…

Caraway Therapeutics is partnering with AbbVie to develop and market Caraway’s small molecule therapies targeting TMEM175, a potassium ion channel implicated in Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. TMEM175 is present in lysosomes — tiny compartments in cells containing enzymes that break down unwanted cell parts, digesting and…

A considerable number of people with Parkinson’s disease living at home missed every flu vaccination given over five years despite being at higher risk of preventable respiratory infections, a single-site U.S. study of homebound and ambulatory patients found. Nearly 25% of these patients also expressed hesitancy about vaccines, and…

A four-ingredient, small-molecule cocktail was seen to protect stem cells from the stresses of lab work better than existing agents, helping to preserve their normal structure and function, researchers reported. This cocktail may overcome the “daunting challenge” of keeping pluripotent stem cells viable, so to be more useful in research into stem…

Parkinson’s disease does not appear to make a person more susceptible to infection with the COVID-19-causing virus, or at risk of poorer outcomes, according to a study in a small hospitalized patient group in Italy when the pandemic struck. The observational study, “The impact of SARS-COV2 infection on…

Men who experience sleepwalking — alone or in combination with another sleep disorder called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder — are at least four times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those who do not. That finding, which comes from a study of more than 25,000…