Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested more information about the specialized pump used to administer ABBV-951 (foslevodopa/foscarbidopa), an under-the-skin formulation of levodopa/carbidopa, before it will consider approving the therapy for motor fluctuations in people with advanced Parkinson’s disease. The agency’s complete response letter comes 10…

IMAC Holdings and Brain Scientific have agreed to merge to offer solutions that cover the spectrum of care for neurological diseases, starting from diagnosis all the way through to treatment. The collaboration will focus mainly on disease management for people with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and…

People with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease have significantly higher blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) — a biomarker of nerve cell damage — than those whose Parkinson’s is associated with mutations in the LRRK2 gene, a study showed. This difference, however, held true only for the early stages of disease,…

Microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, may contribute to Parkinson’s disease by releasing tiny vesicles filled with alpha-synuclein — the protein that builds up to toxic levels in Parkinson’s — a mouse study suggests. This release, which was associated with greater nerve cell damage and worse motor function, was…

Among several atypical antipsychotics, Nuplazid (pimavanserin) seems to be the most effective at easing Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP) while sparing motor function, according to a review study. Clozapine, used off-label in people with Parkinson’s, also helped, but its effect was not as large and patients were more…

People with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), a sleep disturbance that can precede Parkinson’s disease, have higher levels of toxic alpha-synuclein protein clumps in their stool than do Parkinson’s patients and healthy people, a study showed. Alpha-synuclein aggregates, toxic to cells, are thought to contribute to Parkinson’s and other…

Microglia — the brain’s primary immune cells — can help to keep motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease from quickly advancing in early disease stages, work in a mouse disease model suggests. Its findings support studies indicating both a neuroprotective and damaging role for these immune cells over the disease’s…

Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) may bring benefits to people with Parkinson’s regardless of whether the disease is caused by a gene mutation or appears in patients with no associated mutations, a study in Spain found. Researchers investigated this surgical treatment’s use in people with LRRK2 and PRKN mutations — …

Taking part in a community-based exercise program appears to help relieve the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a review study suggests. Researchers also observed that older people and those engaging in these programs for longer periods may get the most benefit. The review study, “Effects and parameters of community-based…

The C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR), a measure of inflammation in the body that can be read from a routine blood test, may be linked to all-cause mortality in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to study of people in Japan. Data showed patients with the highest CAR were up to…