A new study in juvenile zebra finches — a songbird species known for singing to attract mates — shows that mastering complex natural behaviors like singing depends on dopamine, a key signaling chemical that is lacking in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease. The findings of this novel…
Spinal cord stimulation failed to improve walking ability despite multiple attempts in a small group of people with Parkinson’s disease who experienced freezing of gait — a symptom where the feet suddenly feel stuck and unable to move forward — according to the researchers running the study. The study…
The flamingo exercise — training to stand on one leg, as the bright-pink wading birds often do — was shown to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls among people with Parkinson’s disease in a Turkish study. Such balance training was found most effective when the exercise was…
A new positron emission tomography (PET) developed by Merck can enter the brains of people with Parkinson’s and highlight the toxic alpha-synuclein fibrils responsible for nerve cell loss, a small first-in-human study shows. Working with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), researchers recruited eight…
A rare mutation in the LRRK2 gene found in 17 individuals with Parkinson’s disease or a family history of Parkinson’s — all of European ancestry with a shared genetic background — appears to be a likely cause of the condition, according to a study of thousands of people. The…
Older adults with tremor are three times more likely than those in the general elderly population to develop Parkinson’s disease — especially if they act out their dreams while sleeping or experience new-onset rest tremor — a study from China has found. That study aimed “to explore predictive factors”…
NDC-0524, an experimental antibody that Nitrase Therapeutics is developing as a treatment for people with Parkinson’s disease, is expected to enter clinical testing in the fourth quarter of 2025, or before the end of the year, according to a company press release. The antibody, which targets nitrated…
Parkinson’s disease can lead to early retinal changes — alterations in the thin layer at the back of the eye, known as the retina, that’s responsible for detecting light and sending visual signals to the brain — that can be revealed with the use of a simple eye test,…
Researchers for the first time visualized how PINK1, a protein linked to early-onset Parkinson’s disease, binds to mitochondria and how it’s switched on to protect these energy-producing structures when they’re damaged. Using a high-resolution microscope to map the structure of the human version of PINK1 bound to damaged mitochondria,…
Neurons, or nerve cells, that release a signaling molecule called glutamate within the enteric nervous system — a network of nerve cells embedded in the gut wall — play a crucial role in regulating bowel movements, according to a Stanford University study that ultimately could lead to new ways to…
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