Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

A computer software that tracks how facial muscles move during a video selfie may be able to help predict whether a person is likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, a study reported. The study involved the use of the PARK test, a web-based application designed to detect and objectively measure…

A gene therapy targeting the substantia nigra, the brain region with dopamine-producing nerve cells, may boost the benefits of levodopa for people with Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. This idea was tested in a new mouse disease model — one in which Parkinson’s symptoms appeared after disrupting a protein…

Mapping of a brain circuit that is of particular relevance to neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s revealed key features about its architecture and information flow, a study in mice reported. This brain circuit involves a looping connection between the cortex, the basal ganglia, and the thalamus…

Mission Therapeutics has been awarded a Therapeutic Pipeline Program grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to advance development of its USP30 deubiquitylating enzyme (DUB) inhibitors for the treatment of familial Parkinson’s disease. The grant, worth about $500,000, will be used to test these inhibitors in animals that model…

A deep brain stimulation (DBS) protocol that targets specific sets of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain produced long-lasting effects in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. The new protocol, which uses brief bursts of electrical stimulation, offered effects that lasted hours longer than those of conventional DBS. The study,…

The University of Michigan (U-M) will use a five-year, $11.7 million grant to reopen its Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson’s Disease Research, according to a university press release. The grant, from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS), will fund research on falls and…

The HealthWell Foundation has opened a fund to support people with Parkinson’s or other neurocognitive diseases in the U.S.  who also are being treated for psychosis. To be eligible, patients must have a psychosis diagnosis, be on Medicare, and have a household income up to 500% of the…

nQ Medical and EvergreenHealth are looking for people with early stage Parkinson’s disease to enter a monthlong study of a software tool — known as neuroQWERTY — to help track motor symptoms by monitoring how fingers interact with a computer’s keyboard. The study, expected to start in July, will enroll about 50…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Sinopia Biosciences $3.3 million to advance the development of its small molecule candidate for Parkinson’s disease. Sinopia will use the grant to move the small molecule forward through investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies. An IND is a medicine that has…

Tracking blood pressure with a smartwatch could help people with Parkinson’s disease manage the sudden drop in blood pressure — called orthostatic hypotension — that can occur when changing positions, according to a study by researchers at the Samsung Medical Center, in South Korea. Measurements obtained with Samsung’s…