Despite an accuracy rate of 91% in diagnosing Parkinson’s disease, misdiagnoses still occur in the clinic, particularly with Lewy body dementia being mistaken for Parkinson’s — the two share some symptoms — or people with Parkinson’s being incorrectly told they have Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report. “The findings of…
A dopamine transporter scan — an exam that visualizes dopaminergic neurons, the nerve cells that are affected in Parkinson’s disease — may help in predicting which patients are at risk of aspiration, when food or liquid enters the lungs instead of the stomach. Dysphagia, which happens when Parkinson’s…
Parkinson’s disease patients saw an average increase of more than four hours in the duration of their symptom control, without the presence of dyskinesia, with a consistent supply of A-dopamine directly to their brain, according to a small Phase 1/2 clinical study. DIVE-I (NCT04332276)Â tested how safe A-dopamine, a…
Biotin (vitamin B7) supplementation may offer protection against manganese-induced brain cell damage, according to a recent study. Manganese is a naturally occurring metal that can cause manganism, a condition characterized by parkinsonism-like symptoms, such as tremors and cognitive issues. In the study led by Souvarish Sarkar, PhD, an assistant…
Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. are developing brain implants using small clusters of lab-grown cells in combination with electrical impulses to rebuild brain circuits worn down in Parkinson’s disease. “Our ultimate goal is to create precise brain therapies that can restore normal brain function in…
Levels of a retrovirus that entered the human genome via infections millions of years ago — an endogenous retrovirus called HERV-K that is still part of a person’s DNA — were lower in people with Parkinson’s disease and linked to more severe symptoms and longer disease duration, a study…
Aging microglia, the immune cells of the brain that protect it by fighting infections and clearing debris, may mount a weaker immune response than younger microglia, according to a study that used lab-grown cells collected from mouse pups. Although both young and old microglia react to inflammation, they appear to…
Approximately two-thirds of Parkinson’s disease patients may experience paranoia and unusual sensations, including visual hallucinations, according to a new study from the U.K. People with Parkinson’s may have paranoid thoughts or unfounded fears, as well as abnormal sensory experiences, the study found. Further, many of the individuals who had…
U.S. researchers have identified, as a potential therapeutic target in Parkinson’s disease, a protein that controls part of the function of LRRK2 — a protein known to be overactive in Parkinson’s, including in patients without mutations in its coding gene. This discovery, made using cell and mouse models of…
C2N Diagnostics and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) are teaming up to study how Parkinson’s disease and similar neurodegenerative conditions overlap with Alzheimer’s disease. With a grant in the amount of more than $1.5 million from MJFF, researchers at C2N will identify and…
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