Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

Aside from easing motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, deep brain stimulation (DBS) may also slow disease progression by keeping misfolded forms of alpha-synuclein from building up in the brain and harming nerve cells, a preclinical study involving rat brain cells suggests. If the findings hold true in humans, they…

Low to moderate doses of CAP-003, a gene therapy in the pipeline from Capsida Biotherapeutics, increased levels of glucocerebrosidase (GCase), an enzyme that’s missing or faulty in some people with Parkinson’s disease, in the brain of nonhuman primates. Given as a one-time infusion into the vein, or intravenously,…

NE3107, now known as bezisterim, eased both motor and nonmotor symptoms when used in combination with a standard carbidopa/levodopa regimen in people with Parkinson’s disease, study data showed. Twice-daily dosing with the anti-inflammatory small molecule being developed by BioVie resulted in better motor function upon waking, more restful…

Genetic variations along with exposure to environmental factors, such as pesticides, may increase Parkinson’s disease in a sex-dependent manner, a study of French farmworkers suggests. “Most cases of Parkinson’s disease don’t arise from a single factor, but rather … a combination of a person’s genes, lifestyle, and what they’re…

A diagnostic panel of four biomarkers that combines the blood levels of a molecule called N-acetylputrescine (NAP) with three clinical features often present in Parkinson’s disease — loss of smell, depression, and acting out dreams — may help identify the disease at its earlier stages, a study found. The…

The protein CD163, which is involved in the immune response, may play a protective role in Parkinson’s, particularly in females, by regulating how immune cells react to the toxic clumps of alpha-synuclein protein that lead to the disease’s symptoms, a study in mice finds. The study, led by Marina…

Tiny bubbles containing a flaky form of phosphorus, called black phosphorus, delivered to the brain may help to control overactive microglia — the brain’s resident immune cells — that drive the inflammation damaging to nerve cells in Parkinson’s disease, scientists in China report. In a study in a rat…

There were more cases of Parkinson’s disease and cancer than expected among attorneys who worked near a now-closed dry cleaner in Rochester, New York that leaked trichloroethylene (TCE) and other dry cleaning solvents into the soil, a study finds. While they failed to reach statistical significance, the findings add…

NKGen Biotech plans to begin clinical testing of SNK01, a natural killer (NK) cell therapy being developed to treat neurodegenerative diseases, in people with Parkinson’s disease, the company announced. This follows a go-ahead by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an investigational new drug (IND) application…

A six-week Pilates-based exercise program helped reduce bradykinesia of the upper limbs in a small group of people with Parkinson’s disease, a study from Brazil reports. The study, “Short-term effects of Pilates-based exercise on upper limb strength and function in people with Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the…