Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Mutations that inactivate a gene called ITSN1 are associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, particularly at younger ages, a large-scale database study reports. Its researchers speculated that the protein encoded by the ITSN1 gene or related proteins might be viable targets to treat Parkinson’s. The study, “…

Most people with Parkinson’s disease don’t experience dementia in the first decade after diagnosis, a study reported. The findings challenge long-held beliefs that dementia is a fairly common issue that tends to crop up early on in Parkinson’s patients. The study, “Long-Term Dementia Risk in…

A new cell model of Parkinson’s disease is better able than others at capturing the complexity of the toxic protein clumps that characterize the disorder and to do so with useful speed, a study reports. “This technology will pave the way for rapidly developing ‘personalized stem cell models’ from…

Note: This article was updated Aug. 9, 2024, to correct that the improvement seen in good on time in additional analyses was 1.5 hours per dose. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved IPX203, a novel extended-release formulation of levodopa and carbidopa, for Parkinson’s disease.

Nearly 13% of people with Parkinson’s disease in North America carry a Parkinson’s-associated genetic mutation, according to new data from the PD GENEration study. This suggests that genetic variants with a link to Parkinson’s are more common than previously thought. “The positivity rate and the high interest in…

Lowering the levels of healthy alpha-synuclein, which is naturally found in the brain, helped to suppress the spread of this protein’s toxic clumps in the brains of a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. The study, “Effects of local reduction of endogenous α-synuclein using…

A test to detect clumping alpha-synuclein protein in the blood — a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease — may help to diagnose the neurodegenerative condition and could also provide insight into how long an individual has been living with Parkinson’s, a new study reports. The study confirmed that the…

Measuring levels of lipids (fat molecules) in the blood may help predict the severity of symptoms in Parkinson’s disease, a new study suggests. The study, “Prediction of motor and non-motor Parkinson’s disease symptoms using serum lipidomics and machine learning: a 2-year study,” was published in npj…

Blocking the activity of a protein called activin A was shown to prevent the development of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease in a recent study. “By prohibiting the protein from functioning, we were able to halt the development of dyskinesia symptoms in the mouse…

Researchers have developed an implantable device, dubbed ImPULS, that can stimulate brain cells using high-frequency sound waves, or ultrasound, in mice. The researchers said they hope the device may be useful for deep brain stimulation in people with disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and as a research tool to…