Limitations in functional abilities due to advanced Parkinson’s disease result in billions of dollars of lost economic value in the U.S., but effective treatments that restore some essential abilities can lessen this lost value, a study reports. Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel, sold in the U.S. under the brand name…
Non-motor symptoms are major determinants of quality of life (QOL) for people with Parkinson’s disease who have undergone deep brain stimulation, known as DBS, a new study reports. “Postoperative QOL was associated with non-motor symptoms … rather than motor symptoms,” the researchers found, specifically noting that patients with…
A new formulation of rasagiline, approved for Parkinson’s disease, may allow the therapy to be given by applying it to the skin. The treatment’s new formulation was described in the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, in a study titled “Microemulsion-based gel for the…
People with moderate or advanced Parkinson’s disease have abnormally low levels of caffeine in their saliva, despite normal caffeine metabolism, a new study indicates. The findings suggest that measuring caffeine in saliva could be useful for gauging Parkinson’s disease progression. The study, “Salivary caffeine in Parkinson’s…
Scientists have identified genetic variations that are associated with different rates of disease progression in people with Parkinson’s disease. The findings suggest that the genetic changes that affect disease progression are distinct from those that impact whether a person will get Parkinson’s at all, and that disease initiation and…
The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) is hosting its second virtual walk event this weekend, and for the first time a three-day effort spanning May 7–9, to raise money to support research for Parkinson’s disease. Registration for the Virtual 5K/10K/Half Marathon is available online. Runners and walkers…
Editor’s note: The Parkinson’s News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, April 17–22. Go here to read the latest stories from the conference. The investigational medication SEP-363856 might ease symptoms of Parkinson’s disease psychosis, according to data from a…
Dopamine-releasing cells in the brain, much like most other hormone-producing cells, have a self-regulating feedback mechanism that controls their activity, researchers have discovered. That is, healthy nerve cells themselves determine how much dopamine will be released, the research team found, in contrast with the prevailing view that nearby cells “control”…
A new research project aims to determine whether medications developed to treat depression might be viable candidates for easing some troubling side effects of treatments for Parkinson’s disease, including levodopa. Parkinson’s is caused by the death or dysfunction of cells in the brain that make a neurotransmitter (brain signaling…
Regular dental visits and routine tooth brushing with alternating hands are among recommendations for better oral health in people with Parkinson’s disease, researchers report. Tooth decay and receding gums are known problems for these patients, and often overlooked due to the nature of this neurodegenerative disorder, the team noted. The paper,…
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