Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Starting treatment earlier does not appear to worsen the course of Parkinson’s disease or be associated with more severe treatment side effects, an observational study reports. The study, “Estimating the Effect of Early Treatment Initiation in Parkinson’s Disease Using Observational Data,” was published in the journal…

People who are infected with SARS-CoV2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — may be at greater risk of later developing Parkinson’s disease, researchers suggest in a commentary. In their commentary, “Is COVID-19 a perfect storm for Parkinson’s disease?” published in  Trends in Neurosciences,…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has named  Cala Trio a breakthrough device as a potential wrist-worn treatment of action tremors in the hands of adults with Parkinson’s disease. This designation is given to medical devices with the potential to more effectively treat diseases that are life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating. It…

Sanofi will provide $1 million in research funding over the next two years to support PD GENEration, a national initiative seeking to increase the availability of genetic testing and counseling for people with Parkinson’s disease living in the U.S. “Genetic testing is critical for advancing…

Rodent neurons (nerve cells) in cell cultures form complex interaction networks that seem designed to maximize information processing, but are distinct from many well-understood mathematical models, new research suggests. Understanding how these networks form and interact within the brain could have applications in understanding neurological diseases like Parkinson’s and…

Targeting certain regions of the alpha-synuclein protein could be a viable therapeutic strategy for Parkinson’s disease, a study suggests. The study, “Two C-terminal sequence variations determine differential neurotoxicity between human and mouse α-synuclein,” was published in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by…

The investigational gene therapy AXO-Lenti-PD continues to be well-tolerated and to ease disease symptoms in people with Parkinson’s, new SUNRISE-PD trial data covering a second and higher dose patient group indicate. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a gradual loss of the neurons in the brain that make dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved…

Oral Ongentys (opicapone) as a daily add-on treatment shortened overnight “off” periods and eased dyskinesia during “on” periods in people with Parkinson’s disease using levodopa, new analyses of Phase 3 clinical trial data show. Long-term use was also seen to lower patients’ average daily levodopa dose without worsening symptoms…

Ongentys (opicapone) can reduce the extent of “off” periods in people with Parkinson’s disease being treated with  levodopa, new clinical trial data show. The data were presented at the American Neurological Association 2020 Virtual Meeting. Therapies that aim to increase levels of dopamine in the brain,…

Spinal cord stimulation can effectively decrease pain, and also may help alleviate motor symptoms, in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), regardless of whether patients have previously undergone deep brain stimulation, a small study suggests. The study, “Single arm prospective multicenter case series on the use of…