Marisa Wexler, MS,  senior science writer—

For the first time, scientists have managed to visualize tiny protein clumps in the brain that are thought to trigger Parkinson’s disease, opening the door for new insights into how the condition develops. In a study detailing their work, the team presented an imaging method able to “generate large-scale…

Some experimental therapies for Parkinson’s disease designed to improve the function of mitochondria may inadvertently damage them instead. That’s according to the study, “Putative PINK1/Parkin activators lower the threshold for mitophagy by sensitizing cells to mitochondrial stress,” which was published in Science Advances. Researchers said…

Brain damage in Parkinson’s disease may be driven in part by certain nerve cells working too hard, causing them to accrue damage and die. This suggests that treatments that reduce the activity of these cells may help slow the brain damage that drives the condition. That’s according to the…

Hemoglobin — a protein best known for carrying oxygen in the bloodstream — has an under-recognized role in protecting brain cells from damage, researchers found. Data from animal experiments showed that a treatment designed to boost the protective effects of hemoglobin in the brain may be an effective strategy for…

A trio of prominent Parkinson’s disease advocacy groups are calling on the U.S. federal government to provide strong funding and support for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — a federal agency that is a major driver of biomedical research around the world. The American Parkinson Disease Association,…

People with Parkinson’s disease have altered levels of certain fat molecules, known as lipids, in their brains, and this may play a role in disease development and progression, a new study from the U.S. reports. The researchers used postmortem brain tissue samples to analyze changes in lipids in 40…

Treatment with Askbio‘s gene therapy candidate AB-1005 is safe and appears to ease motor symptoms in people with either a recent or a long-standing diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. That’s according to the full results of a small Phase 1 clinical trial conducted by the gene therapy’s developer at three…

Imaging of nerves in the eyes may be used to differentiate between Parkinson’s disease and secondary forms of parkinsonism, a new study shows. The study, “Corneal confocal microscopy differentiates patients with secondary parkinsonism from idiopathic Parkinson’s disease,” was published in NPJ Parkinson’s Disease. Recommended…

Nerve cells in the brain that are responsible for processing smells and sight show deficits in Parkinson’s disease, according to research done in a mouse model. The findings may lay the groundwork for new approaches to diagnose Parkinson’s, according to scientists. “I think this work is a nice first…

Neuroimaging company Xingimaging has announced the launch of the NX PET Camera, a new tool for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging that aims to accelerate research into Parkinson’s disease. The novel tool, for use in PET imaging scans, “offers cutting-edge imaging capabilities, providing researchers with unparalleled precision in…