Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

An imbalance between the signaling molecules dopamine and sonic hedgehog in the brain may be the cause of the movement disorder caused by dopamine-replacing medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease. That’s according to findings published in Communications Biology, in the study, “Dopaminergic co-transmission with sonic hedgehog…

Taking inspiration from carnivorous plants, researchers in Korea have developed new technology that may increase the longevity of surgical devices implanted into the brain. The research may lead to improvements in deep brain stimulation (DBS) — a surgical treatment for Parkinson’s disease that involves inserting a device that…

Using a novel approach, called Placebell, could help researchers in clinical trials to understand the placebo effect in people with Parkinson’s disease, and boost the strength of their findings. Researchers at Tools4Patient, which is developing Placebell, and other institutions presented data on the approach at the…

Two investigational small molecules known as GT-02287 and GT-02329 lowered toxic protein levels in patient-derived cell models of Parkinson’s disease associated with a mutation in GBA1, their developer, Gain Therapeutics, announced. Gain is planning additional preclinical studies this year that could support applications to regulatory agencies allowing the compounds to…

People with gait difficulties due to Parkinson’s disease make adjustments that aid in walking, but many are not aware of the variety of “compensation strategies” available to them, a study based on a patient survey reported. Some of these strategies may be more useful in certain situations or to a given…

A novel machine learning algorithm called B-SOiD quickly and efficiently analyzes animal behaviors, and may be useful in assessing movement disorders in people with Parkinson’s disease. Researchers described their findings in the study, “B-SOiD, an open-source unsupervised algorithm for identification and fast prediction of behaviors,” published in Nature…

Many people with Parkinson’s disease have misconceptions about routine vaccinations, with more than one of 10 patients thinking they are not recommended for people with Parkinson’s — even though they very much are, as they can be life-saving. The results, based on a survey of patients in the U.S.,…

Women who are older when going through menopause appear to be at a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a study based on genetic data. These findings support the idea that certain sex hormones may protect the brain from this disease. The study, “Increased…

Among people with Parkinson’s disease, those with low blood levels of uric acid — a natural antioxidant — tend to have more severe non-motor symptoms like anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction, a study indicates. It also showed a link between uric acid levels and gray matter volume in the…

Electrical stimulation given through the scalp to a brain region called the supplementary motor area may ease certain aspects of upper limb bradykinesia in people with Parkinson’s disease, a small study suggests. The study, “Transcranial direct current stimulation of supplementary motor area improves upper limb kinematics…