Marisa Wexler, MS,  senior science writer—

Inhaled bacterial toxins can cause inflammation in a brain region associated with smell, and this inflammation may help in the initiation and propagation of Parkinson’s-related molecular changes in the brain, a study in mice suggests. The study, “IL‐1β/IL‐1R1 Signaling Induced by Intranasal Lipopolysaccharide Infusion Regulates Alpha‐Synuclein…

People who had a concussion are more likely to be diagnosed later in life with Parkinson’s disease and other neurologic disorders than those who never had this type of brain injury, a database study reports. The study, “Associations between concussion and risk of diagnosis of psychological…

Regular use of aspirin or ibuprofen could lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease associated with mutations in the LRRK2 gene, a new study suggests. The study, “Nonsteroidal Anti‐Inflammatory Use and LRRK2 Parkinson’s Disease Penetrance,” was published in Movement Disorders. Mutations in LRRK2 are one…

Loss of the sense of smell is associated with longer disease duration in Parkinson’s, suggesting this sense increasingly fails as the disease progresses. Its decline may be a clinically useful biomarker of Parkinson’s progression and severity, the study’s researchers said. These findings were in “Association between olfactory…

People with Parkinson’s disease who use passive coping strategies, rather than active ones, are more likely to experience worse depression, motor impairment, and quality of life, a new study indicates. However, the study’s findings suggest that not all individuals can be accurately classified as using either only active or only…

A multi-faceted intervention that included staff education, electronic alerts, and requiring new reports, improved the timeliness with which Parkinson’s disease patients were given medication in a hospital setting, a new study reports. This suggests that similar interventions might aid in the timeliness of Parkinson’s treatments in other hospitals. The study, “…

The first participant has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the safety of PTC857, PTC Therapeutics‘ investigational therapy for Parkinson’s disease. In addition to safety, the trial, which is being conducted in healthy volunteers, will evaluate how the therapy affects and is processed by the…

A planned Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating ANVS401, Annovis Bio‘s lead investigational therapy for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, has received approval from a central institutional review board (IRB). An IRB is an administrative body responsible for protecting the rights and welfare of human research…

Many Parkinson’s disease patients in the U.K. feel challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions it has placed on social interaction, reporting problems ranging from canceled appointments and limited exercise to worsening symptoms, according to a survey conducted by Parkinson’s UK and Lancaster University. “Unfortunately this report shows…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Percept PC Neurostimulator by Medtronic, designed to allow for a more individualized use of deep brain stimulation therapy in people with Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. While this device is the fourth deep brain stimulation (DBS) system to…