Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Dopamine-making neurons — whose loss characterizes Parkinson’s disease — produce thousands of circular RNA molecules that, beyond their normal duties, may play a role in neurodegenerative diseases, a study reports. “Circular RNA has long been cast aside as junk, but we believe it has an important role in programming…

The parkin enzyme — whose loss is a known genetic risk factor of Parkinson’s disease — not only helps to regulate healthy activity of energy-generating mitochondria, but also plays critical roles in nerve cell communication, according to a study using patient-derived neurons. Particularly, parkin loss resulted in defective recycling…

A platform developed by NeuraLight that uses machine learning to measure eye movements may help track the progression of Parkinson’s disease, a study shows. “NeuraLight’s technology enables us to assess the patient’s neurological status in a sensitive and objective way. The results of this study mark an important…

Researchers have developed a new tool, called RETFound, to analyze images of the eyes using artificial intelligence (AI). The scientists showed this tool can be used to accurately identify eye diseases, and it could even identify other disorders including heart failure and Parkinson’s disease. “This is another big step…

An ethics committee in Australia has cleared Gain Therapeutics to start a Phase 1 clinical trial testing GT-02287, the company’s experimental oral therapy for Parkinson’s disease associated with mutations in the GBA1 gene. GT-02287 now will become the first treatment candidate discovered with Gain’s proprietary platform, SEE-Tx, to…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has awarded a $4.5 million grant to Nine Square Therapeutics to advance the development of potential treatments for a genetic form of Parkinson’s disease. “The Michael J. Fox Foundation grant will go toward accelerating the identification of drug…

People with Parkinson’s disease commonly experience stigma associated with the disorder, and if clinicians are to provide proper care for patients, it’s crucial for them to be proactive about addressing such stigma. That’s the argument made by a team of scientists from the U.S. and Canada in a new…

A treatment that works to stimulate the brain using weak magnetic waves effectively eased symptoms in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, a new study reports. Researchers hope to start a small-scale study soon testing this treatment in people. “The technology is proven and it’s harmless and we want…

People with Parkinson’s disease who have more severe nonmotor symptoms are less likely to feel empowered to manage their own disease, and also are less likely to get regular physical exercise, a new study shows. These findings “suggest that to promote physical activity and patient activation there is a…

People with a specific variation in a gene that helps control the immune system are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders, a new study reports. Scientists think that people carrying this genetic variant might benefit from vaccines that could help to delay the progression of…