Marta Figueiredo, PhD,  managing science editor—

Seemingly simple reach-to-grasp tasks rely on more complex interactions between two specific types of nerve cells in the basal ganglia — the brain region that controls movement and is mainly affected in Parkinson’s disease — than previously thought, a study in mice shows. The data highlighted that both types…

Ten weeks of lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Italy led to a worsening of cognitive, behavioral, and motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease, particularly those with mild cognitive impairment, a study shows. These findings add to previous reports linking COVID-19-related confinement to significantly…

People with schizophrenia spectrum disorder have an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease later in life, according to both regional and nationwide data from Finland. This higher risk may be associated with medication-induced changes in the brain’s dopamine system — also affected in Parkinson’s patients — or disease-associated mechanisms, and…

Xadago (safinamide) — approved as an add-on therapy to ease “off periods” that can accompany levodopa — may also help with urinary symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease, a small study reports. These early findings support previous studies showing that Xadago may be addressing Parkinson’s non-motor symptoms. Larger studies are needed…

Researchers have developed a faster method of measuring the rate at which alpha-synuclein protein forms toxic clumps that reliably distinguishes people with Parkinson’s disease from those without the condition. The findings support the use of this test — which cuts by more than half the time required to obtain…

The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation has awarded a three-year grant to a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s  (MIT) Picower Institute for Learning and Memory to screen for genes that may be key for brain cells to resist Parkinson’s disease-associated neurodegeneration. The grant, which…

Higher levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) — a biomarker of nerve cell damage — inside small vesicles in the blood associate with more severe motor symptoms, particularly slow movement and rigidity, in people with Parkinson’s disease, a small study suggests. However, no significant changes in NfL levels inside these…

4D Pharma, a biotechnology company focused on gut microbiota-based therapies, has joined the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), an observational study helping to identify biomarkers of Parkinson’s progression and new ways of treating the disease. …

Delivering an alpha-synuclein-targeting molecule, called ASO4, in tiny fatty vesicles reduced toxic alpha-synuclein clumps and dopaminergic neuron loss — two main hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease — and lessened motor impairments in a mouse model of the disease. Results of the study add to previous findings suggesting that these…

A Northwestern University-sponsored study will assess whether high-intensity treadmill endurance exercise is superior to its moderate-intensity version at slowing disease progression in adults with early Parkinson’s who have not yet started taking any medications for their disease. While anti-parkinsonian medication helps alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms, “endurance exercise is…