Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

Small vesicles that contain the protein alpha-synuclein may help distinguish Parkinson’s disease patients from healthy people, according to a meta-analysis. When isolated from easily accessible samples, like the blood, these vesicles may “reflect changes in the brain,” researchers wrote in “Extracellular Vesicles for the Diagnosis of Parkinson’s…

Lacosamide, a medication approved to treat epilepsy, showed a potential to be neuroprotective in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. Treatment with lacosamide significantly prevented the loss of dopamine-producing neurons that marks Parkinson’s, boosted dopamine production in key areas of the brain, and improved motor function…

Parkinson’s disease patients’ quality of life significantly improved with Duopa, a formulation of levodopa and carbidopa infused directly into the intestines, and subthalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS), but not with a continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion, according to a real-world, single center study. Apomorphine also didn’t show any major…

A research project to help enhance communication for individuals with Parkinson’s disease has been awarded a multimillion-dollar grant. The five-year grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was given to a team of researchers led by…

The immune response triggered by UB-312, an experimental vaccine by Vaxxinity, effectively targeted alpha-synuclein protein aggregates and slowed their toxic buildup in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of Parkinson’s disease patients in a Phase 1 trial, compared with those given a placebo, data show. The full target engagement triggered…

Scientists have shown that co-transplanting stem cells with regulatory T-cells — immune cells known as Tregs that dampen excessive inflammatory and immune responses — can boost cell survival in the brain in rodent models of Parkinson’s disease, and also ease motor symptoms. These findings propose a new strategy…

Plant compounds extracted from the Amomum subulatum fruit, also known as greater cardamom, were found to ease Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms — lessoning tremors and reducing muscular rigidity — in a rat model of features that are hallmarks of the neurodegenerative disorder. The greater cardamom extracts, given orally, worked to increase…

Scientists have identified a nine-gene signature model to predict the risk of Parkinson’s disease by integrating data from blood and brain tissue gene expression studies. The blood levels of two genes in particular — PLOD3 and LRRN3 — stood out as potential biomarkers to diagnose the disease in its…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed that a 42-year-old man with prodromal, or early stage, multiple system atrophy (MSA) , a form of atypical parkinsonism, be treated with ENT-01, Enterin’s investigational therapy for reducing the accumulation of toxic alpha-synuclein in gut nerve cells. Treatment will…

Enrollment is now open across all 38 clinical sites in the Phase 2b trial testing pirepemat  (previously known as IRL752), IRLAB Therapeutics’ investigational therapy intended to treat impaired balance and prevent falls in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The Phase 2b trial (NCT05258071) is recruiting Parkinson’s…