Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

Patricia holds her PhD in cell biology from the University Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, and has served as an author on several research projects and fellowships, as well as major grant applications for European agencies. She also served as a PhD student research assistant in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, New York, for which she was awarded a Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) fellowship.

Articles by Patricia Inácio

Parkinson’s patients sought for trial of small intestinal microbiome

An observational clinical trial in Canada that’s investigating the role of the small intestinal microbiome — the population of natural microorganisms living in the gastrointestinal tract — in Parkinson’s disease is now recruiting participants. Its researchers specifically aim to determine if Parkinson’s patients carry a unique microbial and metabolic…

Blocking IL-6 release may rescue dopamine-producing nerve cell loss

Suppressing astrocytes’ release of the pro-inflammatory molecule interleukin (IL)-6 reduced the loss of dopaminergic neurons, the nerve cells that are progressively lost in Parkinson’s disease, a new study reports. In Parkinson’s, astrocytes, the star-shaped cells that provide physical support for neurons in the brain, secrete high levels of IL-6…

VUMC now part of CurePSP, focused on atypical parkinsonism

The department of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is now part of the CurePSP Center of Care network, which works to enhance public awareness and advance research to better understand atypical parkinsonism. The network focuses on three neurodegenerative diseases: progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and…