Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

Therapies against motor loss and progression in Parkinson’s’ disease (PD) may need to tackle the imbalance between two neurotransmitters, dopamine and acetylcholine, instead of focusing on dopamine alone, an early study suggests. The study, “Dopamine Deficiency Reduces Striatal Cholinergic Interneuron Function in Models of Parkinson’s Disease,” was published…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted Neurocrine Biosciences’ new drug application for opicapone as a potential add-on therapy to levodopa/carbidopa for Parkinson’s disease. The FDA has set a 12-month review process, with a decision expected by April 26, 2020. If approved, the FDA will…

D-mine Pump, a portable micro-infusion pump designed to continuously deliver apomorphine under the skin (subcutaneously) to patients with Parkinson’s disease, has received the European CE approval and now will be marketed in several European countries. CE means “European Conformity,” a certification mark that indicates conformity with European health, safety,…

Seelos Therapeutics has acquired the rights for a gene therapy program targeting the regulation of the SNCA gene, which provides instructions to make alpha-synuclein, a key player in the development of Parkinson’s disease. The accumulation of abnormal (misfolded) alpha-synuclein protein can result in toxic aggregates that lead…

Scientist Kim Tieu, PhD has received a $6.6 million grant to investigate the environmental factors that may trigger the death of brain cells in Parkinson’s disease, and to develop therapies that prevent their loss. The grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is part of its Revolutionizing Innovative, Visionary…

The Accordion Pill Carbidopa/Levodopa (AP-CD/LD) administered three times a day reduced the variability of blood plasma levels of levodopa in Parkinson’s disease patients, which suggests that the treatment may help to ease motor fluctuations, a Phase 2 trial shows. Warren Olanow, MD, professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine,…

Binding to, or chelating, toxic levels of iron in the brain can slow the progression of a neurodegenerative disorder known as pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), results from a Phase 3 trial show. These findings may be relevant for other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and…

The formation of alpha-synuclein aggregates in brain nerve cells (neurons) is thought to be one of the hallmarks of Parkinson disease. Researchers now have found that the activity of a single protein, called HYPE, may help halt alpha-synuclein accumulation and reduce its toxic outcomes, including neuronal death. These findings, “…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a generic equivalent to Sinemet (carbidopa/levodopa) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, according to a press release. The oral therapy, produced by India-based Alembic Pharmaceuticals, will be available as extended-release tablets containing either 50 mg…

Measuring the electric brain activity of people with Parkinson’s may be a non-invasive and accurate way of diagnosing the disease and monitoring response to treatment, a study suggests. The study, “Characteristics of Waveform Shape in Parkinson’s Disease Detected with Scalp Electroencephalography,” was published in the journal eNeuro. The…