The female hormone known as chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) protects nerve cells in the brain that are lost in people with Parkinson’s disease, a mouse model study showed, reportedly for the first time. These findings suggest that hCG may be an effective therapeutic agent to slow Parkinson’s progression, its researchers…
Iron buildup in the region of the brain largely affected in Parkinson’s disease did not contribute to disease development or progression, an MRI study has found. In contrast, iron accumulation was related to disease duration and the use of levodopa, a standard Parkinson’s therapy, a finding that needs…
Using a wrist-worn device that continuously monitors body movements, a U.S. study has found 85% of people with Parkinson’s disease experience  bradykinesia — abnormally slow movements — in the morning. Even after the first daily dose of levodopa, a standard Parkinson’s therapy, 64% had continued morning bradykinesia. Moreover,…
BlueRock Therapeutics has completed full enrollment in its open-label Phase 1 study evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of its investigational cell-based therapy BRT-DA01 for advanced Parkinson’s disease. The therapy is designed to ease motor symptoms in Parkinson’s patients who do not fully respond to regular medications. The…
NRG Therapeutics has received a £2.68M (about $3.4 million) award to support preclinical work into small molecule disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. The two-year Biomedical Catalyst award given the company is for early stage research in treatments to protect mitochondria in the brain, and is partly funded…
Transplanting human nerve cells into the brains of mice in a model of Parkinson’s disease to replace dopamine-producing cells — those lost in patients — improved the animals’ motor function over one year, a study demonstrated. But longer studies into the grafted cells and their ability to mature are…
Concentrated cranberry juice eased signs associated with Parkinson’s disease in a chemically induced rat model, but its long-term use at high dose may affect the survival of brain cells, a study suggests. Further research is needed to determine an optimal dose of a cranberry juice concentrate with neuroprotective properties,…
People with Parkinson’s disease recognized food odors in a test called Sniffin’ Sticks better than they recognize the smell of natural spices used in food, a study showed. They were less able to recognize smells than healthy individuals, but the work demonstrated that patients could identify selected scents. These…
No causal relationship was identified between Parkinson’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or its major subtypes, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, in a large-scale European genetic analysis. More research is needed to determine whether other types of intestinal inflammation or unknown inflammatory mediators contribute to developing Parkinson’s,…
Hand movements induced eyeblinks in a 70-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease, a case study reported for the first time. Although more studies are necessary, researchers suggest that eyeblink bursts induced by hand movements may be regarded as a potential hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. The case study, “…
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