Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. are developing brain implants using small clusters of lab-grown cells in combination with electrical impulses to rebuild brain circuits worn down in Parkinson’s disease. “Our ultimate goal is to create precise brain therapies that can restore normal brain function in…
Treatment with the anti-seizure medication levetiracetam led to a worsening of Parkinson’s disease symptoms for a woman in Saudi Arabia, according to a case report. The woman was given levetiracetam to prevent seizures after she fell and hit her head, but she soon after experienced deteriorating neurological and motor…
Levels of a retrovirus that entered the human genome via infections millions of years ago — an endogenous retrovirus called HERV-K that is still part of a person’s DNA — were lower in people with Parkinson’s disease and linked to more severe symptoms and longer disease duration, a study…
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which evaluates the safety and efficacy of new drugs in the European Union, has waived a requirement that would have had Irlab Therapeutics conducting clinical trials testing mesdopetam — its therapy candidate for levodopa-induced dyskinesia, or uncontrolled, involuntary movements common in Parkinson’s disease…
Parkinson’s disease research and care should address disparities by sex and gender in patients’ symptoms, treatment responses, and disease progression, scientists across Europe and North America state in a commentary. While sex refers to assigned biological differences between males and females, gender refers to how a person identifies, affecting…
Aging microglia, the immune cells of the brain that protect it by fighting infections and clearing debris, may mount a weaker immune response than younger microglia, according to a study that used lab-grown cells collected from mouse pups. Although both young and old microglia react to inflammation, they appear to…
All patients have completed final follow-up visits in a Phase 2 clinical trial testing pirepemat, an oral treatment designed to reduce falls in Parkinson’s disease, and top-line results are expected in the first quarter, said developer Irlab Therapeutics. The development “marks an important milestone in our clinical development program…
Approximately two-thirds of Parkinson’s disease patients may experience paranoia and unusual sensations, including visual hallucinations, according to a new study from the U.K. People with Parkinson’s may have paranoid thoughts or unfounded fears, as well as abnormal sensory experiences, the study found. Further, many of the individuals who had…
U.S. researchers have identified, as a potential therapeutic target in Parkinson’s disease, a protein that controls part of the function of LRRK2 — a protein known to be overactive in Parkinson’s, including in patients without mutations in its coding gene. This discovery, made using cell and mouse models of…
A nanoparticle-based wireless deep brain stimulation (DBS) system restored the activity of degenerating neurons and increased dopamine release in cellular and mouse models of Parkinson’s disease, a study shows. The technology also eliminated alpha-synuclein clumps, a hallmark feature of the disease, and improved the animals’ motor abilities. According…
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