News

Survey Shows Toll of ‘Off Times’ on Patients, Caregivers

Among Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients who participated in a recent survey, 86% reported experiencing daily “off” episodes — when medication wears off and symptoms return — and 56% don’t think their symptoms can improve beyond their current state. Many patients also were not aware of the availability of adjunctive…

CBD Found to Improve Survival in Worm Models of Parkinson’s

Treatment with cannabidiol (CBD) prevented nerve cell death, extended survival, and reduced toxic protein clumps in nematode worm models of Parkinson’s disease, a new study reports. “These findings supported CBD as an anti-parkinsonian drug,” the researchers wrote, adding that “this CBD neuroprotective action might be due to its antioxidative…

Algorithms Detect Parkinson’s Based on Verily Study Watch Data

A new analysis using machine-learning and sensor data from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), a digital health research program sponsored by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), successfully distinguished between people with and without Parkinson’s disease, according to a small study led by…

Probiotic Supplements Found to Ease Parkinson’s Constipation in Trial

Probiotic supplements were found to ease multiple measures of constipation in people with Parkinson’s disease in a small clinical trial. According to researchers, the use of such supplements also “significantly” improved quality of life for patients with constipation problems. “In this study, multi-strain probiotics were used to treat [Parkinson’s]…

Parkinson’s Foundation Seeks to Add to Global Care Network in US

To help expand patient access to treatments and other services, the Parkinson’s Foundation is inviting U.S. medical centers that provide outstanding Parkinson’s disease (PD) clinical care and resources to apply for membership in its Global Care Network. The network comprises Parkinson’s Foundation Centers of Excellence as well as…

APDA Funds $2.35M in New ‘Cutting-edge’ Parkinson’s Research

The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) will fund a host of Parkinson’s disease research projects for the coming year, including one that will examine the molecular underpinnings of anxiety and another that proposes a treatment for freezing of gait, for a total funding package of $2.35 million, a 25%…