News

Stigma of Parkinson’s Influenced by Other Conditions

More co-existing health conditions in people with Parkinson’s disease is associated with a greater self-perception of stigma and a lower quality of life, a study has found. Thyroid disease, depression and anxiety each were linked to stigma and life quality, with demographic factors — including a younger age, less education…

High Copper Exposure May Promote Disease-driving Protein Clumping

Exposure to high concentrations of copper accelerates the formation of toxic clumps of the alpha-synuclein protein — a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, a study shows. The study, “Single-Particle Resolution of Copper-Associated Annular α‑Synuclein Oligomers Reveals Potential Therapeutic Targets of Neurodegeneration,” was published in the journal…

Introns in DNA, Largely Ignored, May Be Parkinson Determinants

Researchers have identified distinct changes to introns — a historically understudied component of genes — associated with the presence and progression of Parkinson’s disease. Learning more about these changes and the signaling pathways they impact may help in identifying biomarkers and treatment targets for the neurodegenerative disease, the researchers…

Delirium Common But Often Not Noted on Medical Records

Although common, delirium often goes undocumented in the medical records of many Parkinson’s patients who experience the symptoms, results from a new study show, and those who have been diagnosed with delirium often lack instructions for future care. The study, “Documentation and Diagnosis of Delirium in Parkinson’s…

To Help Underserved Patients, APDA Offers 2 Key Resources in Chinese

The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA)  is now offering two key resources in simplified Chinese — part of the nonprofit’s ongoing efforts to reach and support more Parkinson’s disease patients and caregivers, particularly in underrepresented communities. The newly transcreated free resources, written in Chinese characters, are the APDA’s…

New Method May Help Diagnose Parkinson’s Using a Blood Test

A novel method that involves looking for disease-associated alpha-synuclein inside of neuron-derived extracellular vesicles — packets of cellular cargo that are released by nerve cells in the brain, and can be isolated in a person’s blood — may help to diagnose and monitor the progression of Parkinson’s disease. A…