News

Scientists have developed a new technique that can detect Parkinson’s disease-related degeneration in a part of the brain, called the striatum, that’s key to movement. This type of analysis — which can be done for individuals with early-stage Parkinson’s — will allow researchers to distinguish different subgroups within this…

Drinking more than three beers or about three large glasses of wine per week is associated significantly with higher iron levels in several brain regions, which is linked to worse cognitive function. That’s according to a study from the United Kingdom involving nearly 21,000 people — likely representing the largest…

Datavant and the Parkinson’s Foundation are collaborating to enhance Parkinson’s disease (PD) patient registries and promote involvement in healthcare industry-sponsored research, with the broader goal of driving insights into the progressive neurodegenerative disease. Datavant seeks to improve industry-wide data sharing through technology that protects patients’ privacy while linking patient…

Scientists have compared three techniques – handwriting, cameras, and wearable sensors – and found sensors to be the most reliable in diagnosing Parkinson’s disease, although they are uncomfortable for patients in the later stages of the disease. “Not all people with Parkinson’s show each and every symptom of the…

The accumulation of toxic clumps of the protein TDP-43 — rather than alpha-synuclein protein, considered the hallmark of Parkinson’s disease — likely was the cause of death of nerve cells in a 60-year-old Japanese man diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease, a case report shows. The findings suggest the need…

People with Parkinson’s disease have less variability in their heart rate than adults of a similar age, and this difference can be detected with noninvasive, wearable sensors, according to a new study. Because lesser heart rate variability is associated with a greater disease risk, its researchers proposed that measuring…

An increase in a type of cellular damage called oxidative stress in certain brain regions may be the reason dementia develops in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a study in rat models. The study, “Investigating key factors underlying neurodegeneration linked to alpha-synuclein spread,” was published…

Labcorp has launched a test to detect the presence of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood, a sign of nerve cell damage and death. The test will aid neurologists in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, according to the company’s press…

A $500,000 grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to EpicentRx will support continuing work into the neuroprotective effects of RRx-001, its lead small molecule treatment for Parkinson’s disease. RRx-001 works by blocking the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, known to play a key role in promoting…

Changes in gene activity and protein production were seen in immune cells known as monocytes from Parkinson’s disease patients before and after treatment with sargramostim, an immune-modulating therapy, a small study found. Because these changes were associated with gains in motor function, the researchers suggested that profiling how an immune therapy…