News

Study Will Assess Benefits of Singing

Researchers at Iowa State University are evaluating whether four months of group singing sessions can improve breathing and swallowing in people with Parkinson’s disease. Changes in brain activity and stress markers also will be analyzed. The study, supported by a three-year grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, is…

Way of Diagnosing Parkinson’s by ‘Skin Smell’ Test Detailed in Study

Diagnosing Parkinson’s disease might be a matter of using artificial intelligence to “smell” patients’ skin, scientists in China reported. The artificial intelligence smell system they developed is detailed in study, “Artificial Intelligent Olfactory System for the Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease,” published in ACS Omega. No single test can…

GI Dysfunction Can Impair Effects of Duodopa/Duopa

Gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility, or lack of movement, can impair the absorption and delay the effects of levodopa-based medication in people with Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. Notably, the study describes the cases of two Parkinson’s patients who stopped responding to levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel — available under the brand name…

Chinese Medicine Restores Neurons, Movement in Zebrafish Model

Treatment with an herbal preparation called Tongtian oral liquid, long used in traditional Chinese medicine, helped to prevent nervous system damage and normalize movement in a zebrafish model of Parkinson’s. Scientists in China reported these findings in the study, “Neuroprotective effects of Tongtian oral liquid, a…

Dhivy, Carbidopa/Levodopa in Divisible Tablet for Dosing, Enters US

A new carbidopa/levodopa oral therapy for Parkinson’s disease, called Dhivy, is now available in the U.S., its manufacturer Avion Pharmaceuticals announced. According to Avion, Dhivy is the first and only such therapy available as a tablet with four snappable segments, allowing for more precise dosing of carbidopa/levodopa. “The…

Blood Metabolites May Help Diagnose Men With LRRK2 Mutations

Metabolomics — global analyses of the many small, biologically relevant molecules in blood — may help to identify males with Parkinson’s disease who carry a mutation in the LRRK2 gene, allowing for earlier diagnosis, a study reported. The study, “Plasma Metabolite Signature Classifies Male LRRK2 Parkinson’s Disease…