News

RunnerBox Encourages Parkinson’s Foundation’s Endurance Champions

The gift subscription service RunnerBox joined with the Parkinson’s Foundation to provide boxes filled with customized items for those running as Parkinson’s Champions, the foundation’s endurance, do-it-yourself fundraising program. Parkinson’s Champions gives people nationwide an opportunity to raise funds to support those living with Parkinson’s disease while heightening…

GCase Mutations Prevent Clearing of Toxic Clumps, Treatment Possible

Mutations in the enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GCase) prevent it from entering the lysosome — a cell’s recycling center — where it clears away unwanted materials such as alpha-synuclein toxic clumps that cause Parkinson’s disease and ultimately kill nerve cells, a recent study found. These encouraging findings may help to validate efforts to…

Levels of 2 Key Proteins Not Seen to Be Altered by REM Sleep Disorder

People with Parkinson’s disease and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder — marked by acting out dreams, sometimes violently — showed no significant differences in their levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, an inflammatory protein, and orexin, a protective protein, relative to patients without this sleep disorder or people…

Mental Well-being Gains if Patients Can Cope With Public Stigma

Reports of anxiety and other mental health issues are fewer in people with Parkinson’s who make greater use of a coping mechanism known as self-compassion, a U.K. study based on patients’ views found. These results further suggest that self-compassion can help to negate the negative affects of “internalized stigma,” or fear…

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…