An intervention combining talk therapy with virtual reality may help improve mental health and life quality for people with Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. “The results of this study demonstrated that [virtual reality-augmented cognitive behavioral therapy] significantly enhanced emotional well-being and quality of life in the experimental group compared…
Rare mutations that impair the normal activity of the ITSN1 gene were found to increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease by about 10 times, according to a study. The findings are in line with those of another recent study that linked ITSN1 mutations to an elevated Parkinson’s risk,…
An adapted physical activity program may help ease motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a study showed. Although patients’ motor symptoms eased immediately after the three-month program, there didn’t appear to be a long-term effect on motor symptom severity, emphasizing a need for longer programs and/or further resources to…
Note: This story was updated March 17, 2025, to correct the attribution of quotes to Sonya Dumanis, PhD, deputy director of Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s. The Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative is investing $6 million in research grants to support the development of new tools — including cell…
Boosting levels of a protein called TFE3 helped reduce nerve cell degeneration and improve motor function in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, a study found. Increased levels of this protein helped clear toxic alpha-synuclein clumps, a hallmark of Parkinson’s, as well as restore the function of mitochondria, the…
People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, but starting treatment with continuous positive airway pressure — with the use of a CPAP machine — within two years of an OSA diagnosis can reduce that risk, new research suggests. “While our study found…
A small Phase 1 clinical trial testing a treatment approach that uses stem cells derived from a patient’s blood cells to replace the dopamine-producing neurons progressively lost in Parkinson’s disease is looking for three more patients. The first-of-its-kind Phase 1 study (NCT06422208), being conducted at Harvard Medical School’s…
A Phase 2a clinical trial testing Ventus Therapeutics’ VENT-02 — a novel brain-penetrating oral medication — in adults with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease has dosed its first patient. The study (NCT06822517), expected to enroll about 30 people with Parkinson’s, is assessing the treatment’s safety, tolerability, effects on…
The number of people with Parkinson’s disease is likely to more than double in the next years, topping 25 million worldwide by 2050, mainly because the world’s population is living longer, a study found. The largest increases are projected to be in East Asia, where nearly 11 million people…
Vestibular-oriented balance training during the middle stages of Parkinson’s disease can improve postural control and reduce the risk of falls in people with mild to moderate disease, a new study found. Unlike standard balance training, which typically focuses on stretches and strengthening practices, vestibular-based exercises are designed to enhance…
Get regular updates to your inbox.
