News

Having longer-than-normal fatty molecules and an inactive enzyme called cathepsin-B in nerve cells’ recycling centers may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease in people with mutations in the GBA1 gene, the disease’s most common genetic risk factor. This is the hypothesis generated by a recent study, titled “Pathological…

More people with Parkinson’s disease than previously estimated experience pseudobulbar affect, and its emotional outbursts can be especially common in patients with depression, a study in patients at a single U.S. institution reported. “Our data suggest that the prevalence of PBA [pseudobulbar affect] is possibly higher in the PD…

Gout does not increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to an analysis based on insurance data in Korea. The analysis indicates, however, that people who have had a stroke and those with high blood pressure might have a higher Parkinson’s risk. Results were published in the study “…

Although some previous research has indicated that certain variations in the FGF20 gene increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, a new Chinese study indicates that these mutations don’t increase Parkinson’s risk. The study, “Quantitative assessment of the effect of FGF20 rs1721100 and rs12720208 variant on the…

Parkinson’s UK is investing up to £3 million (about $3.96 million) over the next two-and-a-half years to support research into inflammation that could help in developing therapies to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. The funding will come through the organization’s Virtual Biotech program — the therapy development…

Supernus Pharmaceuticals has again applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that its apomorphine infusion device (SPN-830), allowing continuous treatment of Parkinson’s disease motor symptoms, be approved. “SPN-830 is an important product candidate which, if approved by the FDA, represents a novel approach for PD…

A new clinical trial is testing a novel noninvasive brain stimulation technology developed by Highland Instruments in people with Parkinson’s disease who have postural instability — difficulty with balance and the reflexes that help a person to stand upright. The trial (NCT03981055), which is funded by the National…

People with Parkinson’s disease caused by mutations in the LRRK2 gene have a higher risk of stroke relative to other groups of Parkinson’s patients and healthy individuals, according to a study from Spain. These findings add to previous studies reporting a link between Parkinson’s and increased stroke risk, and…

People with Parkinson’s disease verbally communicate less than those without the neurodegenerative disorder, according to a recent study that discovered that patients speak about 60% less than their healthy peers. Apart from the tremors and movement issues associated with Parkinson’s, the disease also can disrupt aspects of a…

Low oxygen levels during sleep and while exercising — resulting in poor endurance — are very common among Parkinson’s disease patients, despite dopaminergic treatment, an Italian study suggests. The findings indicate a need for combining motor and respiratory rehabilitation, particularly for patients with severe Parkinson’s, who show the lowest…