The production of tau — a protein that forms toxic aggregates in Parkinson’s disease — in the brain is tightly regulated by a small, regulatory RNA molecule called MAPT-AS1, a study reports. Notably, increasing MAPT-AS1 production in the brains of mice significantly reduced tau levels, suggesting that similar approaches…
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is associated significantly with a higher risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study from Korea. The finding reinforces previous research showing a potential link between air pollution and Parkinson’s. The results also prompted researchers to suggest that better air pollution regulations might lower…
A four-year, $441,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will support research into the role of the gut microbiome — the population of microorganisms living in the intestines— in neuroinflammation and memory loss in people with Parkinson’s disease. The grant was given to scientists at California State University, San…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved PharmaTher‘s investigational new drug (IND) application for ketamine as a treatment for levodopa-induced dyskinesia in people with Parkinson’s disease. The approval clears the way for PharmaTher to proceed with a Phase 2 clinical trial to study low-dose ketamine —…
Anxiety appears to worsen the physical and cognitive symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, despite the various ways that individuals experience it, according to a recent study. Researchers and healthcare professionals, the study concluded, should take these personal experiences into account when crafting both individual therapies and future research. The study,…
Limitations in functional abilities due to advanced Parkinson’s disease result in billions of dollars of lost economic value in the U.S., but effective treatments that restore some essential abilities can lessen this lost value, a study reports. Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel, sold in the U.S. under the brand name…
Fecal transplants — when patients receive a transplant of healthy gut microbiota into their intestines — were found to alleviate gastrointestinal problems, including constipation, and lessen both motor and non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease, a small study showed. The results of…
Non-motor symptoms are major determinants of quality of life (QOL) for people with Parkinson’s disease who have undergone deep brain stimulation, known as DBS, a new study reports. “Postoperative QOL was associated with non-motor symptoms … rather than motor symptoms,” the researchers found, specifically noting that patients with…
A considerable number of people with Parkinson’s disease living at home missed every flu vaccination given over five years despite being at higher risk of preventable respiratory infections, a single-site U.S. study of homebound and ambulatory patients found. Nearly 25% of these patients also expressed hesitancy about vaccines, and…
A mutant form of the alpha-synuclein protein — associated with early onset, severe familial Parkinson’s disease — recruits its normal version to propagate the toxic clumps that lead to neurodegeneration, a study in mice has found. The data, specific for the E46K mutant version of alpha-synuclein, suggest that…
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