News

LL-37, a natural antimicrobial molecule present in the brain and gut, selectively binds to harmful clumps of the alpha-synuclein protein — a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease — and prevents their further aggregation and toxic effects in lab-grown nerve cells, a study shows. The discovery of such a strong suppressor…

Methamphetamine users are more likely to experience premature stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and parkinsonism, according to results of a recent study. The study, “Methamphetamine and heightened risk for early-onset stroke and Parkinson’s disease: A review,” was published in the journal Experimental Neurology. Increasing methamphetamine use is a…

Anavex Life Sciences’ investigational oral therapy Anavex 2-73 (blarcamesine) leads to clinically meaningful cognitive improvements while reducing motor and non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD), according to data from a Phase 2 trial. These benefits also significantly associated with increases in the levels of sigma-1 receptor (SIGMAR1),…

Brain cells called astrocytes behave differently under stressful conditions in humans as compared with mice, new research suggests. Because mice are a commonly used model for research in Parkinson’s disease, these “species-specific differences” could have important implications for how such research is done, according to a team of…

More than a third of people with Parkinson’s disease who are prescribed antipsychotics stop treatment within six months of starting, a new database analysis suggests. The data also indicate that rates of treatment discontinuation are lower with Nuplazid (pimavanserin) than with other antipsychotics. The findings were published in …

People with Parkinson’s disease experienced significantly more pain during periods without levodopa therapy, a small study concluded. This finding suggests that the presence, or worsening, of pain could might alert doctors to the need to adjust or review current medication use in this patient population. The study, “…

Ineffective stimulation was the primary complaint among people with Parkinson’s disease who use a pacemaker-like device for deep brain stimulation (DBS), according to a 10-year analysis of a federal database that tracks reports of adverse events involving medical devices in the U.S. Battery-related problems, impedance issues, and infections…

A £1.375 ($1.9) million grant from the Edmond J. Safra Foundation will support a pioneering clinical trial aimed at speeding the development of new therapies for Parkinson’s disease. “This project will revolutionise the way we perform clinical trials of potentially disease-modifying drugs for people with Parkinson’s,” Thomas Foltynie, PhD, MD, a…

A protein secreted by stem cells, known as pentraxin 3 (PTX3), promoted the repair of nerve cells damaged as a consequence of Parkinson’s disease in a mouse model, a study reported. These findings support further work into PTX3 as a potential therapy to slow or halt disease progression, its researchers noted.

Middle-aged and older autistic adults with no intellectual disabilities reported more prevalent Parkinson’s disease-like features — referred to as parkinsonism — compared with the general population, a study found. These findings provide important knowledge about aging disorders such as Parkinson’s among older people with autism spectrum disorder…