News

A recent survey about medical cannabis use by Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients in the U.S. found one-quarter of its more than 1,000 respondents had used cannabis in the last six months, and less than 13% reported negative side effects. Most of these people reported using cannabis to treat nonmotor Parkinson’s symptoms…

Transplanting dopamine-producing nerve cells grown from monkeys’ own cells back into their brains relieved motor and depression symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease, a study demonstrated. This approach avoided transplant-associated tissue rejection and supports further research as a treatment option for people…

AbbVie has purchased an exclusive right to acquire Mitokinin, which includes its PINK1 clinical program for the potential treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Under this agreement, Mitokinin will receive an upfront payment and continue to develop its PINK1 compounds by completing an investigational new drug (IND) application and enabling…

A grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) will help Clene Nanomedicine to advance in development CNM-Au8, its cellular energy-promoting, investigational Parkinson’s treatment. The grant will help to support preclinical studies in patients’ nerve cells and mouse models of the disease, as well as facilitate the launch of a Phase 2 safety and effectiveness…

IMAC Holdings has completed dosing the first group of participants in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating its investigational umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a potential treatment for bradykinesia, a common motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease. The group consists of five patients who received a…

The impact of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in improving motor function in people with Parkinson’s disease may be related to a patient’s response to levodopa therapy, and to the type of DBS administered, according to a small study. Patients who responded to levodopa demonstrated better…

Scientists have found that berberine, a natural plant compound that has been used in China as an over-the-counter medicine for diarrhea, can promote the production of l-dopa, a precursor of the brain chemical dopamine that is missing in patients with Parkinson’s disease, in the gastrointestinal tracts of mice. The…

  People with Parkinson’s disease who failed to take their medication as prescribed — meaning, were nonadherent — showed no difference in measures of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) than those who were fully adherent, a questionnaire study of a patient group found. This finding…

Changes in the composition of fat molecules on the membranes of nerve cells appear to change how the alpha-synuclein protein interacts with these same cell membranes, possibly promoting the aggregation that characterizes Parkinson’s disease, new research reports. The study, “The docking of synaptic vesicles on the presynaptic membrane induced by…

Abnormal blood sugar (glucose) levels, either lower or higher than the norm, appears to be linked with a faster progression of motor difficulties in people with Parkinson’s disease, research suggests. The brief report on this finding, “Euglycemia Indicates Favorable Motor Outcome in Parkinson’s Disease,” was published in the journal…