News

The Parkinson’s Foundation is expanding its virtual programming to support the Parkinson’s disease (PD) community during the global COVID-19 outbreak. As part of its efforts, the organization is moving its signature fundraising walk event — Parkinson’s Moving Day — online, and adding or enhancing other online…

Levodopa improved handwriting and dexterity tasks among people living with Parkinson’s disease, a recent study found. The results, “Levodopa improves handwriting and instrumental tasks in previously treated patients with Parkinson’s disease,” were published in the Journal of Neural Transmission. Neurological examinations of Parkinson’s patients that seek…

Manufacturing will soon begin on a generic version of the Neupro patch, a transdermal delivery system for rotigotine — a dopamine agonist — to treat Parkinson’s symptoms, Vektor Pharma announced in a press release. Testing of its rotigotine patches will first take place at Vektor’s laboratories in Germany, before quickly moving into…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) has awarded more than $8.8 million in wide-ranging grants to scientists aiming to better understand, diagnose, and treat Parkinson’s disease (PD). The 49 grant awards align with the Foundation’s mission to find a cure for this progressive neurodegenerative disease, and…

The number of people with early-stage Parkinson’s disease who reported sleep disturbances increased over the course of a five-year longitudinal study, with insomnia being the most common sleep problem among this patient population. The frequency of other sleep problems such as…

Scientists have discovered new aggregates of alpha synuclein of various shapes that may play a key role in the onset of Parkinson’s disease. These new aggregates, which are larger than those described in previous studies, form in the presence of phospholipids — large fatty molecules that are…

A diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and nuts appears to lower the risk of several non-motor symptoms that tend to be associated with a later finding of Parkinson’s disease, a study reported. The study, “Diet pattern and prodromal features of Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal …

Highly rhythmic, Brazilian dance shows promise as a physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease, according to the results of a small clinical trial. Over a 12-week period, practicing a dance program inspired by samba and forró (derived from the English “for all”) improved patients’ functional mobility and gait.

The Shake It Up Australia Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, together with its partners worldwide, has pledged to cover up to 50% of the costs associated with opening a clinical trial into oral Anavex 2-73 (blarcamesine) as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Anavex Life Sciences, the developer of Anavex…

A speech therapy called the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD) can lessen difficulties in communication for people with Parkinson’s disease, a new study shows. The study, “The Impact of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD) on Voice, Communication, and Participation: Findings from a Prospective, Longitudinal…