News

Denali Therapeutics announced a partnership with Biogen to jointly develop and advance DNL151, an investigational small molecule treatment for Parkinson’s disease, to late-stage clinical testing following results from ongoing Phase 1/1b trials. The partnership also includes Biogen and Denali working to co-develop and, upon approval, jointly market this and…

A new behavioral test called the free-movement pattern Y-maze could be useful in assessing problems with working memory, both in animal models and people, a new study suggests. It may also help with research into neurological diseases like Parkinson’s. The study, “The Free-movement pattern Y-maze: A…

The nonprofit Parkinson’s UK announced an additional £1 million (about $1.3 million) award to NRG Therapeutics, advancing its work into potential treatments that can rescue damaged mitochrondria — the cellular component responsible for energy production — in brain cells. This funding is part of a £4 million annual investment…

Note: This story was updated Aug. 17, 2020, to correct that the Upper Valley Programs for Parkinson’s is in New Hampshire, not Ohio. The Parkinson’s Foundation has awarded more than $1.5 million in community health grants to about 100 programs that will benefit Parkinson’s disease patients in 37 states.

A considerable amount of effort is being put into finding therapeutic agents for Parkinson’s disease, with several symptomatic and disease-modifying therapies currently being evaluated in clinical trials, according to a recent comprehensive review. The review, “Parkinson’s Disease Drug Therapies in the Clinical Trial Pipeline: 2020,” was…

Remote coaching via telehealth could help people with Parkinson’s disease stay physically active, even when in-person events aren’t feasible, a study suggests. The study, “Promoting Physical Activity via Telehealth in People With Parkinson Disease: The Path Forward After the COVID-19 Pandemic?” was published in Physical Therapy.

Inhaled bacterial toxins can cause inflammation in a brain region associated with smell, and this inflammation may help in the initiation and propagation of Parkinson’s-related molecular changes in the brain, a study in mice suggests. The study, “IL‐1β/IL‐1R1 Signaling Induced by Intranasal Lipopolysaccharide Infusion Regulates Alpha‐Synuclein…

People who had a concussion are more likely to be diagnosed later in life with Parkinson’s disease and other neurologic disorders than those who never had this type of brain injury, a database study reports. The study, “Associations between concussion and risk of diagnosis of psychological…

Tinnitus, a sensation of sound without any source, appears to precede Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases and may serve as a sign of increased risk for those conditions, according to a recent study. The study, “Tinnitus and risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease: a retrospective nationwide…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) has awarded a total of $8.5 million to research teams at AC Immune, Mass General Brigham, and Merck to develop a way to detect the protein alpha-synuclein in the brains of people living with Parkinson’s disease. The three…