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Together with dying nerve cells, dormant neurons also may be at the root cause of Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study in animal models. Reawakening these neurons by targeting a type of brain cells called astrocytes can restore dopamine production in the brain and reverse Parkinson’s…

The first participant has been recruited for a clinical trial in the United Kingdom that will test whether a class of medicines used mainly for dementia can help prevent falls in Parkinson’s disease patients. Led by the University of Bristol and the Royal United Hospitals (RUH) Bath NHS Foundation Trust,…

Medications used to manage impulse control disorders may not help Parkinson’s disease patients taking Mirapex (pramipexole) and Requip (ropinirole), and may even worsen their episodes, according to new research. The study, titled “What drugs modify the risk of iatrogenic impulse-control disorders…

A group of young onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD) patients from around the world are launching a yearlong Facebook fundraiser to help others with the disorder attend the 6th World Parkinson Congress (WPC) in 2022. Representing 11 countries, the 26 participants, including an advocate who doesn’t have…

While excess iron in the brain often accompanies Parkinson’s disease, it remains unknown whether the iron overload actually causes the neurodegenerative disorder or is merely a product of it. New research now sheds greater light on the role that iron plays in the development of a Parkinson’s…

A saliva test may help diagnose Parkinson’s and assess disease severity, according to a recent study. Biomarkers that reflect problems in the production of energy, with nerve cell messengers, and in gut microflora — each easily detected in saliva — may all contribute to the metabolic changes…

Dosing has begun for healthy volunteers in a Phase 1 clinical trial of AL101, which has the potential to treat neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s, Alector recently announced. The randomized, placebo-controlled trial (NCT04111666) is testing the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (how the compound moves throughout the body), and pharmacodynamics…

A bioactive agent called baicalin prevented neurodegeneration of Parkinson’s disease in rats by protecting against oxidative stress and neuronal death, according to a recent study. The results, “Neuroprotective effect and mechanism of baicalin on Parkinson’s disease model induced by 6-OHDA,” were published recently in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease…

A compound that affects some of the same receptors in the brain as cannabis could help reduce dyskinesia — involuntary muscle movement — that develops following levodopa treatment in Parkinson’s disease, a new study done in mice suggests. The mice were treated with HU-308, an…

Cannabinoid-based formulations in development at GB Sciences were able to ease behavioral symptoms linked to the loss of dopamine producing-nerve cells — a hallmark of Parkinson’s — in a mouse model of the disease, the company said. GB Sciences will use these early results to support an…