News

Scientists have created a special matrix that allowed them to differentiate stem cells into nerve cells that, when transplanted into a rat model of Parkinson’s disease, eased the animals’ symptoms by replacing those nerve cells lost to the disease. This matrix is also able to stimulate differentiation of stem…

Deep brain stimulation with Boston Scientific’s Vercise system led to sustained “on” periods without troublesome dyskinesia and improvements in both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease for at least one year, updated findings from the INTREPID trial show. Use of the Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation system in…

A consensus statement from the Parkinson’s Foundation declares there isn’t enough data yet to draw reliable conclusions about whether medical cannabis products might be beneficial in treating Parkinson’s disease, and calls for more research. For people with Parkinson’s who choose to use such products, the statement urges caution,…

Chemicals in diesel exhaust can trigger the formation of toxic protein clumps and the death of nerve cells — hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease — by preventing the cell’s natural disposal mechanisms from working properly, a study in fish and human cells shows. The findings also demonstrated that boosting these cellular…

Bright light therapy can help improve sleep in people with Parkinson’s disease, likely due to its effects on the body’s “clock” genes that become dysregulated due to Parkinson’s treatment, a new study suggests. The study, “Bright light improves sleep in patients with…

Infections with the new coronavirus may manifest in people with Parkinson’s as a rapid worsening of disease symptoms, hindering early and accurate diagnosis of infections in this population, according to a case report on two patients. It also points to a possibility of more severe infections in these patients, but…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Sunovion’s Kynmobi (apomorphine hydrochloride) as an on-demand sublingual treatment for off episodes, or times when medication wears off, in people with Parkinson’s disease. The medication, formerly known as APL-130277, is an apomorphine film that is placed under-the-tongue (sublingual administration) when…

When used in combination with levodopa, Requip (ropinirole) patches result in greater improvements in motor function compared to placebo for patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease, a Phase 3 clinical trial has found. Trial findings also demonstrated the effectiveness of the new skin patch formulation was not inferior…

A new therapeutic approach in which patient-derived dopamine-producing neurons are transplanted into the brain may halt Parkinson’s disease progression, a case report suggests. The approach uses patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs),  which are cells collected from the skin or blood that researchers can reprogram in a lab…

With numerous clinical trials interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) is highlighting online ways that Parkinson’s (PD) patients and others can help to advance research. People are necessarily spending more time at home, but study participation remains crucial to treatment development. Even before…