News

Immune cells known as “natural killer” (NK) cells appear to fight the cellular changes that lead to conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. Understanding how they do this may lead to new therapies for the neurodegenerative disorder, according to a study from the University of Georgia.

A diverse group of 15 Parkinson’s (PD) patients — all described as “invaluable” advocates — have been appointed as Ambassadors for the 6th World Parkinson Congress (WPC), to be held in Spain in June 2022. Chosen by the World Parkinson Coalition, these new ambassadors represent 11 countries…

Parkinson’s disease patients have a higher rate of vision problems compared with the general population, and require screening for ophthalmologic symptoms to enable more timely treatment, according to a recent study. The study, “Seeing ophthalmologic problems in Parkinson disease,” was published in…

Scientists have discovered a “master controller” region that regulates aggregation of the alpha-synuclein protein, one of the distinctive features of Parkinson’s disease that is known to lead to the progressive degeneration of brain cells. Understanding how the master controller works opens new opportunities in both the…

Placing electrodes directly in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease revealed a “hyperdirect” pathway between two regions of the brain responsible for movement and cognition, a study reported. This pathway was shown to be important in being able to stop…

Like many couples, Joe and Linda Lacroix of Milton, Vermont, spent much of their lives working, raising families, maintaining their home, and planning for the future. Unlike most, however, there was always a dark cloud looming on their horizon — a gene for Huntington’s disease carried by Joe’s mother.

People with Parkinson’s disease associated with mutations in the GBA gene have elevated levels of inflammatory signaling molecules in their blood, a new study suggests. The study, “Plasma Cytokines Profile in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease Associated with Mutations in GBA Gene,” was published in the Bulletin…

Within a few years, doctors will be able to remotely evaluate patients for their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and frontotemporal dementia — without having to hook them up to expensive, cumbersome machines generally found only in hospitals. That’s the vision of Israeli entrepreneur Nathan…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) is supporting efforts by pharmaceutical company Lundbeck to find a new way to diagnose Parkinson’s Disease patients earlier and more effectively. With a $1.3 million DKK (Danish krone) grant ($197,000 U.S.), Lundbeck plans to develop and validate a…

The discovery that abnormal cellular mechanisms are specific to distinct groups of sporadic Parkinson’s patients brings precision medicine for this neurodegenerative disorder one step closer to reality. A recent study suggests that identifying these individual disease differences and assessing neuroprotective treatments specific to each one is…