News

With a focus on the unpredictable path often facing caregivers, the Parkinson’s Foundation is again hosting a free-of-charge, English-Spanish bilingual summit for those helping Parkinson’s patients with their daily needs. But the Care Partner Summit (Cumbre Para Cuidadores) on Saturday, May 16, will be exclusively online — due the coronavirus, COVID-19,…

Scientists discovered a potential link between Parkinson’s disease and a gene that is affected by a neurotoxin made by blue-green algae. The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that Parkinson’s can be influenced by environmental factors. The study, “Analysis of DNA methylation…

Using an engineered sound-sensitive protein, researchers have developed neurons that can be activated by ultrasound. This could be useful in studying, and even developing therapies for, neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s. The study, “Sonogenetic Modulation of Cellular Activities Using an Engineered Auditory-Sensing Protein,” was published in Nano Letters.

Fatigue may compromise and predict Parkinson’s patients’ mobility and their ability to walk over long distances, according to a recent study. The results of the study, “Can fatigue predict walking capacity of patients with Parkinson’s disease?” were published in Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria. Lack of energy, or…

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.