News

Two key types of brain nerves cells affected by Parkinson’s disease — cholinergic neurons and dopaminergic neurons — communicate and interact via signaling systems, researchers were able to “see” using a new imaging approach. This beneficial neuron-to-neuron interaction, confirmed through the novel approach in a rat model of the…

The Parkinson’s Foundation has established a first Parkinson’s Nurse Fellowship program in the U.S., offering one year of training and support to working nurses who want to specialize in treating people with this progressive disease. Applications are being accepted through Feb. 20 for the fellowship, worth up to…

Blood levels of valosin-containing protein (VCP) — an enzyme involved in protein degradation — may be used as a biomarker of preclinical and early clinical stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a study suggests. Reduced levels of VCP in the blood were found in both animal models of the…

The number of dopamine-producing (dopaminergic) neurons at birth could influence a person’s lifetime risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a group of experts. Because these nerve cells die over the course of the disease, having fewer of them to begin with could translate to a higher risk, the…

People with Parkinson’s disease taking part in the Fox Insight study, where they self-report details about their illness, share similar clinical and demographic features with patients brought through more traditional ways into large data studies, researchers report. This finding suggests that groups recruited exclusively online can be useful to Parkinson’s…

Stimulating the growth of blood vessels in the brain through the use of fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) may hold promise as a strategy for treating Parkinson’s disease, according to a white paper released by Zhittya Genesis Medicine (ZGM). Clinical trials testing this theory are being planned.

In keeping with a burgeoning emphasis on exercise in Parkinson’s, Louisiana Tech University (LTU) has launched a dance program to help patients manage the disease. Called Dance with Parkinson’s, the program begins Feb. 5 at LTU’s Lambright Sports and Wellness Center. The goal is to get…

A medicine approved in the late 1970s to clear the respiratory tract and thin mucus can also cross the blood-brain barrier and possibly protect cells there from the damage seen in Parkinson’s disease, a small Phase 2 clinical trial has found. The study detailing these results, “Ambroxol for the Treatment…

A single dose of cannabidiol (CBD) can decrease anxiety and tremor strength in people with Parkinson’s disease during situations known to induce anxiety, such as a public speaking exercise, a study found. The results of the study, “Effects of acute cannabidiol administration on anxiety and…

A decade after its founding, the International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium (IPDGC) is looking back on on its first 10 years of research and outlining its goals for the future. IPDGC was started in 2009 by a small group of researchers who thought that collaborative efforts were necessary to…