News

Taking several different medications at the same time to treat concurrent health conditions — known as polypharmacy — may be associated with cognitive decline in people newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study. Reducing the number of medications prescribed would be one option to…

Military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or who experienced a traumatic brain injury have more than double the risk of a rare sleep disorder — called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder — previously reported as a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease, a study finds. Researchers at…

A detailed analysis of alpha-synuclein — a key protein involved in Parkinson’s — revealed how variants of this protein change over time, allowing researchers to identify the initial stages of protein aggregation involved in early onset disease. These findings provide new insights into how genetic mutations — especially…

A planned Phase 2 clinical trial will assess the safety and effectiveness of pharmaceutical-grade cannabidiol (CBD) in treating Parkinson’s-related psychosis. The trial was announced by Parkinson’s UK, which is investing £1.2 million (roughly $1.5 million) to support the study, due to begin enrolling patients in 2020. Psychosis…

Using its brain mapping platform, Inscopix will team up with researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to investigate how changes in brain activity alter the functioning of nerve cells. The goal is to identify new therapeutic targets for Parkinson’s disease. The collaboration will be led…

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has awarded a five-year, $20 million grant to researchers looking for a way to image misfolded proteins in the brains of people with Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, which could greatly advance diagnosis and disease monitoring. Parkinson’s disease is thought…

Cases of inherited Parkinson’s disease may be more frequent than previously reported, results from an online global survey suggest. The survey, which was conducted by members of The Michael J. Fox Foundation Global Genetic Parkinson’s Study Group (MJFF-GGPSG), also revealed the willingness of investigators to share clinical information on…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) and Massachusetts General Hospital have announced an initiative to enhance diversity in Parkinson’s disease research. Fostering Inclusivity in Research Engagement for Underrepresented Populations in Parkinson’s Disease (FIRE-UP PD) is an MJFF-funded study that will establish and assess outreach programs in Boston, Massachusetts, Weston,…

Yumanity Therapeutics announced the start of a Phase 1 clinical study in healthy volunteers that will assess the safety and tolerability of YTX-7739, a potential disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Trial results are expected to be announced in the first quarter of 2020. YTX-7739 is designed to cross the blood-brain-barrier…

MIT Lincoln Laboratory researchers are developing an artificial gut to study how the human microbiome — the trillions of microorganisms and their genetic material that live within our body, and are as unique to a person as fingerprints — influences the onset and progression of diseases linked to changes…