News

Parkinson’s disease patients with mild cognitive impairment who undergo deep brain stimulation are at a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia, a long term “real-life”study suggests. The study, “Longterm outcome of cognition, affective state, and quality of life following subthalamic deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease,” was…

A “PACT” formed by the Parkinson’s community — to prevent, advocate for increased resources, care for all those affected, and treat with new therapies — may help prevent a Parkinson’s pandemic, according to a review study. The study, “The Emerging Evidence of the Parkinson Pandemic,” appeared in…

This year, Parkinson Voice Project (PVP) is broadening its SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd Grant Program to include support for international speech therapy clinics. The expanded grant program is intended to help Parkinson’s disease patients around the world gain access to quality speech treatment to maintain their speaking abilities and…

Toxic protein aggregates called Lewy bodies sequestrate a protein that is usually found in the cell nucleus and known to protect against neurodegeneration, and change in this protein’s location contributes to the mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease, researchers report. The study, “Loss of nuclear REST/NRSF in aged-dopaminergic neurons in…

Use of dopamine agonists, earlier disease onset, being male, and having personality traits such as impulsiveness and high novelty-seeking are among the risk factors for developing impulse control disorders (ICDs) in people with Parkinson’s, according to a review study. The research, “Impulse control disorders in Parkinson’s…

Genes that control a molecular pathway responsible for moving biological cargo into cells contribute to the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, researchers report. The study, “The Endocytic Membrane Trafficking Pathway Plays a Major Role in the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease,” was published in Movement Disorders. The movement of…

Dopaminergic treatment normalizes cognitive motivation in patients with Parkinson’s disease, making them more likely to choose a higher reward option in a computer-based task, a study reports. The study, “Dopamine restores cognitive motivation in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal Brain. Approximately 40 percent…

Levodopa/carbidopa treatment is effective in managing Parkinson’s motor symptoms, but does not protect against disease progression among patients with early disease, a study shows. The research, “Randomized Delayed-Start Trial of Levodopa in Parkinson’s Disease” was published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Levodopa is the main…

A diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is associated with greater Medicare costs and out-of-pocket spending, according to a population-based study in the U.S. These findings also revealed substantial geographic variation in prevalence and health service use and spending among Medicare beneficiaries. The study, “State-level prevalence, health service…

The ability to block out irrelevant information when asked to recognize and name objects, known as inhibitory processing, remains intact in patients with Parkinson’s disease, a study has found. The study, “The Suppression of Irrelevant Semantic Representations in Parkinson’s Disease,” was published in the journal Frontiers in Human…