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A particular signaling protein in the brain, called melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), was seen to help regulate impulse control in rats, a study reports. This finding may have implications for disorders where impulse behaviors manifest, from binge eating and drug addiction to Parkinson’s disease. The study, “Hypothalamus-hippocampus circuitry…

The U.S. Defense Department has awarded researchers from Northeast Ohio Medical University (NOMU) and Michigan State University (MSU) about $1 million each to study the effect of exercise at different stages of Parkinson’s disease. The three-year grant went to longtime collaborators Sheila Fleming, PhD,…

Inhibiting the activity of LRRK2 kinase — an enzyme whose mutated form is one of the most common genetic causes of Parkinson’s disease — may benefit patients both with and without this disease-related mutation, a study finds. Molecules that block the activity of the LRRK2 kinase —…

The way the brain of a Parkinson’s disease patient is wired may help doctors predict if he or she will develop impulse control disorders following dopamine replacement therapy, a study finds. The results, “The structural connectivity of discrete networks underlies impulsivity and gambling in Parkinson’s disease,”…

Both power and strength training can improve muscle performance in people with Parkinson’s disease, but these improvements may not translate to functional movement, a new study has found. The study, titled “Power vs strength training to improve muscular strength, power, balance and functional movement in individuals diagnosed…

Fesoterodine fumarate, the active compound of a medication for overactive bladder, can help reduce urinary symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients, a clinical study has found. The findings, “Randomized, controlled trial of fesoterodine fumarate for overactive bladder in Parkinson’s disease” were published in the World Journal of…

Treatment with Aricept (donepezil) for six weeks does not seem to improve balance, either while standing or walking, for Parkinson’s patients with a minimal history of falls, according to results from a single-site Phase 2 trial. The study, “Effects of augmenting cholinergic neurotransmission on balance in Parkinson’s…

CNM-Au8, an investigational therapy by Clene Nanomedicine, improved the survival of dopaminergic neurons, helped prevent loss of mitochondria, and rescued motor function in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. The effects of CNM-Au8 will now be assessed in an open-label (no placebo group) Phase 2…

People with type 2 diabetes being treated with thiazolidinedione compounds, such as Actos (pioglitazone) and Avandia (rosiglitazone), may be at lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, a pilot study suggests. However, more work is needed to confirm a potential to prevent Parkinson’s in an at-risk patient population. The…

A newly developed compound called CM101 helps to clear toxic proteins in the brains of mice, and could be a viable avenue for the treatment of some neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, researchers say. This finding was recently presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience,…