News

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a University of Rhode Island (URI) professor nearly $250,000 to help commercialize a “smart glove” for Parkinson’s disease patients. Kunal Mankodiya, PhD, an associate professor of engineering, is developing the glove that can capture wearers’ movement data. Designed for those with PD…

Exercising at home with a stationary bicycle — using a motivational app and remote supervision to increase compliance — eases motor complications in patients with mild Parkinson’s disease and improves their cardiovascular health, according to results from a clinical trial. Findings from the study, “Effectiveness of…

The Parkinson’s Foundation and the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) have announced a combined $5.9 million in research grants. For its part, the Foundation is investing $4.2 million in 46 grants to advance promising Parkinson’s disease investigations into new therapies and how the disease works. It also…

In a recent review, scientists highlight the potential of gene editing technologies like CRISPR/Cas9 to not only understand the molecular mechanisms behind Parkinson’s disease, but also identify new targets for treatment. The review study, “Interrogating Parkinson’s disease associated redox targets: Potential application of CRISPR editing,” was published in…

Dopaminergic therapy may ease difficulties with gesturing and using tools in people with Parkinson’s disease by improving brain connectivity between the cognitive and motor regions, a study has found. The study results, “Dopaminergic modulation of the praxis network in Parkinson’s disease,” were published in NeuroImage: Clinical.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent warning letters to three companies that sell cannabis-based products containing cannabidiol (CBD), cautioning them that making unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of CBD could lead to legal action. The agency “urges the companies to review all claims made for their…

Parkinson’s patients whose tremors respond poorly to dopaminergic medications are likely experiencing abnormal brain activity outside the brain’s dopaminergic system, a study finds. The results, “Cerebral differences between dopamine-resistant and dopamine-responsive Parkinson’s tremor,” were published in the journal Brain. The main cause of motor…

An antimicrobial compound called squalamine works to ease age-related constipation and gut dysmotility, or problems with how muscles of the digestive system work, according to a recent study in mice. An oral and lab-made version of squalamine, ENT-01 (by Enterin), is now being tested in the KARMET Phase 2 trial (…

A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique allows for the visualization of molecular changes in the brain, a study reports. This technique will allow researchers to further understand how the brain works and how it changes with ageing or during the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. Moreover,…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) is funding work at Tymora Analytical Operations that screens for protein biomarkers in urine to help detect the neurodegenerative disease earlier. Tymora, a research and development laboratory company affiliated with Purdue University, uses the EVtrap approach, or…