News

A highly sensitive “sniff-cam” is able to detect tiny levels of ethanol in the breath even without alcohol consumption, according to new research. The findings suggest potential applications in studies of Parkinson’s, diabetes, and cancer. The study, “Ultrasensitive Sniff-Cam for Biofluorometric-Imaging of Breath Ethanol Caused by…

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s Tissue Bank at Imperial College London, is the largest repository of brain and spinal cord tissue samples in Europe. Now, the MS Society and Parkinson’s UK has announced a £3 million grant (about $3.6 million) to support its transition into a…

Grants totaling nearly $29,000 will enable the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)  to establish a free exercise program for patients with Parkinson’s disease and Parkinson’s-like symptoms. Some $13,924 from the Parkinson’s Foundation will go toward program staffing, training and other support. A $15,000 grant from the Philip…

Women with advanced Parkinson’s disease who are homebound are more likely to live alone and may face greater barriers to accessing support. That finding comes from the study, “Sex-related differences in homebound advanced Parkinson’s disease patients,” which was published in Clinical Interventions in Aging. Parkinson’s motor…

A distinct population of people are diagnosed with both Parkinson’s disease and fibromyalgia, a study in Israel found, noting they tend to be women with mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, who rely on painkillers more than other Parkinson’s patients. The study, “Fibromyalgia-Like Syndrome Associated with…

Research conducted aboard the International Space Station will look at how nerve cells interact with key immune cells of the brain in low-gravity conditions. The goal is to better understand nervous system damage in Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis (MS) — and help improve their treatments. “This…

The Parkinson’s Foundation has granted four U.S. institutions $8 million to design and launch Parkinson’s disease research studies over the next four years. The newly designated Parkinson’s Foundation Research Centers will get $2 million each — $500,00o annually — to support their quests to drive innovative investigative developments, and…

A small molecule that regulates the expression of genes, called microRNA, controls nerve cells involved in postural control by affecting a gene within motor neurons, according to a recent fruit fly study. The research, “A Single MicroRNA-Hox Gene Module Controls Equivalent Movements in Biomechanically Distinct Forms of Drosophila” was…

Twenty weeks of resistance training significantly decreases depression symptoms and improves quality of life in older people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a study has found. The training, consisting of exercises involving the arms and legs and simulating daily activity movements, also improved patients’ flexibility, endurance, and walking performance.

The coupling of electrical signals in the brain — as it responds to levodopa and is associated with motor improvements — may provide ways to better assess the clinical state of people with Parkinson’s disease, and improve the efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS), according to new…