News

More than 300 Parkinson’s disease experts and advocates from across the United States will discuss critical needs in research and public policy at a Parkinson’s Policy Forum in Washington, March 19-21. The Parkinson’s Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) are sponsoring the initiative. Its goal is…

A single administration of Voyager Therapeutics gene therapy improves advanced Parkinson’s patients’ movement up to three years later, a Phase 1b trial indicates. Voyager designed VY-AADC01 to deliver the aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) gene to a specific brain region, the putamen. The gene provides instructions for the production of the AADC…

Researchers at Western University in Canada have developed a prototype of a new tremor suppression glove that may help people cope with the tremors associated with Parkinson’s disease. The gloves not only prevent tremors from happening but also improve motor control. A tremor is an unintentional, uncontrollable, somewhat rhythmic, muscle contraction, which…

A second group of Parkinson’s patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial have received International Stem Cell Corporation’s neural stem cell therapy. The main goal of the trial (NCT02452723) at Royal Melbourne Hospital is to see whether ISCO’s stem cell transplants are safe, and patients can tolerate them. All patients…

The Parkinson’s Foundation is establishing a new program offering genetic testing and counseling to Parkinson’s patients within its Centers of Excellence network to advance research, knowledge, and patient care. The foundation’s new Genetic Initiative will create the largest database of genetic data for active Parkinson’s disease. The information will…

Degeneration of a specific class of nerve cells leads to loss of the sense of smell, a symptom often associated with Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. The research, “Inhibition of oxidative stress in cholinergic projection neurons fully rescues aging-associated olfactory circuit degeneration in Drosophila,” was published in the journal…

The antipsychotics Nuplazid (pimavanserin) and Clozaril (clozapine) are the only therapies shown to improve Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP) symptoms without impairing motor function, in double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials, according to a review. The study, “Pharmacological interventions for psychosis in Parkinson’s disease patients,” was published in the journal Expert…

Unexpected external stimulus, such as a sound or visual cue, can act as an alarm for the brain to detect a dangerous situation, according to a study that has implications for Parkinson’s disease. These sensory triggers were found to promote an inhibitory signal from the brain to quickly stop muscles…

Non-dopaminergic treatments might be beneficial for Parkinson’s disease patients whose tremor is associated with a dysfunction of the serotonergic system, an area of the brain directly connected to serotonin interactions. A study with that finding, “Progression of tremor in early stages of Parkinson’s disease: a clinical and neuroimaging study,”…

Lower levels of two proteins in the spinal fluid of Parkinson’s disease patients were found to be related to specific symptoms, suggesting they could be used as biomarkers for the disease, according to an observational study. Parkinson’s patients with postural instability and gait difficulty were found to have significantly lower…