News

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…

Contrary to current knowledge, alpha-synuclein protein — whose toxic form is responsible for the formation of Lewy bodies — may play a crucial role in preventing cell death by repairing damaged DNA, a study has found. This critical function of the protein may also be lost in Parkinson’s patients, its…

Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) — a molecule that is involved in immune and inflammatory responses — accelerates brain inflammation and degeneration in animal models of Parkinson’s disease, a study has found. The research, “IL-17A exacerbates neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration by activating microglia in rodent models of Parkinson’s disease,” was published in…

Inflammatory molecules called cytokines may be a peripheral biomarker of Parkinson’s progression, especially of its characteristic changes in motor abilities, according to new research using machine learning. The study, “Parkinson’s progression prediction using machine learning and serum cytokines,” appeared in the journal npj Parkinson’s Disease.

Mental illness in people with Parkinson’s disease, more frequently found in female and older patients, appears to associate with more severe disease, a new study reports. Titled, “Comorbid Depression and Psychosis in Parkinson’s Disease: A Report of 62,783 Hospitalizations in the United States,” the study was published…