News

A top progressive researcher at Bastyr University in Washington will lead a unique event — a five-day medical-educational retreat called PD Summer School — aimed at improving the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease. Touted as the world’s only event of its kind for those living with…

Not getting enough sleep may cause memory defects and emotional changes in Parkinson’s disease due to changes in dopamine metabolism, according to a study of zebrafish. The study, “Sleep Deprivation caused a Memory Defects and Emotional Changes in a Rotenone-based Zebrafish Model of Parkinson’s Disease,” was published in…

Using stem cells, researchers have recreated the complexity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) — a critical protective brain structure — in a chip roughly the size of an AA battery. This personalized BBB experimental model, which combines stem cell research with Emulate’s Organ-Chip technology, will allow scientists to better…

Binding to, or chelating, toxic levels of iron in the brain can slow the progression of a neurodegenerative disorder known as pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), results from a Phase 3 trial show. These findings may be relevant for other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and…

The annual economic burden of Parkinson’s disease on U.S. patients, families, and the federal government is nearly $52 billion, more than double the previous estimates, according to a comprehensive study by the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). This is the first study to examine the various ways…

Osaka University scientists have built short fragments of DNA that can stop the production of abnormal alpha-synuclein protein in the brain — which may advance the development of new therapies for the control and prevention of Parkinson’s disease. The study, “Amido-bridged nucleic acid (AmNA)-modified antisense oligonucleotides targeting…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has awarded Nitrome Biosciences a Target Advancement grant to further the company’s development of therapies targeting Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, the grant will be used to further Nitrome’s biological studies of a new Parkinson’s drug target. The therapies are…

Midbrain area measurements can be used to distinguish patients with Parkinson’s disease from those with progressive supranuclear palsy, a study finds. The study, “Midbrain area for differentiating Parkinson’s disease from progressive supranuclear palsy,” was published in Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), the second…

The formation of alpha-synuclein aggregates in brain nerve cells (neurons) is thought to be one of the hallmarks of Parkinson disease. Researchers now have found that the activity of a single protein, called HYPE, may help halt alpha-synuclein accumulation and reduce its toxic outcomes, including neuronal death. These findings, “…

A molecule called anle138b was able to reduce toxic alpha-synuclein aggregates, or clumps, in the brain — a key event linked to Parkinson’s — and reverse motor symptoms associated with the disease in a novel Parkinson’s mouse model. The study, “Depopulation of dense α-synuclein aggregates is associated…