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The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) and Blackfynn are joining forces to make optimal use of an initiative that could uncover Parkinson’s disease biomarkers and bring about new therapies. Called the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), the MJFF-backed effort is an ongoing observational study of more than…

Targeting specific calcium channels in dopamine-producing neurons may be a therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease, according to research involving cells derived from Parkinson’s patients. The study, “T-type calcium channels determine the vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons to mitochondrial stress in familial Parkinson’s disease,” was published in Stem Cell…

Although no marked differences in the asymmetry of facial expressions distinguished Parkinson’s disease patients and healthy individuals in a study, patients most clearly expressed an emotional reaction on the side of the face corresponding to the side of the body less affected by Parkinson’s motor symptoms, a study found. Its researchers concluded patients’…

Four organizations are teaming up with the goal of studying two neurodegenerative diseases — Parkinson’s disease and primary progressive multiple sclerosis — in space. Researchers from the Summit for Stem Cell Foundation labs in California and the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute in New York…

When a person is awake, brain circuit activity is constantly “on.” This activity needs to be normalized during sleep. Researchers now report that neuronal activity in Parkinson’s disease patients with levodopa-induced dyskinesia fails to decrease during sleep. The study, “Levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease: sleep matters,” was published in…

A new method called DART ensures a compound injected into a region of the brain will affect only specific cell types. This approach was able to reverse Parkinson’s-related motor impairments in mice, and may hold the potential to provide more effective treatments. Although current research techniques such as gene editing and pharmacology…

Levodopa treatment can prevent movement impairment in patients with Parkinson’s disease by increasing overall sensory attenuation, or the ability to fine-tune information received from the senses before a motor action is performed, a study suggests. Based on these findings, researchers suggest that dopamine, which increases as a result of…

Rodin Therapeutics will evaluate a new imaging agent that allows the visualization of human synapses — the junctions between two nerve cells that allow them to communicate — in the living brain. Results from the study will guide the company’s upcoming Phase 1b trial of a new therapeutic compound designed to strengthen…

Dopaminergic medication (i.e., levodopa) for Parkinson’s disease appears to bring sensitivity to negative outcomes in learning down to normal levels, a new study shows. The study, “Dopaminergic medication reduces striatal sensitivity to negative outcomes in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal bioRxiv. The ability to learn from trial…

Spontaneous mutations that occur in DNA before birth — part of cell division and reproduction in the growing brain — can predispose a person to neurodegenerative diseases in adulthood and may be more common than thought, a research team led by the University of Cambridge suggests. Its findings may explain the onset…