News

Mutations in two specific genes affect how nerve cells work in the brain, disrupting sleep patterns in Parkinson’s patients, a new study suggests, and recommends a way of possibly treating this disease symptom. The research, “ER Lipid Defects in Neuropeptidergic Neurons Impair Sleep Patterns in Parkinson’s Disease,” appeared in…

Laurie Mischley, PhD, a researcher at the private, non-profit Bastyr University, is launching the first-ever summer school program for Parkinson’s disease patients. This August, Mischley will facilitate two medical-educational retreats at Bastyr as part of the new “PD Summer School.” Until June 15 those interested can apply…

A form of vitamin B3 can prevent degeneration and death of nerve cells linked to Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The study with that finding, “The NAD+ precursor, nicotinamide riboside, rescues mitochondrial defects and neuronal loss in iPSC and fly models of Parkinson’s disease,” was published in …

The controversy surrounding Nuplazid (pimavanserin), Acadia Pharmaceuticals‘ approved treatment for psychosis in Parkinson’s patients, has made its way to scientific journals. But experts appear to take a more questioning view of the medication’s risks than that aired by general media. A clinical trial comparing the effectiveness and benefits of Nuplazid to…

Taking long daytime naps — rather than being excessively sleepy during day hours but not napping — appeared to be linked to a two-times higher risk of Parkinson’s disease in older men in a long-term study. The study, “Excessive daytime sleepiness, objective napping and 11-year risk of Parkinson’s disease…

Axovant Sciences licensed the exclusive worldwide rights from Oxford BioMedica to develop and market AXO-Lenti-PD, a gene therapy candidate for Parkinson’s disease. Formerly known as OXB-102, AXO-Lenti-PD uses a modified, harmless type of virus called lentivirus to deliver three genes that provide instructions to make a…

Ways of better diagnosing and treating Parkinson’s patients may lie in developing biomarkers, inhibitors, and stem cells therapies that are based on an enzyme newly identified in research into this disease, called soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), a commentary article suggests. The opinion piece, “Fatty acid chemical mediator provides insights…

Psychosis and cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson’s disease may be linked to structural changes in the brain, namely a decrease in volume of an area that controls memory formation, a study suggests. The study, “Hippocampal subfield atrophy in patients with Parkinson’s disease and psychosis,” was published…

New sensors with increased sensitivity and specificity to detect interactions between proteins, fat molecules, and other biological elements, represent a powerful tool to investigate mechanisms linked to human diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Those findings were highlighted in the study “Resolving molecule-specific information in dynamic lipid membrane…

Antiparkinsonian medications may cause premature ejaculation in men with Parkinson’s, according to a case series that followed eight patients. The study, “Acquired premature ejaculation in Parkinson’s disease and possible mechanisms,” was published in the International Journal of Impotence Research. Premature ejaculation is a common male…