News

People with Parkinson’s disease and related dementias are more likely to die younger than those of comparable age in the general population, often of ills linked to their neurological disease or of cardiovascular problems, a recent study by the Mayo Clinic found. Specifically, Parkinson’s patients…

Researchers from North Wales received a £33,000 (about $43,000) award to study the potential benefits of brain-stimulating computer games in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.  The scientific study titled, “Early stage feasibility assessment of a non-pharmacological intervention for motor…

Experts from ATCC — a leading nonprofit repository of biological materials — partnered with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research for a workshop at the recent International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) 2017 Annual Meeting. The workshop aimed to address best practices for providing…

Italian researchers found that when used along with standard medication, Normast (ultra-micronized palmitoylethanolamide, or um-PEA) helped lower both motor and non-motor symptoms in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD), and slowed disease progression and disability. The study, “Ultra-micronized palmitoylethanolamide: an efficacious adjuvant therapy for Parkinson’s disease,” appeared in the journal CNS…

Researchers at London’s Institute of Cancer Research have found that mutations in a Parkinson’s disease gene called PARK2 can be found in a third of all human cancers and play a role in helping cancer cells survive. The study “PARK2 Depletion Connects Energy and Oxidative Stress to PI3K/Akt Activation via PTEN S-Nitrosylation”…

Stimulating a specific type of brain neuron could restore movement in Parkinson’s disease longer than other approaches, a study in mice reports. The research, “Cell-Specific Pallidal Intervention Induces Long-Lasting Motor Recovery In Dopamine-Depleted Mice,” was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. A hallmark of Parkinson’s is loss of…

A recent study has found that Parkinson’s disease could be triggered by a protein in the stomach that travels to the brain through the vagal nerve. Researchers found that those who had the vagal nerve removed had a 40 percent lower chance of developing the disease. MORE: Varying thresholds for Parkinson’s protein toxicity form the basis…

International Stem Cell’s clinical trial testing its ISC-hpNSC neural cells for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) can move forward, the company said. The announcement comes after an evaluation from experts from a Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), who looked at the safety data from the first group of patients…

The stress hormone cortisol prevents dopaminergic neurons from dying by promoting the expression of parkin, a protein that is in short supply in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients, a study indicates. The research, “Hydrocortisone-Induced Parkin Prevents Dopaminergic Cell Death Via CREB Pathway In Parkinson’s Disease Model,” was published in…

Researchers have identified why patients with Parkinson’s disease gain weight after deep brain stimulation (DBS), a surgical procedure performed to treat their neurological symptoms and help control their movements. They found that, after this procedure, patients have an increased desire for food and an increase in impulsiveness, which leads to…