News

Genes that control a molecular pathway responsible for moving biological cargo into cells contribute to the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, researchers report. The study, “The Endocytic Membrane Trafficking Pathway Plays a Major Role in the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease,” was published in Movement Disorders. The movement of…

Dopaminergic treatment normalizes cognitive motivation in patients with Parkinson’s disease, making them more likely to choose a higher reward option in a computer-based task, a study reports. The study, “Dopamine restores cognitive motivation in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal Brain. Approximately 40 percent…

Levodopa/carbidopa treatment is effective in managing Parkinson’s motor symptoms, but does not protect against disease progression among patients with early disease, a study shows. The research, “Randomized Delayed-Start Trial of Levodopa in Parkinson’s Disease” was published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Levodopa is the main…

A diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is associated with greater Medicare costs and out-of-pocket spending, according to a population-based study in the U.S. These findings also revealed substantial geographic variation in prevalence and health service use and spending among Medicare beneficiaries. The study, “State-level prevalence, health service…

The ability to block out irrelevant information when asked to recognize and name objects, known as inhibitory processing, remains intact in patients with Parkinson’s disease, a study has found. The study, “The Suppression of Irrelevant Semantic Representations in Parkinson’s Disease,” was published in the journal Frontiers in Human…

A new way to understand and study how the brain represents tool embodiment — the physical actions for using tools — was proposed in a new research article. The study recommends methods for understanding Parkinson’s disease signs and symptoms relating to the brain’s ability to represent motor…

A shorter, simpler version of testing to diagnose mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease is just as effective as a lengthier evaluation at predicting the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease dementia, a report shows. The study, “Risk of Parkinson’s Disease Dementia Related to Level I MDS PD-MCI,”…

Levodopa, one of the main medicines used to treat Parkinson’s symptoms, can be converted into dopamine by gut bacteria, researchers report. The findings might explain why levodopa treatment is less effective in some patients. The study, “Gut bacterial tyrosine decarboxylases restrict levels of levodopa in the treatment…

Cancer patients appear to have a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, even when taking into account important risk factors and overall survival, a study has found. The study, “Cancers Preceding Parkinson’s Disease after Adjustment for Bias in a Danish Population-Based Case-Control Study,” was published in Neuroepidimiology.

Physical activity and participation in competitive sports, as well as coffee, caffeinated tea or moderate alcohol consumption before diagnosis, protect against worsening motor and cognitive function in Parkinson’s patients, according to a new population-based study. In contrast, smoking and heavy alcohol consumption — or never consuming alcohol — correlated…