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Severe motor, functional, and gait impairment; cumulative levodopa exposure; anxiety, and sex are among the risk factors for developing levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in people newly diagnosed  with Parkinson’s disease, according to results from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). The research, “Risk factors of…

Researchers have developed a system — a mobile app and two websites — based on musical stimuli to improve gait and reduce freezing episodes in Parkinson’s disease patients, according to a study describing the design process of the new approach. The project, called BeatHealth, involved patients, caregivers, and health professionals…

Precursors of dopamine-producing cells were implanted into the brain of a Parkinson’s patient for the first time. The patient in Japan is the first of seven to receive this experimental therapy. The approach uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are developed by reprogramming cells collected from the skin…

An investigational vaccine being developed by United Neuroscience (UNS) presented several advantages over traditional vaccines to treat progressive disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, according to preclinical data. The vaccine, called UB-312, was more selective to prevent toxic aggregates of alpha-synuclein in mouse models of the disease. These latest findings were…

A new, fully personalized tissue implant using a patient’s own materials and cells can regenerate any organ in the body with minimal risk of an immune response, according to researchers who are now exploring the approach as a potential way to treat Parkinson’s disease. The new technique was reported in…

A compound found in various types of plants, called astilbin, can protect neurons by preventing over-activation of glia cells (nerve cells that support neurons), excessive alpha-synuclein production, and oxidative stress, researchers working in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease report. Their study, “Neuroprotective effects of Astilbin on…

A new blood-based analysis that evaluates the levels and content of tiny vesicles released by red blood cells may help diagnose patients with Parkinson’s disease according to disease stage, researchers suggest. The new method was described in the study, “Portrait…

Dopamine depletion in a brain region called the striatum does not correlate with the severity of non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease, according to a new imaging study. The research, “Lack of association between dopamine transporter loss and non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s…

Results from preclinical studies show the PIG3 protein as a key player in LRRK2-mediated familial Parkinson’s disease. The findings were discussed in two presentations at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) 2018 annual meeting in San Diego, California. Mutations in the LRRK2 gene — the leading genetic cause of Parkinson’s — account for…

The significance — physiological and clinical — in the interaction of two proteins known to be associated with early onset Parkinson’s disease, PARKIN and PINK1, is detailed, possibly for a first time, by researchers. Their study, “Phosphorylation of Parkin at serine 65 is essential for its activation in vivo,”…