News

Low levels of two dopamine-related molecules in cerebrospinal fluid can help identify patients in the early stages of preclinical Parkinson’s disease, a study suggests. The study, “Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of central dopamine deficiency predict Parkinson’s disease,” was published in Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. Parkinson’s disease is mainly…

GeneFo has created a free state-by-state guide for Parkinson’s patients with detailed and relevant information on medical cannabis, including the application process. Updated to March 2018, the guide may help patients get additional therapy and improve their lives. It includes legal information, patient’s rights, an application checklist, links and forms to…

So much Parkinson’s-related biomarker information has been collected under various research projects that sorting through it for additional clues to the disease poses a challenge to scientists. The scope of the information makes a collaborative research effort paramount — and a U.S. government-sponsored initiative is meeting that need, according to…

Researchers have discovered the 3D structure of a protein involved in inflammation, with implications in developing future treatments for Parkinson’s disease. The study from Saint Louis University School of Medicine, “The structure of iPLA2β reveals dimeric active sites and suggests mechanisms of regulation and localization” was published in the…

India Globalization Capital (IGC) has joined with the nonprofit Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center (PICC) with the goal of moving cannabinoid-based treatments for Parkinson’s disease into clinical testing. IGC, a company reported to be at the forefront of such Parkinson’s research, recently signed a Joint Development and Services Agreement with PICC  to identify…

There still are no reliable biomarkers for early detection, or to characterize and predict risk of dementia, in Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent analysis. Several studies on the cognitive deficits, progression to dementia, potential biomarkers and the mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI)…

LTS Lohmann Therapie-Systeme will manufacture a new capsule formulation of  the Parkinson’s therapy levodopa for Intec Pharma, the companies announced. The formulation, known as Accordion Pill Carbidopa/Levodopa (AP-CD/LD), is for people with advanced Parkinson’s disease. LTS will manufacture the capsules using Intec’s proprietary Accordion Pill production technology at a facility in…

Electrical-pulse brain stimulation eases a common mobility problem that Parkinson’s patients face — their walk freezing in mid-step, a study reports. The research in the journal Movement Disorders involved using low-current pulses to alleviate what Parkinson’s experts call gait freezing. The title of the study is “Multitarget transcranial direct current stimulation…

Low levels of vitamin B12 in patients in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease are linked to faster motor and cognitive decline, suggesting that vitamin supplements may help slow the progression of these symptoms, a study has found. The study, “Vitamin B12 and homocysteine levels predict…

A new DNA barcoding technique using nanoparticles could be used for large-scale testing of gene therapies for diseases such as Parkinson’s, according to Georgia Tech and Emory University researchers. The study, “A direct comparison of in vitro and in vivo nucleic acid delivery mediated by hundreds of nanoparticles…