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While attempting to transform a type of brain cell into neurons, researchers instead discovered they can turn mature neurons — which were previously believed to be unchangeable — into neurons that produce dopamine, the neurotransmitter that is lost in Parkinson’s disease. The incidental discovery has therapeutic implications for Parkinson’s and other…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) has introduced a series of educational videos about Parkinson’s disease, as well as a video offering advice to those caring for people with the disorder. November is National Caregivers Month. Called the Whiteboard Series, the short illustrated segments are designed to…

A new transgenic Parkinson’s disease mouse model is able to recapitulate the motor symptoms and biological causes of disease, including alpha-synuclein protein aggregation, a study reports. Similar to Parkinson’s patients, this model also responds to levodopa, one of the main compounds used to treat symptoms of the disease. The study, “Abrogating Native…

Parkinson’s patients carrying two types of genetic polymorphisms — a gene that has more than one variant in a given population — in the dopamine transporter gene are less likely to suffer from involuntary muscle movements associated with levodopa therapy, a study shows. The study, “DAT gene polymorphisms (rs28363170, rs393795)…

A better understanding of how Parkinson’s disease affects the laryngopharyngeal muscles of the esophagus could help identify those patients at risk for obstructive sleep apnea, according to a new study. The research, “Laryngopharyngeal motor dysfunction and obstructive sleep apnea in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal Sleep and…

Deep brain stimulation can effectively reduce physical impairment caused by Parkinson’s disease and meets most patients’ expectations for improvements in several domains, a study reports. However, researchers found that the procedure did fall short of meeting most patients’ expectations concerning the reduction of non-motor symptoms. The study, “…

Women and Hispanic patients with Parkinson’s disease, as well as those living in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states, are most often prescribed inappropriate dementia therapies, a nationwide study reveals. The study, “Patterns of Dementia Treatment and Frank Prescribing Errors in Older Adults With Parkinson Disease,” appeared…

Specific motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease have a corresponding cognitive profile, with the tremor-dominant type being associated with less severe cognitive decline, a study reports. The study, “Cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease: the impact of the motor phenotype on cognition,” was published in the Journal of Neurology,…

A protein called scarlet can protect nerve cells from the damaging effects of toxic alpha-synuclein aggregates that occur in Parkinson’s disease, according to results of research into a fruit fly model. The study, “Neurodegeneration and locomotor dysfunction in Drosophila scarlet mutants,” was published in the Journal…

Levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) — a protein important in promoting the survival of dopaminergic neurons — are abnormally low in patients with Parkinson’s disease, regardless of whether these patients also have depression, a common non-motor symptom associated with the disease, a systematic review study reveals. The…