News

An experimental gene therapy called AAV2-GAD, previously shown to improve motor function in Parkinson’s patients, works by creating new circuits in the brain involving motor regions, researchers have discovered. Their findings were published in the study, “Gene therapy reduces Parkinson’s disease symptoms by reorganizing functional brain connectivity,”…

Xadago (safinamide) has been approved in Australia as an add-on therapy to a treatment regimen that includes levodopa for adults with idiopathic (no genetic or other known cause) Parkinson’s disease. This decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration of the Australian Government Department of Health adds Australia to the list of…

A 24-hour treatment with a levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) lessened the duration and functional effect of dyskinesia — involuntary, jerky movements — in Parkinson’s patients, according to a small study. The research, “24-hour levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel may reduce troublesome dyskinesia in advanced Parkinson’s disease,” was published…

A new imaging agent can efficiently reach the brain and bind toxic amyloid aggregates during early-stage Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, a study has found. This opens a new approach to diagnose and evaluate the effectiveness of treatments for these neurodegenerative diseases. The article, “ScFv-conjugated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles…

Arbutin, a natural compound found in plants such as bearberry leaves and pear trees, was able to protect dopaminergic neurons and reduce behavioral deficits and oxidative stress in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. The study, “Arbutin attenuates behavioral impairment and oxidative stress in an…

Parkinson Canada and Brain Canada have recently launched the Canadian Open Parkinson Network (C-OPN), the first platform to include data from people with Parkinson’s disease across the country and facilitate access to researchers studying the disease. Supported by a $2 million grant, the C-OPN will include a…

Smoking more cigarettes or for a longer time is associated with a decreased risk of developing Parkinson’s, according to a population-based study. A reduced risk was also seen in people exposed to passive smoking compared with those who had never smoked. However, the scientists cautioned that rather than encouraging…

A compound that targets two specific dopamine receptors in the brain is safe and can ease motor deficits in Parkinson’s patents, recent clinical data reveals. The study, “Evaluation of D1/D5 Partial Agonist PF-06412562 in Parkinson’s Disease following Oral Administration,” was published in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Pharmacological treatment…

The recent discovery of a previously unknown region of the human brain could have significant implications for neurodegenerative disorders affecting motor skills, such as Parkinson’s disease and motor neuron diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy…

With a treatment not yet within reach that might slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease, much less offer a cure, many — doctors, patients, and researchers alike — are looking to exercise in hopes of fending off a worsening of symptoms. Interest in exercise-based interventions has risen so much that…