News

Denali Therapeutics says its experimental therapy for Parkinson’s disease, DNL201 — a small-molecule inhibitor of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) — stopped an average 90 percent of LRRK2 kinase activity at its highest concentration. When the drug’s levels dropped to the lowest concentration (known as trough levels), it still inhibited…

Throughout the past year, Parkinson’s News Today has brought you news on Parkinson’s disease treatment development, clinical trials, research, and events. As we look forward to bringing you more news in 2018, we would like to sum up 2017 by bringing you the Top 10 Parkinson’s disease stories that…

Fear is real. Those who live with a chronic illness may deal with it on a daily basis. It robs you of the joy of in your journey, the thrill of tomorrow, the delight of your day. It steals your contentment, empties you of enjoying the now, replaces wonder with…

An implanted wireless device that is smaller than a cubic millimeter may be the future for deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease. A team of engineers at the non-profit Draper Laboratory built such a device, then tested it in animals to prove that it works. Draper’s team and collaborators at…

Niclosamide, an oral medication widely used to eradicate tapeworm infections, may have the potential to slow disease progression in Parkinson’s patients with mutations in the PINK1 gene, researchers report. Their study, “The Anthelmintic Drug Niclosamide and its Analogues Activate the Parkinson’s Disease Associated Protein Kinase PINK1,” was…

Researchers at the University of California found that tau and beta-amyloid protein deposits in the brains of Parkinson’s patients does not influence their cognitive function. They found, interestingly, that those with greater tau accumulation had higher levels of β-amyloid in the brain. The study, “Associations Between Tau,…

Researchers have uncovered how aggregates of the Parkinson’s disease-associated protein alpha-synuclein damages nerve cells. The discovery offers scientists a road map to strategies for developing new treatments for the disease. The study is also a breakthrough in Parkinson’s research. Even though researchers have long known that alpha-synuclein protein…

Mutations of genes responsible for breaking down and recycling cell waste products may promote Parkinson’s disease, a study shows. Scientists have known for some time that deficiencies in these lysosomal storage genes cause Gaucher disease and other disorders. The study, “Excessive burden of lysosomal storage disorder gene…

Psychosis is an important marker for impaired volition (the act of making a conscious choice) in people with Parkinson’s disease who are treated with dopamine replacement therapy, a new study shows. The study, titled “Markers of impaired motor and cognitive volition in…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Boston Scientific’s Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation system to help Parkinson’s patients control their movement. Europe and Australia have already approved the system — the first to target specific nerve cells in the brain. It does this by stimulating electrodes that surgeons…