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Mutations affecting the NUS1 gene are linked to a significantly increased risk — 11 times higher — of developing Parkinson’s disease, study shows. The study, “Coding mutations in NUS1 contribute to Parkinson’s disease,” was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Although exact triggers of Parkinson’s…

Freezing of gait — the description for a Parkinson’s symptom in which a person’s feet become briefly “glued to the floor,” preventing forward movement despite an intention to walk — is associated with more severe disease and worse motor and non-motor disability, a study reports. The study, “Factors…

Chemical compounds in coffee — especially phenylindanes that form during the roasting of coffee beans — appear to prevent the damaging aggregation of amyloid-beta and tau known to play key roles in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report. Caffeine, in contrast, had no effect on protein buildup in this early…

Global Kinetics recently announced that the use of its wearable device, Personal KinetiGraph ­­(PKG)-Watch, significantly improves the assessment and management of Parkinson’s disease symptoms, while reducing patients’ costs. These results were presented in four scientific posters at the International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, held Oct. 5-9…

Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a specific cell death pathway named Parthanatos — after Thanatos, the ancient Greek personification of death — that leads to the physical and intellectual degeneration associated with Parkinson’s disease. They also found that a protein called PARP-1 is a key mediator of cell death via Parthanatos, supporting the…

Oral administration of a small molecule specifically blocked the activation of a stress-sensing protein complex called the NLRP3 inflammasome and prevented the loss of brain cells, resulting in significantly improved motor function in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. Findings also revealed that the inflammasome is activated in Parkinson’s patients.

Proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid that were seen as possible diagnostic biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease cannot serve in this role, because they lack robustness and reproducibility in earlier stages of the disease, a study has found. The study, “Evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid proteins as potential biomarkers for early stage…

The healthy human appendix contains Parkinson’s disease-related alpha-synuclein aggregates, and removing the organ early in a person’s life reduces the risk of developing the disease, a study has found. The study, “The vermiform appendix impacts the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease,” was published in Science…

While patients with some types of parkinsonism have a shorter lifespan, those with Parkinson’s disease without cognitive impairment have a normal life expectancy, a Swedish population-based study suggests. The study, “Early predictors of mortality in parkinsonism and Parkinson disease: A population-based study,” was published in the journal…

With a focus on self-care and caregiving, the Parkinson’s Foundation is hosting a free bilingual summit for those who attend to the daily needs of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Called Cumbre Para Cuidadores (Summit for Caregivers), the all-day event Dec. 1 at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix in Phoenix,…