News

Victoza (liraglutide), a drug therapy for type 2 diabetes, is currently being evaluated in an ongoing clinical study to slow or stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease. This study is developed by the Linked Clinical Trials (LCT) initiative from The Cure Parkinson’s Trust in the United Kingdom, together with the Van Andel…

Researchers may have come a step closer to understanding the cause of Parkinson’s disease, in a study showing how the inability to degrade old mitochondria — the power plants that charge our cells — leads to the death of dopamine neurons. The findings also explain the role of the LRRK2 gene in…

Researchers from the University of Malta suggest that chemicals found in red wine may protect the brain and could potentially ward off Parkinson’s disease (PD). The report, “Putative role of red wine polyphenols against brain pathology in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease,” appeared in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

The nonprofit Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon (PRO) will unveil a series of Parkinson’s Ready training for the Portland Police Department, local hospitals and clinics (Legacy Health Systems), Portland International Airport security services (Transportation Security Administration), and local hotels in downtown Portland. The initiative is included in the organization’s program…

A collaborative effort between two Russian technology institutes may result in a virtual reality system that is able to detect and diagnose such neurodegenerative diseases as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis. According to the Virtual Reality Society, virtual reality systems would allow a healthcare provider to conduct diagnostic assessments without the need for more invasive,…

In a collaboration between the University of Bristol in England and the University of Queensland in Australia, researchers have found that mutations in a gene involved in protein transport inside cells give rise to rare types of Parkinson’s disease-like conditions, known as parkinsonism. The study, “Atypical…

A research team at The Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra is planning to collect information on subtleties like eye movement and posture sway in Parkinson’s patients, then use machine learning technology to spot indicators of how Parkinson’s disease (PD) might progress in individuals diagnosed with the neuromuscular disorder. Dr. Deborah Apthorp of…

Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a non-invasive way of following disease progression in Parkinson’s, and its related conditions, that uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The method is expected to soon be used in a clinical trial, and appears to be a way of evaluating the efficacy of experimental treatments to slow…

Changes in the retina of the eye may reveal the presence of Parkinson’s disease before brain changes and early symptoms appear, researchers at University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology report. Their discovery may lead to a non-invasive and low-cost eye test to detect Parkinson’s well in advance of the tremors and muscle stiffness that characterize…

Scientists have recorded the activity of nerve cells in the brains of human patients with Parkinson’s disease in what is believed to be the first time, focusing on the brain region where neuronal loss leads to movement and cognitive symptoms typical of the condition — the striatum. The study,…