News

Boston University Neurologist Awarded $100,000 to Study Gene Linked to Parkinson’s

Richard Myers, a Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) professor of neurology, has just received a $100,000 grant from the Ellison Foundation to investigate new targets for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Myers’ focus is on genetic research methods into diseases with adult onset, like PD, Huntington’s, or obesity. His research team has been examining the…

Parkinsonism in Welders Linked to Prolonged Manganese Exposure in Study

Researchers have discovered that welders develop symptoms of parkinsonism — a general term referring to disorders that cause movement problems that resemble those of Parkinson’s disease — because of prolonged exposure to manganese, a chemical element from welding fumes. The finding was reported in the study “Dose-dependent progression of parkinsonism…

Evotec, Celgene Partner on Neurodegenerative-disease Treatments

Evotec and Celgene Corporation are collaborating on disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The companies will use Evotec’s induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) platform to develop the treatments. IPSC involves reprogramming body cells to act like embryonic stem cells. The reprogramming gives other cells the ability to…

Brain Stimulation Restored Time Judgment in Parkinson’s Mice, Study Shows

Researchers used brain stimulation to improve the time-assessment skills of mice whose dopamine  neurotransmitter had been removed, raising the possibility that such stimulation could be used to improve Parkinson’s disease patients’ time judgment. The study, “Optogenetic Stimulation of Frontal D1 Neurons Compensates for Impaired Temporal Control of Action…