The use of medical cannabis in the U.S. has grown as more states legalize it, and programs listing Parkinson’s disease-related conditions, including muscle cramps, anxiety, and pain, have expanded from 28 states to 36 in just five years. Yet a survey found many doctors are not aware of the…
A group of light-responsive receptors in nerve cells called kalium channelrhodopsins can effectively turn off nerve cells in the brain, offering a potential way for scientists to dissect the mechanisms underlying brain function and what goes awry in diseases like Parkinson’s, a study found. The study, “…
Lactulose — a synthetic (lab-made) sugar used to soften stools — may ease symptoms of constipation in people with Parkinson’s disease, lowering a need for rescue laxatives, a pilot study found. While these findings come from a small number of patients, they offer grounds for further research into lactulose’s…
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has awarded $9.75 million to researchers working on validating new biomarkers for tracking Parkinson’s disease progression. The funds are split across five different research teams, each of which is looking for quantitative biomarkers that will be ready for use…
Researchers have developed an implantable device, dubbed ImPULS, that can stimulate brain cells using high-frequency sound waves, or ultrasound, in mice. The researchers said they hope the device may be useful for deep brain stimulation in people with disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and as a research tool to…
Researchers have developed an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize the emotional states of people with Parkinson’s disease based on physiological data collected from a smartwatch. The approach could ultimately be used to help clinicians accurately track emotions in their patients and guide treatment decisions, the researchers…
Heavy coffee consumption results in lower dopamine activity in the striatum, a brain region affected in Parkinson’s disease, and does not ease motor symptoms in early diagnosed patients who have not yet been treated for the neurological disease, a study has found. However, coffee consumption before brain imaging was…
People who carry the G2019S mutation in the LRRK2 gene, the most common one associated with Parkinson’s disease, have a 10 times higher risk of developing the disease, but the risk increases to 27 times if mutations in other genes are also present. G2019S carriers developed the disease earlier, but, despite…
Recognizing cognitive decline and low sex drive in people with Parkinson’s disease and depression could aid the early diagnosis and better management of the disease, according to researchers in Iran. While it’s not known if treating depression may ease other nonmotor symptoms, “these findings could be beneficial for…
Scientists have harnessed the power of a protein-screening technology to identify a novel inhibitor of AAK1, an enzyme linked with Parkinson’s disease, a development that could speed the discovery of new therapies. Developing inhibitors for these specific enzymes, called kinases, has proven a difficult task due to the similar…
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