News

A simple bedside test measuring heart rate and blood pressure after a patient stands may help doctors come up with an early diagnosis of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders, a study suggests. Besides Parkinson’s, the test could help diagnose other synucleinopathies, such as Lewy Body dementia and multiple system atrophy. These are…

AbbVie’s Duopa can reduce impulse control disorders in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease and mild-to-moderate neuropsychiatric problems, a study shows. The research, “Improvement of impulse control disorders associated with levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel treatment in advanced Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the Journal of Neurology. Parkinson’s disease is…

Finnish and Japanese researchers have developed a new algorithmic approach to user interface optimization that takes individual differences into account. This approach could be beneficial for patients with Parkinson’s disease or other disabilities. The research, “Ability-Based Optimization of Touchscreen Interactions,” was published in the journal IEEE Pervasive Computing. Among the…

A protein found on the surface of cells mediates nerve cells’ susceptibility to damage and death. This discovery may open new therapeutic avenues to prevent neuron degeneration associated with Parkinson’s disease. The study, “Targeted deletion of the aquaglyceroporin AQP9 is protective in a mouse model of Parkinson’s…

Acorda Therapeutics has asked the European Medicines Agency to approve Inbrija (CVT-301) to reduce the periods when the standard Parkinson’s treatment carbidopa/levodopa is not working. Inbrija is a self-administered, inhaled levodopa therapy. Acorda developed it to reduce the time when standard levodopa treatment wears off — periods known as off times.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) will fund a new program to investigate the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease called “PATH to PD.” The two-year program includes three research teams that will collaborate to investigate risks associated with genetics, environment and aging, while working with a…

A new brain scanner that can be worn as a helmet could potentially revolutionize the world of human brain imaging, allowing patients with Parkinson’s disease to undergo brain scanning — a task previous traditional scanners failed. Brain cells use electrical impulses to communicate and, in doing so, form small…

Structural changes in a specific region of the brain can predict the onset of cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s patients who have not yet developed dementia, according to a recent British study. The study, “Nucleus basalis of Meynert degeneration precedes and predicts cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in…

The most common gene mutation in Parkinson’s triggers disease outside the brain by changing the body’s immune response to common infections, a study in mice reports. The research, “Mutant LRRK2 mediates peripheral and central immune responses leading to neurodegeneration in vivo,” was published in the journal Brain.

An innovative Positron Emission Tomography (PET) tracer that has the potential to diagnose Parkinson’s disease will soon be tested in humans for the first time. Led by Switzerland-based AC Immune, which developed the technology, the study is expected to begin in the second half of 2018. The company recently presented…