Lowering the level of a certain protein can prevent PINK1 gene mutations from triggering an inherited type of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a study. The research may provide new insights into the role of fat molecules in neurons — particularly those inside energy-creating mitochondria — in Parkinson’s. The disease is a progressive…
Acorda Therapeutics reported positive Phase 3 results demonstrating that CVT-301 improved motor function in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experiencing off periods. Such periods are times when background L-dopa therapy does not control Parkinson’s symptoms. About 50 percent of patients using L-dopa have off periods, which are very disruptive…
Aggregation of the alpha-synuclein (α-synuclein) protein – a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease – may be influenced by salt levels within neurons, according to results of a new study. Researchers expect these findings may bring insight into the pathology of Parkinson’s disease and other protein aggregation-related diseases. Results of the study,…
Parkinson’s disease patients now have two additional Centers of Excellence at their service: the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center in New York and the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The global network is run by the Parkinson’s Foundation, which supports initiatives of different types to help improve the…
A treatment widely used to help prevent rejection in organ transplants, called tacrolimus, appears to work to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD) and ideally should be tested in early-stage patients, researchers report. Tacrolimus, marketed under brand names including Prograf, works to suppress the immune system. It is used at high dose with…
Yoga has been shown to increase flexibility and posture, ease stiffness, and improve balance through the strengthening of core muscles in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Kaitlyn P. Roland, PhD, a yoga teacher at the Parkingo Wellness Society in Victoria, Canada, and a specialist in studies of the rehabilitative needs…
Apomorphine infusion, delivered by a portable device, helps to treat Parkinson’s disease and allows reduced use of other medications that may cause symptom fluctuations and treatment side effects. But in the long run, few patients are able to stay on the treatment for more than a few years, an Australian study shows. The study,…
Researchers have identified an interactive triangle of proteins whose activity may be regulated to prevent loss of the brain’s dopaminergic neurons, whose diminishment leads to Parkinson’s disease. One of these proteins, called PARIS, contributes to the death of the neurons. Targeting it could lead to therapies for Parkinson’s, the researchers…
A hand-grip test is one of the best measures of muscle decline in Parkinson’s disease, research indicates. Two University of British Columbia researchers, Jenn Jakobi and Gareth Jones, researched methods used to monitor the progression of Parkinson’s. Their study, “Handgrip Strength Related to Long-Term Electromyography,” was published in the…
An optimal Parkinson’s disease treatment would need to target both accelerator and brake functions in the brain to be effective without producing side effects like the jerky movements associated with L-dopa treatment. Using an advanced method to manipulate the activity in the two brain pathways that act as the accelerator…
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