News

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have developed an accurate test for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s. The new NIH test is a refinement of one that detects protein clumping involved in these disorders. It diagnosed Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies from 60 cerebral spinal…

The neurotransmitter dopamine sparks movement, but does not sustain it, according to a Portuguese and American study with implications for the development of Parkinson’s therapies. A feature of Parkinson’s disease is the death of dopamine-producing nerve cells in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra. Dopamine is a…

Israel’s Pharma Two B has dosed the first patients in a Phase 3 trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its drug candidate P2B001 to treat early-stage Parkinson’s disease. P2B001 combines low-dose pramipexole and rasagiline, sold under the brand names Mirapex and Azilect. This…

Administering a naturally occurring protein directly to the brains of rats increased the amount of the neurotransmitter dopamine going to the animals’ nerve cells, suggesting it could be a way to treat Parkinson’s, a study reports. The findings further demonstrate the MANF protein’s potential to treat Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders, according…

Cognitive behavioral group therapy reduced Parkinson’s patients’ depression and anxiety, an Italian study reports. Parkinson’s patients experience both movement and non-movement symptoms, including depression, anxiety, apathy, fatigue, pain, and impulse control disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a well-established strategy for reducing depression and apathy. But evidence supporting its…

Stephen Bittel, founder and chairman of Terranova, has donated $450,000 to the Miami-based Parkinson’s Foundation to fund the expansion of its Centers of Excellence network. Bittel also pledged to use his personal and professional networks to raise an additional $1 million for ongoing fellowship grants to encourage young scientists,…

Techniques that analyze speech and vocal patterns might be effective tools to diagnose Parkinson’s disease, and possibly at earlier stages than is now possible, according to a new study. There are no laboratory biomarkers that can detect Parkinson’s, and brain imaging scans do not allow for a definitive diagnosis. The clinical…

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals’ below-the-tongue version of a Parkinson’s therapy was able to ease patients’ movement difficulties after the standard therapy levodopa wore off, a Phase 3 clinical trial showed. Patients also tolerated the treatment — known as apomorphine sublingual film — well, the preliminary results showed. Sublingual means below the tongue, so the therapy’s full…

The U.S. National Institutes of Health is starting a pioneering, multi-pronged public-private partnership program to try to accelerate the development of Parkinson’s treatments. What makes it special is how big it is. The NIH-led collaboration includes government, pharmaceutical companies, life science companies and non-profit organizations. The partners are calling the collaboration AMP…

Goal-oriented cognitive rehabilitation was better than standard treatment or relaxation therapy at helping dementia patients achieve goals, a study reported. It also led to patients getting more satisfaction from attaining goals, researchers said. And it led to caregivers reporting less stress and a better quality of life. The study was based…