News

A new study has found that Parkinson’s disease is associated with changes in the visual system, a feature that can be detected earlier than the most common symptoms of the disease, suggesting it could be used as a biomarker to follow disease progression. The study “Visual System Involvement in Patients with…

U.S. government researchers have developed a computerized mathematical model for predicting and testing cognitive decline in Parkinson’s patients. The team from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke used information on 3,200 Parkinson’s cases in North America and Europe to develop the algorithm. The model could help doctors do…

Xadago (safinamide) is now available in the U.S. as an add-on treatment for patients with Parkinson’s disease currently taking levodopa/carbidopa to control their “off” episodes, according to an announcement from Newron Pharmaceuticals and US WordMeds. Photo credit: Business Wire Xadago is the first medication approved in…

Parkinson’s disease may in part be driven by autoimmune processes, according to researchers who discovered that certain immune cells react to alpha-synuclein — a protein that accumulates in the brains of Parkinson’s patients. The findings, published in the journal Nature, raise the possibility that immunotherapy could be used to…

An enzyme called asparagine endopeptidase may participate in the development of Parkinson’s disease by cleaving alpha-synuclein protein into toxic fragments, according to new research. The study, “Asparagine endopeptidase cleaves α-synuclein and mediates pathologic activities in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. The…

Parkinson’s disease patients have a significantly higher risk of developing melanoma, and the opposite is also true, according to a new study. But researchers aren’t sure of the cause. The study, “Parkinson Disease and Melanoma: Confirming and Reexamining an Association,” was published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Treatment with Prana Biotechnology’s investigational drug PBT434 showed potential in preventing neuronal death in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study. Results showed that PBT434 blocked the formation of alpha-synuclein aggregates, a hallmark of Parkinson’s, and normalized iron levels in the brain, thereby protecting neurons…

Doctors are using Elekta‘s Leksell Vantage Stereotactic System for precision Parkinson’s disease surgery at three European hospitals. The system has led to improved treatment and patient comfort, the company said. A stereotactic system uses three-dimensional coordinates to locate small targets inside the body. The first surgeries using the system were performed…

A recent study has discovered a link between frequent or chronic occurrences of gastrointestinal (GI) tract infections and the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The study’s authors have shown for the first time that the nerve cell protein alpha-synuclein (αS), produced by the enteric nervous system, is a key mediator of intestinal inflammation. The enteric nervous system (ENS)…

Consuming at least three servings of low-fat dairy per day is enough to increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 34 percent, compared to consuming less than one serving daily. So says a study, “Intake of Dairy Foods and Risk of Parkinson Disease,” published in Neurology, the journal of…